Also called: shoulder arthroplasty
If your doctor recommends shoulder replacement surgery, here’s what you should know — this procedure removes damaged pieces of bone in your shoulder joint and replaces them with plastic and metal parts in the hopes of giving you a greater range of motion or reducing your shoulder pain.
Depending on the type of damage or injury, your doctor may recommend a specific type of surgery.
- Anatomic Total Shoulder Replacement — Your doctor will replace the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. The implants used will look and behave like your natural joint.
- Reverse Shoulder Replacement — You’re still getting a total joint replacement, but the ball is attached to your shoulder and the socket on your arm, this is often the choice if you have severe rotator cuff damage.
- Partial Shoulder Replacement — Your doctor will recommend this option if only the ball part of the joint is damaged.
