Published on: 08-Aug-2024
Shoulder joint replacement is a surgical procedure to replace damaged bone surfaces with artificial components to relieve pain and improve functional ability in the shoulder joint. Shoulder joint replacement can be done by a traditional “open” approach or through a minimally invasive approach.
The incision in minimally invasive shoulder joint replacement is about 5 cm compared to 17 cm with the traditional approach. Other benefits of minimally invasive surgery include less damage to the soft tissues and underlying muscles enabling a faster recovery with less pain and a smaller scar. Blood loss during the surgery is also less and complications after the surgery are fewer when compared to the open technique.
Shoulder Anatomy
The shoulder is a highly movable ball and socket joint allowing for various arm movements. The head of the arm bone or humerus, articulates with the glenoid socket of the shoulder bone or scapula. The two articulating surfaces of the bones are covered with cartilage which prevents friction between the moving bones. The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons that joins the head of the humerus to the deeper muscles and provides stability and mobility to the shoulder joint.
Indications
The decision to perform shoulder replacement via the traditional approach or the minimally invasive approach depends on the pathology of the individual and the experience of the surgeon. Exposure of the glenoid is often difficult even when the incision is long as in the traditional approach.
Therefore, if the pathology of the patient is such that more exposure of the joint is required for the surgical treatment then a traditional approach is preferred. The minimally invasive approach is generally preferred when the problem can be rectified by replacement of only the humeral head such as with the following conditions:
- shoulder arthritis with not much damage to the glenoid and with only small bone spurs
- four part humerus fractures with intact rotator cuff
- avascular necrosis of the humerus resulting in tiny multiple fractures
For More Shoulder Resources Please Visit: https://www.briancolemd.com/shoulder/
The post Minimally Invasive Shoulder Joint Replacement: Animation Video appeared first on Sports Medicine Weekly By Dr. Brian Cole.