Shoulder Replacement Surgery

Restoring Motion and Relieving Pain

Shoulder replacement surgery, also known as shoulder arthroplasty, is a highly effective procedure designed to relieve chronic shoulder pain and restore mobility in a severely damaged shoulder joint. This surgery removes damaged parts of the bone and replaces them with artificial components, or prosthetics, typically made of metal and plastic.

Specialty Care Clinics in Greenville offer access to board-certified orthopedic surgeons who utilize state-of-the-art techniques, including various types of shoulder arthroplasty, to provide personalized treatment plans from initial diagnosis through rehabilitation. When considering shoulder replacement surgery, consulting with the experienced specialists at a top-tier facility in Greenville is the critical first step to discussing your options and determining the best path to restored function and pain relief.

When is Shoulder Replacement Needed?

This procedure is often recommended when non-surgical treatments like medication, injections, and physical therapy have failed to manage severe symptoms resulting from conditions such as:

• Osteoarthritis (Wear-and-Tear Arthritis): Deterioration of the cartilage in the joint.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis: An inflammatory condition that damages joint lining.
• Avascular Necrosis: Death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply.
• Severe Fractures: Badly broken bones near the shoulder that are difficult to fix.
• Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy: Arthritis that develops after a massive, long-standing rotator cuff tear.

Types of Shoulder Replacement

The type of shoulder replacement performed depends on the extent of the damage, especially to the rotator cuff tendons:

• Total Shoulder Replacement (Anatomic): Both the ball (humeral head) and the socket (glenoid) are replaced with implants that mimic the natural anatomy. This is typically used when the rotator cuff is healthy.
• Partial Shoulder Replacement (Hemiarthroplasty): Only the head of the upper arm bone (the ball) is replaced, leaving the natural socket intact. This may be an option when only the ball side of the joint is significantly damaged.
• Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement: The positions of the ball and socket are switched. A metal ball is attached to the shoulder blade, and a plastic socket is attached to the upper arm bone. This design allows the large deltoid muscle, rather than the damaged rotator cuff, to power the movement, making it ideal for patients with significant rotator cuff damage.

Tailored Treatment. Maximum Recovery.

At our clinic, including the dedicated team at Specialty Care Clinics (SCC) in Greenville, we are committed to providing you with a customized treatment plan because we believe every patient is an individual. You will always receive care that is precisely tailored to your unique lifestyle and condition.

We prioritize the most effective path to your relief. For mild shoulder pain, we'll explore conservative, non-surgical options first. However, when you're dealing with serious joint damage or chronic, debilitating pain, a shoulder replacement may be the precise, definitive solution you need to restore your quality of life.

Our goal is simple: to get you back to living fully and pain-free. We encourage you to schedule a consultation with our Greenville experts to thoroughly discuss all your treatment options and let our doctor recommend the very best course of action for you.