Vim & Vigor - Summer 2021 - 51

51
Reverse Shoulder
Replacement

Though Stearns had a regular
replacement, some people will have
a reverse shoulder replacement.
" We do the surgery backward. We
put a ball in the socket side and a
socket on the ball side, " Dr. Werner
says. " The reason for doing that is
for a specific subset of patients who
have shoulder arthritis without a
functioning rotator cuff. If you do
a regular shoulder replacement,
they're not able to lift their arm
up and actually use their arm.
We find that a reverse shoulder
replacement works very, very well
in those patients. "

Shoulder replacement
surgery relieved Mary
Lou Stearns' arthritis
pain and restored her
quality of life.

Shoulder Joint Replacement on the Rise

DOCTOR PHOTOS BY UVA HEALTH

PHOTO BY JACKSON SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

S

houlder joint replacements
will likely never catch up
with the high number of
knee and hip replacements done
in the U.S. But they are definitely
on the rise.
" Shoulder replacements are the
fastest growing replacement surgery.
In the next decade, they are projected to increase by 700 percent, "
says Brian Werner, MD, a UVA
Sports Medicine surgeon who specializes in shoulder repair.
Shoulder replacements are typically done for people who have
worn away the soft tissue surrounding the shoulder joint. Symptoms
of shoulder arthritis are similar to
other shoulder injuries: increasing pain in the joint, particularly
at night; stiffness; and decreasing function.
" The way we diagnose shoulder
arthritis is usually with an X-ray
image. In addition to a physical exam, an X-ray can show the

bone-on-bone nature of the arthritis, " Dr. Werner says.
" When patients present with
arthritis in their shoulder, we
don't jump straight to a shoulder
replacement, " he continues. " We
try things to put off shoulder
replacement, if possible. These
include physical therapy and overthe-counter anti-inflammatories.
Steroid injections can be helpful
in delaying the need for shoulder replacement. "
Mary Lou Stearns, 70, of
Albemarle County did all of these
things and still had pain and stiffness.
" I was unable to carry or lift anything over a few pounds, " she says.
" I could not reach up to get something, reach behind my back or
put on my seat belt without pain. "
Last July, she had an outpatient
shoulder replacement performed by
Dr. Werner. " After two weeks, my
pain was gone, " she adds. " My range
of motion was also much better. "

700%
Shoulders are
the fastest
growing
replacement
surgery,
projected to
increase by this
much in the
next decade

Higher Volumes,
Better Outcomes

" At UVA, we have the benefit of having myself and one of my partners
[Stephen Brockmeier, MD] who do
a high volume of shoulder replacements, " Dr. Werner says. " We both
did specific fellowship training in
shoulder replacement. Collectively,
we do more than 300 shoulder
replacements a year, which is a very
high number across the United
States. It's something we have a lot
of experience in, and that definitely
helps produce good outcomes. "
For Stearns, a good outcome
means being able to enjoy time with
her grandchildren and get back to
volunteering. *

Replacement
Surgery: 'The
Best Thing for Me'

Mary Lou Stearns thought she had
pulled a muscle. But when an X-ray
revealed she had severe arthritis
in her shoulder joint, she became
one of a growing number of people
to have a shoulder replacement.
" It was definitely the best thing
for me, as I now have my quality of
life back, " Stearns says. She shares
her experience in a blog post at
uvahealth.com/stearns.

VIM & VIGOR SUMMER 2021

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3/9/21 3:14 PM
http://www.uvahealth.com/stearns
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2021

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