What is shoulder osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the articular wear that appears in the final phase of the rupture of the tendons of the shoulder. Progressive destruction of the articular surfaces of the humeral head and glenoid cavity occurs.
Characteristic symptoms of osteoarthritis of the shoulder
The most frequent symptoms are pain (predominantly at night) and progressive limitation of mobility. Both cause the patient to lose the ability to perform activities of personal autonomy such as hygiene, dressing and eating.
When is a shoulder prosthesis necessary?
The specialists in Traumatology indicate its implantation when the osteoarthritis is so evolved that it is no longer possible to carry out any conservative treatment (rehabilitation, infiltrations, …).
Another increasingly frequent indication is humerus fractures with multiple fragments that prevent reconstruction.
What is the operation like?
It is a major joint surgery, which is performed with a conventional approach, i.e., it is not minimally invasive. The head of the humerus is removed and both sides are prepared for the implantation of the prosthesis. It is called inverted because the cavity corresponds to the humeral side when normally it is the other way around. The design means that mobility does not depend on the tendons, which are chronically ruptured, but on the deltoid muscle, which is always preserved.
As with all prostheses there is a risk of dislocation, instability, infection and loosening.
What is the rehabilitation like once the shoulder prosthesis surgery has been performed?
The rehabilitation corresponds largely to exercises to be performed by the patient and another part to be performed in a physiotherapy center. In three to four weeks the patient has sufficient mobility to carry out personal autonomy activities.