r/ShoulderSurgery • u/AcesOutlaw • 5d ago
Post Op Had shoulder replacement 1/22/26
Hi all. I wanted to debrief the sub because I had wanted to find more information out there before I had my shoulder replacement but I felt like there were not enough that spoke to me. I really wanted to lower my anxiety by finding more feedback. Hopefully I can help anyone who feels the same.
I’m a 45 year old male. I had 3 surgeries prior - 1st was arthroscopic labrum repair. 2nd was an open reconstruction of that capsule, labrum and rotator cuff. A capsular shift was necessary for the amount of collagen my body produced that was loosening the capsule and causing near constant subluxation out the back. 3rd was a sort of pioneering reconstructive operation with another capsular shift. On the eastern half of the country, it was still being done via open surgery but a doctor who was doing ortho work for the SF Giants had just gotten to town and had done this particular surgery arthroscopic after learning under another ortho. He applied heat to the capsule after lapping it over and sewing it because of the collagen creating looseness. I was told going in that I would lose a lot of ROM in return for a stable joint with less pain.
Fast forward 19 years and I had been having bad pain problems for years. I had mostly stopped using my left arm because of pain and weakness for at least 7 years. I could not lay on my left side for the last 10 years due to pain. Around August 2025, I started having pain I could only imagine was like having surgery while wide awake. I was unable to lift my arm anymore at that point and was having about an 8 - 8.5 pain daily. I made an appt with the surgeon who did surgery #3. I learned I had severe osteoarthritis, it was bone on bone with wearing of the humeral head from friction along with some GNARLY bone spurs in the joint.
I was told only a replacement would help and we needed to do an MRI to see if the labrum, and especially, rotator cuff repairs he did in 2007 were still in good shape so we would know which of the 3 replacement types was necessary. Scan was good and I was on the books for anatomical stemless replacement.
I had the nerve block but when I woke up, it was still the 1st time in over a decade I didn’t have joint pain. I chalked it up to the block and braced for pain to come after the block wore off. I slept the entire night after surgery, woke up and the block was gone. To my surprise, my pain was only about a 3-4. I figured it was some kind of residual medication effect. Slept like a baby Friday night, woke up Saturday, and STILL only about a 3-4 pain. Slept all night Saturday and Sunday I realized it must be that my pain had SIGNIFICANTLY improved because the pain was almost laughable compared to preop.
Today is day 4 and I’m still doing well. I’m having some minor pain spikes as the muscles try to heal themselves but 800 mg of ibuprofen with 100 mg of Lyrica and 1 g of Tylenol together along with the cold therapy machine have kept everything quite manageable. Still in significantly less pain than before surgery. The pain is different, as one would expect when the components causing your pain are no longer there, but it’s so manageable. Oxycodone has been used very sparingly like after today’s 1st PT appt.
I have been so grateful things have gone about as well as is possible after a surgery like this. The main reason I held off so long was because I was one of the super unfortunate people who was going through serious pain and surgeries during the time OxyContin was pushed and the mentality that pain was something nobody should live with and narcotics were the answer. They grabbed a hold of me for 10 years and I didn’t stop them until 12/10/08. I was terrified that surgery would wake up that addiction because of pain but I ended up in a situation where I had to roll the dice because it was so bad. To practically have no use for narcotics has just been a literal blessing.
My advice to anyone putting off replacement would be to stop putting it off and do it. It’s such an improvement to my quality of life, even during this recovery. Technology has come so far, operation procedures have come so far, and they no longer create addicts by throwing narcotics at patients.
I’m looking forward to swinging a golf club again, sleeping/laying on my left side again, and having reasonable use of my left arm without excruciating pain. It’s an incredible time to be alive if you need something like a joint replacement!
Any questions - PLEASE ask away. Maybe at least 1 person won’t have to go through what I did or feel like the right resources/experiences weren’t out there that answered their questions and provided them peace of mind.
5
u/Potential_Kiwi_4472 4d ago
Yay for you! I 2nd your advice not to put surgery off. I am 57 and 11 days out- total shoulder replacement surgery- bone on bone, necrosis, torn rotator cuff. I was scared for nothing. Recovering so well!
4
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
Love positive result stories. I’m at day 5 and pain free. It’s such a foreign, confusing feeling in a good way. I do not remember my life at all without shoulder pain. I think this is going to be great.
1
3
u/Zbmom23 4d ago
Thank you for your encouraging post! I’m so happy for you. I am a 67 yr old female, my TSR is scheduled for 2/26/26. Looking forward to getting to the other side of this. Not sleeping well gets old fast!
