Ream & Run Shoulder Surgery

Ream and run shoulder surgery is a recent medical procedure, developed over the past couple of decades by a team at the University of Washington Medical Center. The surgery has become more mainstream since 2008, and is now offered as an alternative procedure to complete shoulder replacement.

Purpose

• Ream and run shoulder surgery, or, more formally, non-prosthetic glenoid arthroplasty, was developed in order to give arthritis sufferers an alternative to complete shoulder joint replacement. Ream and run surgery allows the people who receive it to continue living an active lifestyle; traditional shoulder replacement by a metal ball and plastic socket does not.

Procedure

• In ream and run shoulder surgery, surgeons grind the surface of the patient's socket instead of replacing it. Surgeons remove the damaged cartilage of the shoulder socket so that the metal ball, which replaces the humeral ball, fits inside. It is a two-hour procedure done under general anesthetic.

Recovery

• Recovery from ream and run surgery does take longer than recovery from shoulder replacement. Shoulder movement is begun almost immediately after surgery. Patients typically are discharged from the hospital after a few days and begin to do physical therapy on their own. A full recovery of motion may take up to a year post-surgery.

Results

• According to the University of Washington Medical Center, patients who the ream and run procedure have been tested on have received benefits up to 15 years post-surgery. In fact, while traditional shoulder replacement might need to be repeated multiple times, the benefits of ream and run surgery have been shown to last longer.