reverse shoulder replacement

[wmh9680]

Good evening, Well I went to the workman comp Dr today and he verified that I need a total reverse right shoulder replacement (I had the rotator cuff repaired in 1998 and it torn again--I also need a right knee replacement). Anyone out there have this done and how did it and how long did it affect riding? He says it is easier than rotator cuff repair and the recovery is shorter and not too much PT is required. I know when I have the knee done I think LaMonster had a hand brake he setup and there are others if I want to ride before I can. She's sitting in the garage waiting for me to install the bumpskid. Hope everyone that can is riding. Thanks, Mike

 

[Gator37]

Good evening, Well I went to the workman comp Dr today and he verified that I need a total reverse right shoulder replacement (I had the rotator cuff repaired in 1998 and it torn again--I also need a right knee replacement). Anyone out there have this done and how did it and how long did it affect riding? He says it is easier than rotator cuff repair and the recovery is shorter and not too much PT is required. I know when I have the knee done I think LaMonster had a hand brake he setup and there are others if I want to ride before I can. She's sitting in the garage waiting for me to install the bumpskid. Hope everyone that can is riding. Thanks, Mike

Had right Knee replaced in on March 6th two years ago and was taking short rides the first part of May. Had a great Dr. who had replaced my Left one the year earlier.

 

[Peter Aawen]

I must admit that I haven't had that particular op done on either shoulder, but I've had a whole lot of other surgery & repair/re-builds done on each of my shoulders - and I'd be somewhat dubious about any claim that removing the 'original equipment' joint & replacing it with an 'aftermarket' unit, whichever way that's done, will be easier, involve less PT, & have a shorter recovery time FOR YOU!! Easier to do & shorter recovery for him (the surgeon) maybe; but I can't really see how it'll achieve that for you!! Have you seen what those replacement joint ops actually entail?!? :shocked:

In my experience, anything that's entailed bone removal &/or artificial bits put in there in its place has taken a fair bit longer to heal & involved far more effort & therapy to return to full function & activity than the possibly more complex repairs involving all the original equipment parts & that didn't entail any significant 'removal & replacement of bone/joint/cartilage' type ops - & I've had a few of both types, altho not that particular shoulder replacement - I opted for the re-build!! In fact, I was told unequivocally that if I chose to go down the artificial shoulder joint route (which is a far easier op for the Ortho-surgeon to carry out than the more complex re-build/repairs) that I would NEVER get my previous full strength & complete range of motion back, regardless of which end got the ball & which end the cup!! And yeah, it has been a bit of a long haul, but I now have FULL range of motion & very nearly full previous strength back in both shoulders, despite having had a number of ops on each shoulder in the past. Just the fact that I can once again do a chin up or lift either of my 2 local grandkids (now 11 & 8) above my head is fantastic & more than compensates for the time & effort it's taken to achieve - and that is something that I was told would be very unlikely if not impossible to EVER achieve again if I went with an artificial joint!! Orright, I was told that even with the repair they did, achieving full range of motion & strength was not always achieved by everyone, & that it depended very much on how much effort I was prepared to put in & how diligent I was with doing the PT, but the odds of getting there were far better with the re-build than with the replacement joint & besides, I'm well known as a stubborn cuss - so I wore the therapists out during our sessions more often than not!! :thumbup:

There again, there may be specifics about your particular shoulder issues that make others experience not exactly applicable; just like my issues & their repair may have been peculiar to me....

 

[wmh9680]

The MRI showed that I have no cartilage left at all and rotator cuff and muscle atrophy and not much of the tendons and muscles were left so both Dr.s said fixing the tendons was impossible. I had the rotator cuff repaired with the 1st surgery in 1998 and made a great recovery as I had the will--Dr-- and therapist to get it done. When I tore it again they said at best it would be a 50/50 chance to fix it. I opted for PT and have been doing it for 1 1/2 yrs and have pain that is getting worse and the weakness is getting worse and cortizone shots no longer help. I have very little strength left with anything above the shoulder. My range of motion is good since I've been working on that for 1 1/2 yrs. So they say I might get a little strenth back but will be limited in anything over the shoulder with weight restrictions (which I alreay have). Thanks, Mike

 

[wyliec]

Good evening, Well I went to the workman comp Dr today and he verified that I need a total reverse right shoulder replacement (I had the rotator cuff repaired in 1998 and it torn again--I also need a right knee replacement). Anyone out there have this done and how did it and how long did it affect riding? He says it is easier than rotator cuff repair and the recovery is shorter and not too much PT is required. I know when I have the knee done I think LaMonster had a hand brake he setup and there are others if I want to ride before I can. She's sitting in the garage waiting for me to install the bumpskid. Hope everyone that can is riding. Thanks, Mike

I have worked in physical therapy for over 10 years, and I can say that how much PT is required is based not only on the type of surgery, but also on the effort of the patient during therapy. Since I wasn't familiar with reverse shoulder replacement, I looked it up. It was pretty interesting regarding a different muscle (other than the rotator cuff) is utilized to power and position the arm. And, I can honestly say that no patient has ever worn me out during any of my treatments.

