Shoulder Arthritis, Who Knew?

By Cyrus Press, MD

Many people have friends or relatives who suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). Perhaps you yourself suffer from the occasional aches and pains of OA. It is an all-to-prevalent condition that affects over 27 million people nationwide.

Commonly, treatment options such as activity modification, over-the-counter medication, and injections proved to be ineffective over time and people subsequently elect to have surgery. While hip and knee replacements are the most common surgical procedures performed for osteoarthritis, did you know that shoulder replacements rank third on that list? Many people don't even know that you can have arthritis in the shoulder!

Arthritis of the shoulder, in many ways, is no different from arthritis anywhere else. It involves pain when the cartilage at the ends of the bones wears away.

In this case, it is between the upper arm bone (humerus) and the socket on the shoulder blade (glenoid). Arthritis can also be the result of a previous fracture, or various other medical conditions. This loss of cartilage can prove to be quite debilitating which can lead to pain during many of life's everyday activities.

Historically, there were not many effective surgical treatment options for this condition and many doctors would tell their patients that they just had to “live with it”. As technology and surgical techniques have improved, surgeons now have a number of reliable, durable, and safe surgical treatment options which afford patients the ability to regain their independence and function.

This poses a problem for patients, as it requires time for surgeons to inform the public that these treatments are indeed available. Since they are not aware of options, patients do not seek out help for these conditions and needlessly deal with their pain.

Since the lower extremity is not involved, patients often spend less time in the hospital and many of them are able to go home rather than to rehabilitation facilities. The physical therapy needed can also be better tolerated. You do not need to live with a life of shoulder pain! Who knew?

Talk to your surgeon about what treatments are right for you.