Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2019

6 | Winter 2019 ORTHOPEDICS Recovery advice After shoulder replacement surgery, one of the best things you can do is to follow your health team’s advice for a healthy recovery. That includes: • Doing physical therapy and home exercises. Exercising will help your shoulder get flexible and strong. • Avoiding movements that could injure your shoulder, such as using your arm to push yourself up from bed or lifting anything heavier than a glass of water. I f you’ve been putting up with severe shoulder pain, you might wish you could just get a new shoulder and get back to living your life. The good news: That may be more than wishful thinking. “Many people find relief with shoulder replacement surgery,” says Eric Varboncouer, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who is fellowship- trained in shoulder surgery. “Shoulder replacements relieve joint pain just as well as hip or knee replacements.” Eric Varboncouer, M.D. Is shoulder pain holding you back? It may be time to replace that achy joint Why it’s done Severe arthritis is one reason to con- sider shoulder replacement surgery. Arthritis can damage the cushioning cartilage within a joint until bones begin to rub against bones. The result: a painful, stiff shoulder. Fractures and certain severe shoulder injuries (unusually large or long-lasting rotator cuff tears) are some other reasons a shoulder might be replaced. If you have shoulder pain due to arthritis or another problem, your doctor will most likely want you to try conservative treatments, such as physi- cal therapy or steroid medication. If these treatments don’t work, shoulder replacement surgery may be recommended, especially if: • Shoulder pain limits your daily activities, like getting dressed, using a toilet or bathing • Your shoulder hurts even when you rest, and it keeps you awake at night • Your shoulder is weak and hard to move How it’s done If you decide to have shoulder replacement surgery, your surgeon will most likely remove the dam- aged parts of your shoulder’s ball- and-socket joint and replace them with new metal and plastic parts. Or he may replace just the ball part of the joint. It will depend on the condition of your shoulder. After shoulder replacement surgery, you’ll stay in the hospital overnight and likely go home the next day. Full recovery can take up to six months. “If you have a bad shoulder, you know it’s not something you can just ignore,” Dr. Varboncouer says. “We’re here to help you fix it.” Learn more about Dr. Varboncouer and the Lake Regional Orthopedics team at lakeregional.com/orthopedics . Additional source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Look forward to RELIEF