SOUTH KINGSTOWN – A surgical procedure known as “reverse shoulder replacement” is being offered as a new treatment for rotator cuff damage and shoulder arthritis in Rhode Island.
The procedure, according to Dr. Randall Risinger of South County Orthopedics, one of the few physicians in Rhode Island performing the surgery, offers benefits including pain relief, increased range of motion, and greater stability than previous surgical techniques.
“Most patients who come in to discuss a shoulder replacement are in a state of chronic pain,” says Risinger. “Since previous procedures have failed, many have resigned themselves to a regimen of pain management.”
Reverse shoulder replacement surgery is designed for patients that have one of three conditions: a chronically torn rotator cuff; a re-torn rotator cuff with failure of prior surgery; or a rotator cuff tear combined with shoulder arthritis, according to Risinger.
Reverse shoulder replacement surgery actually changes the mechanics of how the shoulder functions, Risinger explained. In a healthy shoulder, the upper arm bone ends in a ball that rests on a shallow socket formed by the shoulder blade and is held in place by the rotator cuff, he said.
With reverse shoulder replacement surgery, the normal anatomical relationship is reversed, Risinger continued. A socket is created at the top of the upper arm bone, and an implant attached to the shoulder blade ends in a ball. The two come together to form the new joint, with the metal implant replacing the function of the rotator cuff and providing joint stability.
Westerly resident Bill Hoffman, a heavy-construction-equipment operator, saw Risinger after his shoulder pain from a damaged rotator cuff became unbearable.
“On a scale of one to 10, the pain was a 12,” he said. Now, after the surgery, Hoffman said he couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “In three months, I was doing anything I wanted to do and without pain.”
