You might need one if you have extensive arthritis in your shoulder joint or if your shoulder is severely fractured. A doctor like an orthopedist might decide a total shoulder replacement surgery is necessary or your best option if other, less conservative treatments haven’t helped you enough with your pain and movement.

The replacement procedure provides the patient with a functional replacement for their shoulder joint, allowing the patient to go about their life and do their daily activities more normally.

The total shoulder replacement surgery procedure is about replacing an arthritic joint with a plastic socket and a polished metal ball attached to a stem. The components may be either cemented or non-cemented. If the patient’s bone is healthy, the surgeon may use a non-cemented, or press-fit, component, but if the bone is unhealthy, a component may be put in with bone cement. Most of the time, an all-plastic socket component is put in with bone cement. After the procedure, physical therapy is a major component of recovery.

The shoulder replacement procedure itself takes about three hours, and the anesthesia used is typically a general anesthetic. After the procedure, the patient will likely be given a morphine pump to help control their own pain medicine, and after about a day, the patient may be able to switch to oral pain medicine. Antibiotics are given for a day to prevent infection. The arm will be in a brace for a while, but it can be removed for physical therapy which will begin the day after surgery. The patient will likely stay in the clinic for three to five days.

After going home from the clinic, the patient will continue the physical therapy exercises daily to prevent stiffness, and cold therapy should be done to control pain. Stitches are removed one week after the procedure. Physical therapy will continue for several weeks at another facility and at home. The therapy will help ensure a thorough recovery.

Most of your recovery will be done by around six months after the procedure, but there can be improvement for one to two years. At The Orthopedic Group, we’ll be here the whole while to help with your recovery!

The Orthopedic Group provides total shoulder replacement surgery at our locations in Leesburg, Lansdowne, and Stone Springs. Please see our Locations page for the location near you, its address, and its contact information, then call us at the location if you need our services. You can book a consultation with us from that page. We serve patients from Leesburg VA, Lansdowne VA, Stone Springs VA, Dulles, VA, Ashburn VA, Sterling VA, Aldie VA, South Riding VA, Herndon VA, Winchester VA, Reston VA, and Chantilly VA.

Connect with our clinic today if you need or may need surgery. We’ll tell you more about our team, invite you in for a consultation with us, and then discuss the procedure with you in greater detail. We look forward to speaking with you soon!