Shoulder joint arthritis can be due to inflammation such as in rheumatoid arthritis, or due to wear and tear on the joint where it is called osteoarthritis. In some situations where there has been damage to the joint from a fracture a patient can develop "post traumatic" arthritis. With people living longer surgeons are also seeing arthritis from untreated rotator cuff tears, this is known as "cuff tear arthropathy". Whatever the cause, shoulder arthritis is much less common than that affecting the knee or hip so shoulder joint surgery for it is usually done by orthopaedic surgeons specialising in shoulder/upper limb surgery.

Pain and decreased motion in the shoulder joint are what most people with shoulder arthritis notice. The pain can be so bad that it wakes them at night from sleep. The pain and decreased range of motion in the shoulder can become so bad that surgery is indicated to replace the joint.

Shoulder joint replacement/arthroplasty is a specialist procedure that involves replacing the damaged surfaces of the joint with special metal and high density plastic implants. For "cuff tear arthropathy" this is even more specialised with "reverse" total shoulder joint replacement where the ball and socket joint are "switched around" to allow the shoulder to function better without the aid of the rotator cuff.

In my practice shoulder arthroplasty is done as an inpatient procedure and you will stay usually one, occasionally two nights in hospital.

For more information about shoulder arthritis click here

For more information on shoulder replacement click here