 

[Motorcycledave]

I just had to toss in my 2 cents worth

Here is my story , the readers digest version....
I had my KNEES replaced in Aug. 2011 both of them at the same time.... they are fantastic, I wish I had done it years ago
I was 70 at the time. I went through a bunch of physical therapy aprox. 2 to 3 months, they are better than they have been
since I was a teenager, about 8 weeks after the replacement I decided to ride one of my motorcycles, a 1991 Honda ST1100
my wife said I was maybe going for a ride to soon after the knee replacements but what does she know.... hahaha
after about 5 miles of riding I came to a STOP sign and was sitting still waiting for traffic to clear so I could go on, I looked to my left
and there was a green Chevrolet Pick Up heading for me at about 40 mph, I don't know why but I jumped backwords off the bike
and the truck hit the bike not me "YET" while on the ground the bike was spinning after being hit it then hit me and pushed me under
the right rear wheel of the truck and he then ran over me..... and ripped my shoulder out of socket.
I was transported to the hospital and they worked on my shoulder got it back into place and it promptly fell out again this happened
2 more times in the next 3 days, I met with a Doctor who specializes in repairing shoulders in the same office the knee doctor is in
after many tests xrays and MRI he informed me my rotator cuff was not repairable and I would need a new shoulder. I went to a different doctor for a second opinion he told me if I went for the new shoulder there would be a good chance I would NEVER be able
to raise my arm above my head, back to the first shoulder doctor and he confirmed that... I said what else can I do he said find a
good physical therapy clinic and work the shoulder to build up the muscles around the now toast rotator cuff, well that is just what I did and I worked on the shoulder for over a year, today 5 years later my knees are just great AND so is my shoulder, it took time but I do not have any problem with my shoulder
at all. All that said I would recommend you go get a second and or third opinion unless you don't care if you can raise your arm above your head like you would do to put dishes away or change a light bulb or ......
Ride Safe
Dave

Good evening, Well I went to the workman comp Dr today and he verified that I need a total reverse right shoulder replacement (I had the rotator cuff repaired in 1998 and it torn again--I also need a right knee replacement). Anyone out there have this done and how did it and how long did it affect riding? He says it is easier than rotator cuff repair and the recovery is shorter and not too much PT is required. I know when I have the knee done I think LaMonster had a hand brake he setup and there are others if I want to ride before I can. She's sitting in the garage waiting for me to install the bumpskid. Hope everyone that can is riding. Thanks, Mike

 

[wmh9680]

Thanks, I've been working on the shoulder for a year and a half (working on the strength and doing physical therapy--I think I could write the book on shoulder therapy after all these years) and it is getting worse. Right now I have trouble doing anything above my head. I talked to my therapist and he said knowing me I would do okay with the shoulder surgery. I will never be a weight lifter or anything but I should be able to use it okay. I am still waiting for wkmns comp to approve the second opinion.
Thanks, Mike

 

[bkelsey]

Two shoulders and Two knees

Good evening, Well I went to the workman comp Dr today and he verified that I need a total reverse right shoulder replacement (I had the rotator cuff repaired in 1998 and it torn again--I also need a right knee replacement). Anyone out there have this done and how did it and how long did it affect riding? He says it is easier than rotator cuff repair and the recovery is shorter and not too much PT is required. I know when I have the knee done I think LaMonster had a hand brake he setup and there are others if I want to ride before I can. She's sitting in the garage waiting for me to install the bumpskid. Hope everyone that can is riding. Thanks, Mike

I have had both shoulders replaced. I found the right shoulder took about a year before it felt like it was mine again. I have great range of motion but have less strength than before. The left shoulder had a muscle come loose during PT and needed another surgery to have it repaired. it was a total of 18 months before that was right. I'm still riding.
I had both knees replaced at the same time. Recovery time was far less than the shoulders and now feel great aside from occasional clunking. I'm still riding.
In 2 weeks I have to have to have a total left wrist fusion done. I have severe psoriatic arthritis. I hope I have enough motion and grip left to still be able to ride. We will see.
Good luck with your shoulder. I hope the replacement lessens your pain.

 

[wmh9680]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm having the surgery Feb 17th. Thanks again, Mike

 

[LLSailor]

Gonna follow this...

My own right shoulder replacement is scheduled for next week. This will be the third surgery on this shoulder, the scars are starting to look like a tic tac toe board. I am very right handed, so this will be an experiment in klutz.