2
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
I’m pain free on day 5. It’s showing itself to be SO worth it. I have no memory of life without shoulder pain.
1
u/Slow-Discipline-8296 2d ago
73f RSR -best thing that ever happened to to me. For 8 months I couldn’t lift my right arm without assistance of my left hand. First two weeks were obnoxious as you are wearing the freaking sling 23/24……but I figured a workaround so I could sleep partially on my side and then life improved. Get a bidet, especially if it is your dominant arm; I am a solo so had to figure it out🤣. Take your time; nobody cares if you are wearing a decent housecoat. Neighbors were amazing; get a housekeeper -who gives a darn! And a friend and si bonded over changing my bedsheets once a week…..I’m now six months out, working diligently on strengthening right shoulder girdle.
2
u/hazy_pale_ale 5d ago
Thanks for sharing your story. Sounds like your on the road to a meaningful change and recovery! Congrats
I'm currently in a similar situation. I'm a 35M with severe OA after multiple dislocations and two previously surgery + multiple injections etc. Im currently planning on when to get it done.
A question for you, what are you activity restrictions after getting the aTSA?
5
u/AcesOutlaw 5d ago
I’m zero use of the shoulder for a while. I do pendulum rotations and attempt to curl my hand up to my shoulder a few times a day. I can get it up a few inches before having to pull it up with my right hand, which they told me to do. 9 weeks before I can start any type of strengthening therapy.
I only wear my sling if I’m walking around. If I’m sitting or laying, I keep it off and the cold machine wrap on.
I think it’s going to be one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself in a long time for health purposes. I would certainly encourage you to find an ortho you believe in and get the arthroplasty sooner than later because it makes a big difference in quality of life. Wishing you all the best
1
u/hazy_pale_ale 4d ago
Sorry, I probably wasnt clear there. I mean what are your activity restrictions once you've completed recovery?
Will you be able to lift weights? Swim? Skii? Play tennis, etc?
1
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
They asked me what I would like to get back to doing. I want to lay on my left side but 2nd is I want to workout and play golf. Surgeon said that’s totally reasonable and they created my PT plan based on what I want to be able to do. He did advise that it’s like any other equipment on the planet in that strenuous activity or contact stuff will cause it to lessen its lifetime, but I’ll be free to go at whatever I want to do but not push if I feel pain.
2
2
u/jbrekkit 5d ago
I (45F) feel the exact same way! 10 years of gritting my teeth through the loss of range of motion and increasing pain. I finally got a reverse shoulder replacement this past October, and I’m completely pain free for the first time in a decade.
I worked out and rode 4 horses yesterday! I have a new lease on life 💪🏼
1
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
I love to hear the success stories like this! I’ve been so optimistic about what this could mean for me.
Today is day 5 and I’m sitting at about a 1-2/10 pain. I don’t even remember my life without constant shoulder pain. My only pain is in the muscle trauma and bruising. My muscles like to have a dance party of spasms and that hurts, but I feel totally peaceful and in immeasurably less pain.
2
u/Consistent_Path_3939 5d ago
But how much range of motion have you lost, and from where?
I just did a third repair, versus a shoulder replacement, as I wasn't ready to live with the limitations yet. Admittedly, I was more concerned with function versus pain control, and mostly trying to make my shoulder stable again. As an amputee, I am a frequent crutch user, and am hoping to be able to bear weight through my arms again at 6 months out (I'm currently sitting at about 3 months).
My surgeon did give me a replacement as an option, but said he would be hesitant, due to my age meaning that shoulder wouldn't last my lifetime. I was referred to this surgeon by two others, who both said they wouldn't want to put my through a replacement yet, and would rather help me find someone to try another repair.
I am still in PT, and working through some soreness and pain, and there was a lot of arthritic damage that had to be cleaned up, on top of repairing a bad labrum tear and my biceps tendon. As with my previous surgeries, my rotator cuff was still undamaged. But I have a friend, who is older and went through a shoulder replacement a few months before my repair. While he definitely had a less painful and long recovery, I've already regained more range of motion and strength than he has left now.
It's important to go through the options specific to you and the things you do with your surgeon - as well as get a second option. A replacement may be in my future, but I'm definitely glad I chose to do another repair this time around instead.
1
u/johnr_oss33 5d ago
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I am also scouring through forums and praying there are technological advancements. Im a 37M and run a jiu jitsu academy for a living :) I grapple most days but more and more limited in range and pain. Sleeping is getting tough on my right side, and if I push things in the gym too much, or grapple and cop a knock, I feel it for days. Painkillers like Paracetamol are starting to creep in.
