December 3, 2007

I Have Bad Arthritis In The Shoulder But I0m Afraid Of Surgery0 What Should I Do?

Joint replacement surgery for arthritis has become commonplace nowadays when it comes to areas such as hips or knees.

However, there is still the notion that shoulder replacement is difficult and not very successful. It0s something to consider only as the very last resort0 and even then avoid it if possible. Why is this the case?
One reason is that shoulder replacement is not commonly done. Only about a tenth as many shoulder replacements are done as hip or knee replacements. However, new data from a Johns Hopkins study has demonstrated that while less commonly performed, shoulder replacement actually has fewer complications and shorter hospital stays than either knee or hip replacement.
Shoulder replacements are less common than knee or hip replacement for three major reasons.
The first is that the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis- is a disease of weight-bearing joints and the shoulder is not a weight-bearing joint.
Also, many people don't realize shoulder replacement is an option or they may lack access to surgeons who can perform shoulder replacement surgery because it is such a specialized procedure.
Finally, many physicians have not been exposed to the excellent results that can be achieved, so they are often reluctant to advise it for their […]