Shoulder Replacement Surgery
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Shoulder Specialists in Kothrud Pune
Your shoulder is made up of three bones: your upper arm bone (humerus), your shoulder blade (scapula), and your collarbone (clavicle). The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint: The ball, or head, of your upper arm bone fits into a shallow socket in your shoulder blade. This socket is called the glenoid.
The surfaces of the bones where they touch are covered with articular cartilage, a smooth substance that protects the bones and enables them to move easily. A thin, smooth tissue called synovial membrane covers all remaining surfaces inside the shoulder joint. In a healthy shoulder, this membrane makes a small amount of fluid that lubricates the cartilage and eliminates almost any friction in your shoulder.
Dr. Pankaj Gunjal is one of the Shoulder Specialists in Kothrud Pune. He is an experienced Orthopedic surgeon in Karvenagar Pune.
About Shoulder Replacement Surgery
In shoulder replacement surgery, the damaged parts of the shoulder are removed and replaced with artificial components, called a prosthesis. The treatment options are either replacement of just the head of the humerus bone (ball), or replacement of both the ball and the socket (glenoid).
Is Shoulder Replacement Surgery for You?
The decision to have shoulder replacement surgery should be a cooperative one between you, your family, your family physician, and your orthopedic surgeon. There are several reasons why your doctor may recommend shoulder replacement surgery. People who benefit from surgery often have:
- Severe shoulder pain that interferes with everyday activities, such as reaching into a cabinet, dressing, toileting, and washing.
- Moderate to severe pain while resting. This pain may be severe enough to prevent a good night’s sleep.
- Loss of motion and/or weakness in the shoulder.
- Failure to substantially improve with other treatments such as anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, and/or physical therapy.
At the first appointment for a shoulder replacement surgery
Your family physician may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon for a thorough evaluation to determine if you can benefit from this surgery. An evaluation with an orthopaedic surgeon consists of several components:
- A medical history – Your orthopaedic surgeon will gather information about your general health and ask you about the extent of your shoulder pain and your ability to function.
- A physical examination – This will assess shoulder motion, stability, and strength.
- X-rays – X-rays help to determine the extent of damage in your shoulder. They can show loss of the normal joint space between bones, flattening or irregularity in the shape of the bone, bone spurs, and loose pieces of cartilage or bone that may be floating inside the joint.
- Other tests – Occasionally, your doctor may order blood tests, a computed tomography (CT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, or a bone scan to determine the condition of the bone and soft tissues of your shoulder.