Bilateral Shoulder Replacement Surgery
Total shoulder replacement, also known as total shoulder arthroplasty, is the removal of portions of the shoulder joint, which are replaced with artificial implants to reduce pain and restore range of rotation and mobility. It is very successful for treating the severe pain and stiffness caused by end-stage arthritis.
Surgery to remove the shoulder usually takes about two hours to complete. You can get general anesthesia, meaning you will be unconscious during the operation, or regional anesthesia, meaning you will be awake but sedated.
In the surgery, doctors replace the weakened shoulder joint “ball,” known as the humeral head, with a metal ball. They often put a plastic coating on the shoulder’s “hole,” known as the glenoid.