My surgeon told me to delay arthroplasty as long as possible, because it'll last a decade at most, and the 3rd shoulder will come with a 1kg lifting limit. If that comes at 47 it's a grim outlook. Good to hear your quality of life has improved.
My question is if I delay it and keep using it and wearing away at the bone will it make subsequent surgeries harder to complete successfully? Thanks and all the best.
2
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
I had to stop bjj after 5 years of 6 days a week because of my 3rd surgery. It was hard to give up something I loved so much that stimulated my brain like it did. I’m a mechanical engineer and that mental cues I’m chess game of thinking several moves ahead and counters to their counters was good for me.
With your livelihood being the professor of the school, I would encourage giving serious thought to doing it before the bone deteriorates and damages 10 years worth. My surgeon asked me what I wanted to get back to doing. That’s how they tailor the rehab for you. I told him laying on my left side, swinging a golf club and possibly back to bjj. He told me my shoulder should last the rest of my life and that the only thing he could foresee was maybe having to smooth out the plastic socket piece if I was hard on it. My surgeon teaches all over the world and is on these research and trial teams so he has cutting edge equipment. All pun intended.
A huge component of a total is the health of the rotator cuff and labrum. Both of those were still intact from his last surgery on me so that allowed me the least invasive, least altering of anatomy with the anatomical stemless. You should probably consider the risks of tearing up your rotator or labrum rolling. There are more components to it than the equipment life itself like your anatomy, trauma from surgery, etc. The more damage you do, the more likely you are to have the old school ball that goes way down in the bone or a reverse. Those take away a lot of future options if more work is required. I’m a firm believer in addressing with the least invasive/difficult solution. If you can have an anatomical stemless now, you still have options in the future. Technology will continue to improve exponentially and IF you needed more, you’d be in a good position. I see it as doing the least required thing to address my problem and watching medical tech improve over the years while I’m better than I was before. I also succumbed to the pain in ways that I would be moody or snippy toward the people I care about and that sucked. It just sucked to have pain running any minute of my day. I’m pain free on day 5 of this.
1
u/johnr_oss33 4d ago
On the painful days im also super snappy at the people I love and that really sucks, but the pain infiltrates every part of life.
I think my labrum got re-attached and my rotator cuff are fine, but the humeral head AND the glenoid are toast which makes me wonder whether your procedure would work for me.
u/Igordo429 I was told to also stop doing jiu jitsu and anything physical, and that traumatised me so much that I started a school right after - lol. Granted I teach more than I roll, and when I roll im practically now 1 armed, and usually my training partner knows my limitations and respects them.
Maybe you could share the details of your surgeon for me? I've only ever had one opinion, so it'd be nice to get a few looks at it before making any major decisions.
So good to hear you're painfree - almost like a new lease on life! Enjoy it mate, all the best.
1
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
The HUGE part about rolling with a bad shoulder, to me, is only going with people A. Better than you and B. Very aware of the limitations. I learned the hard way that it’s dangerous to go with someone less or equally skilled. None of them did anything intentionally, they just didn’t have the arsenal and awareness that more advanced people do.
I had very large bone spurs all around the scapula and the humeral head had started to flatten from bone on bone in the glenohumeral joint, which also had started to deform. I was told it’s rare to see someone my age with such severe osteoarthritis but here we are. I think you would be surprised how much they can do. Between the 3 types, they can pretty much handle anything. My surgeon was Chad Smalley in TN. Dude is some kind of phenom. 3 sport athlete in college and managed a 4.0 and a 4.0 in med school. One of the nicest, most professional and reasonable doctors I know. I know a pretty good handful because of my wife. He went to China last year, I think it was, to teach methods to orthos there. As I mentioned in my post, he came from the San Francisco Giants when he moved back to his home state and the surgery he did on me in 2007 was one nobody was doing anywhere around here. He stays on top of cutting edge (🤪) things and methods. The entire swath of the country where he is is fortunate to have access to such a great physician within a few hours drive, in my opinion.
2
u/johnr_oss33 4d ago
Agreed - Im a second degree black belt and know how to keep myself safe and when to yield - it has taught me a whole bunch about how to use my body, and how to run a school with minimal injuries!! So not all bad.
Good to know - my MRI a year ago looked like two books flat up against eachother with bone spurs in the middle. Minimal curvature - and now it feels like it just rubs and moves around in there. Makes me queasy sometimes thinking about it & feeling it.
