Shoulder replacement allows Dr. Burns to replace the damaged surfaces of your ball and socket with new plastic and metal surfaces. There are several types of shoulder replacement. The types of shoulder replacement include anatomic total shoulder replacement, reverse total shoulder replacement, and partial replacement of the ball only (hemiarthroplasty).
Why Choose Shoulder Replacement?
The main reason to have a shoulder replacement is to relieve your pain. If you need a shoulder replacement, Dr. Burns will choose one of the following procedures to repair your shoulder arthritis: anatomic total shoulder replacement, reverse shoulder replacement, or hemiarthroplasty (partial replacement of the ball only).
Anatomic Total Shoulder Replacement
Anatomic total shoulder replacement is a surgical procedure that removes the damaged ball and socket and replaces them with a new metal and plastic ball and socket. This also replaces the arthritic or “worn out” cartilage which has been causing your pain. This procedure works best for patients who have a normal and intact rotator cuff and who have not excessively ground down the remaining bone. Dr. Burns will make an incision on the front of your shoulder and remove the cartilage and bone that has been damaged by arthritis or injury. The upper arm bone (humerus) is resurfaced with a metal stem and ball made of titanium and cobalt chrome. The socket (glenoid) is resurfaced with a plastic liner. Often, this plastic liner will have a metal post to support it.
Anatomic shoulder replacement replaces the damaged surface of the ball with a new metal ball, sometimes on a stem and sometimes stemless, as well as replacing the socket with a plastic disk. Below is a video of anatomic shoulder replacement using a stemless component.
Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement
Reverse total shoulder replacement is a surgical procedure for patients who have significant arthritis and/or damage to their rotator cuff that cannot be repaired. Reverse shoulder replacement also works well for people who have major bone loss around their shoulder, which can occur from years of bone-on-bone grinding of the ball and socket. Reverse shoulder replacement also can be used to treat severe shoulder fractures. This procedure is called a “reverse” because the position of the ball and the socket are switched in this type of replacement. The socket (glenoid) is resurfaced with a metal base and a ball made of cobalt chrome. The upper arm bone (humerus) is resurfaced with a metal stem and plastic cup liner.
Partial Shoulder Replacement (Hemiarthroplasty)
Occasionally, Dr. Burns may select an option called hemiarthroplasty, which is a replacement of the ball at the upper end of the arm bone (humerus) only, also known as a partial shoulder replacement. In this procedure the socket is not replaced with a metal and plastic part. Dr. Burns will often use a special bearing surface called Pyrocarbon in this situation, which has low wear on the native socket cartilage. Dr. Burns may also rebuild or cushion the native socket area with cadaver-donated tissue, called an allograft.