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Get your life back with minimally invasive shoulder replacement surgery
How many times have you tried to lift something, like a case of water or even your grandbaby, and experienced the searing pain that shoots through your shoulder? How many times have you had to cancel your weekend golf game or tennis match because you are afraid of triggering that shoulder pain that keeps you up at night?
How many times have you let shoulder pain call the shots in your life?
Minimally invasive shoulder replacement surgery reduces the risk of infection and shortens the recovery time associated with traditional shoulder surgery performed in a hospital. Outpatient procedures mean you go home the same day as your surgery – that means you begin your journey to faster. You deserve to live a pain-free life, and our shoulder replacement surgery can help you get there.
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The difference between our minimally invasive outpatient procedures and traditional shoulder surgery performed in a hospital is night and day. By using a muscle-sparing approach, minimally invasive shoulder surgery offers the following advantages to patients:
Step one — Chat with a member of our team!
You should feel confident about your decision to undergo shoulder surgery, which is why we offer seamless contact with our care coordinators. Simply send your health and diagnostic information to our team, and we can connect you with the proper surgeon. Our team can walk you through the process of uploading your information and answer any insurance questions.
Be prepared to discuss your symptoms, treatments and any questions you have regarding shoulder surgery. We are here to help you determine if our minimally invasive shoulder replacement surgery is the best next step on your journey to becoming pain free.
Step two and beyond — countdown to your procedure
The preoperative process for shoulder replacement surgery
While every patient will experience a personalized journey to pain relief, here is a basic overview of what you can expect from the procedure:
- Start your journey to stop smoking in order to lower your risk of complications.
- Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise.
- Stop using any prescribed blood thinners.
- Make any necessary preparations, such as meal planning and preparing your house for surgical recovery.
- Staff will send out your 48-hour email with more detailed information.
- Arrange for transportation to and from the surgery center.
- You should also have someone to stay with you the night after the procedure.
- If you have any last-minute questions, review them with a nurse.
- Avoid eating solid food after midnight.
- Take any necessary medications with a small amount of water.
- Wear easy-on shoes and looser-fitting clothing.
- Bring any needed medications; this includes any inhalers or CPAP machine.
- Review your final time-of-service financial arrangements.
Getting back to life — post-operative recovery
STEPS FOR RECOVERY AFTER MINIMALLY INVASIVE SHOULDER SURGERY
The first few weeks of the recovery process are critical to ensuring a positive outcome. It’s important to follow your post-operative instructions closely and get back to activity and as safely as quickly as possible.
PAIN MANAGEMENT AND SAFE MEDICATION USAGE
As the anesthesia starts to wear off, it’s normal to feel some level of pain after you have been discharged. Take your prescribed pain medication as instructed to avoid your pain from worsening. You’ll also typically be given a stool softener to mitigate constipation, which is a frequent side effect. Call for assistance if you do not experience a bowel movement within 48 hours.
Some patients may also experience a low-grade fever after their procedure. Taking a 350 mg to 500 mg dosage of acetaminophen can usually help if you are not taking medication that includes this drug. Always check with your doctor before taking any new medication (even OTC) after surgery.
DO NOT DRIVE FOR 24 HOURS
It is recommended not to operate a motor vehicle or make any serious decisions for 24 hours following your surgery because of the impairment of motor skills and judgment that generally accompanies pain medication.
CARING FOR YOUR INCISION
The incision site for your shoulder procedure is closed with medical grade, glue-like material. You will be given instructions to let it come off by itself in a couple of days. Some drainage at the site is normal, but it should only be intermittent spotting.
USING ICE AND HEAT TO TREAT THE AREA
Ice packs are a great way to help manage pain and inflammation in the immediate period after shoulder surgery. Cycles of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off can be used as often as necessary for the first day. After that, you can also introduce a heating pad to promote blood flow and relax soft tissue. Use caution and do not apply ice or heat directly to the skin.
USE COMMON SENSE AND FOLLOW YOUR INSTRUCTIONS
After shoulder surgery, you can expect to be in a sling for two to four weeks while your shoulder heals. You will be given detailed instructions for returning to normal activities as well as rehabilitative exercises that will help to restore shoulder function.
Use common sense and try to make as much progress as you can without overdoing it. While being overly sedentary is detrimental to healing, rushing too quickly back to regular activities can be even more harmful.
CALL YOUR DOCTOR IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS
You should absolutely call your doctor immediately if one or more of the following occur:
- Sudden and serious pain
- Severe fluid drainage beyond minor drops or spots
- High fever of more than 101.5 degrees
- Any difficulty or pain while urinating
- Development of a productive cough
- Any new instance of numbness or weakness in the extremities
- A throbbing headache that gets worse when standing and improves when lying down
- Any fall, injury or new problem