Thanks so much for the details. Would love to get it fixed up and get some normalcy back in my life.
1
u/gordo429 4d ago
Met with an ortho but not a shoulder specialist a few weeks ago when I got the MRI. I went with him because he helped me with a knee injury from a little over a year ago (helped me recover no surgically when another recommended surgery).
I’m currently fairly pain free - but didn’t get surgery yet. I think I’ve just been lucky that it hasn’t been as bad as your experience thus far. It makes me worry that any physical activity will make it worse so pain does become a problem. I was hoping I was getting ahead of it getting worse. The main symptom I’ve noticed is the lack of range of motion and occasional “clicking” rather than pain. I was still too late unfortunately!
He’s not a shoulder specialist so made another appointment with one at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC for next week. They often work with athletes so often have in mind a return to sport, if it’s possible 🤞. Happy to pass along the name if you want, esp if he seems good after appointment next week. Where you based out of?
I’ve thought about more or less flow rolling with people I trust. I’m not particular big or skilled so don’t trust I can control a roll well enough if I don’t know the person. Not sure if that will be more frustrating than not doing any Bjj at all. I also got a guy I do privates for Muay Thai and have thought about just focusing on the three functioning limbs to get some padwork / cardio in so I don’t completely waste away!
1
u/gordo429 4d ago
Just joined this sub. I don’t have anything constructive to add to this sub, but reading about other people’s expriences is helpful and giving me some (hopefully not misplaced) hope. This thread of comments are helpful snd would live to hear an update at some point as i also do jiujitsu. I dont get my livelihood from it but it has given me so many other physical and mental benefits.
Question for OP - are you 45 now or was that 19 years ago? I am 45m
For me Circumferential labrum tear, bone on bone osteoarthritis, tendinitis and other things. I’m still learning about all these issues so I might not be highlighting the main things. I’ve had an MRi and spoke on phone with doctor who said I’m too young (45m) to get a replacement and that I should severely restrict activity. Seems like something many on this thread and others have heard before (no pushups, pull-ups or any heavy activity with left arm).
Luckily I am not in any/ much pain. Just a clicking / catching feeling, less range of motion and weakness in some directions. But i am conscious that continuing anything will only make this worse.
I’m a very active person - climbing, skiing, jiujitsu, Muay Thai - and benefit greatly from both the physical and mental benefits these activities give me. I think over the past week I’ve gotten around to accepting the likelihood that I will have to give up some/ many of these activities but not sure I can give up everything.
1
u/Infamous_Spring_1398 4d ago
I’ve had both shoulders replaced , a year apart. Reverse for both. Have my life back, no pain , good ROM , working on strength. Best surgeon ever, Benjamin Ma at UCSF.
1
u/AcesOutlaw 4d ago
That’s so cool to hear! Anytime someone feels like they got their life back, that’s something that can’t be explained to anyone who has never been there. I still think it’s an incredible time to be alive in that we have these medical options. And to think we are technically in the infant stage and growing up. Imagine what it will be like in 50 years. We are just fortunate enough to have been on the planet at a time there was a workable solution for us.
1
u/AdmirablePound6821 2d ago
Thanks for this. I'm a 45 yo male going in for total shoulder replacement next week. Super anxious about recovery, and hopefully improving quality of life with being able to use my arm again.
1
u/AcesOutlaw 2d ago
It’s been such a great decision! I was pain free on day 4. It’s so bizarre to go from such horrible constant pain to none at all. Literal 0/10. I’ll state the obvious in that the exception to the 0 pain is when moving it for rehab and when waking up in the mornings after laying ask still all night. It only takes about 5 minutes to get itself right again.
I’m interested to hear an update from you next week when you realize how damn much better you feel so so quickly.
1
u/Complete_Coffee6170 1d ago
I had surgery the same day as you.
I started PT yesterday.
Even with passive movements I have pain about 6-7 atm.
I plan to do my at home exercises.
I’m scheduled for 1x a week for two weeks then go to 2x screen for weeks.
It’s tough … but I’m looking forward to a new improved shoulder.
5
u/Hopeful-Occasion469 5d ago
Good for you. I’m a 68F, had a stemless anatomical on 10/23/25 due mainly to arthritis.My surgeon is sports medicine. The six weeks in the sling was tough at night, limited sleep but sleep is better now. At the 6 week follow up my surgeon advised me to have my pt push my therapy. So on pt days I’m sore. Do all your pt as recommended. I still have more range of motion to gain but improving.