Types of Shoulder Replacement

Shoulder replacement surgery isn't as common as hip or knee replacements, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), but it's useful for relieving a number of painful conditions.



Shoulders have the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body. The type of shoulder replacement surgery you get depends upon the location and severity of your condition, your age and the level of physical activity you realistically expect to perform afterward.



The three types of shoulder replacement surgeries are total shoulder arthroplasty, hemi-arthroplasty and reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

• Parts of the humerus and glenoid are replaced in total shoulder arthoplasty.

  A total shoulder replacement involves replacing the head of your humeral bone with a metal ball and the socket area of your glenoid, or shoulder bone, with a plastic socket. The surgeon resurfaces both the humerus bone and the glenoid before inserting the replacement parts.

Hemi-Arthroplasty

• Plastic sockets can wear out with extensive physical activity.

  Your surgeon may not replace the socket if good cartilage is still present, if the glenoid bone is too broken down or if your rotator cuff tendons aren't in adequate shape. When only the humeral portion of your shoulder is replaced, the shoulder surgery is called a hemi-arthroplasty, according to orthopedic surgeon William Kurtz.

Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty

• The deltoid muscle makes up the rounded cap of the shoulder.

  A reverse shoulder arthroplasty involves switching the location of the replacement ball and joint. This is done, according to AAOS, when rotator cuffs are torn, arthritis is very severe or an earlier shoulder replacement has failed.

  Attaching the ball to the shoulder bone and the socket to the upper arm bone means that the deltoid muscle is used to lift the arm rather than the rotator cuff. This results in decreased range of motion and more wear on the socket, according to Kurtz.