How do patients do after bilateral reverse shoulder replacement surgery/replacing both shoulders?

What are your options if you have severe shoulder arthritis in both of your shoulders?  Can you have a total shoulder replacement procedure in both of your shoulders?  How long shoulder you wait before you have your other shoulder replaced?

Shoulder Q&A with Dr. Brent J. Morris, MD a shoulder replacement specialist in Lexington, Kentucky at Baptist Health Lexington – Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

Who is Dr. Brent J. Morris?

Dr. Brent J. Morris is an orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgeon in Lexington, Kentucky at Baptist Health Lexington – Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Dr. Morris is a fellowship-trained shoulder and elbow specialist with additional interest in primary and revision total shoulder replacement surgery.  Dr. Morris is co-author of a textbook devoted to total shoulder, reverse total shoulder, and revision shoulder replacement surgery, Shoulder Arthroplasty, 2^ndEdition.

Can patients develop shoulder arthritis in both shoulders?

Dr. Morris:Patients can develop shoulder arthritis in both shoulders.  Fortunately, severe arthritis in both shoulders is not that common.  Shoulder arthritis can slowly develop over time and may be able to be successfully treated without surgery.  However, shoulder arthritis can be a very painful shoulder condition that may eventually progress to needing a total shoulder replacement. 

Is there much information to guide treatment for patients with arthritis in both shoulders or “bilateral” shoulder arthritis?

Dr. Morris:There is some information to guide surgeons and patients regarding results following shoulder replacements in both shoulders or “bilateral” total shoulder replacement surgery.

Our research team published a journal article in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (https://www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(14)00455-8/abstract) on patient outcomes following shoulder replacement in both shoulders, or bilateral reverse total shoulder replacement surgery. At the time of publication, there were only 2 other journal articles in the world that we were aware of regarding patient outcomes following bilateral reverse total shoulder replacement.

How did the patients do in your series after having both shoulders replaced or after “bilateral reverse total shoulder replacements”?

Dr. Morris: The patients is our series with bilateral reverse total shoulder replacement did very well after their first and their second replacement with regards to range of motion, patient satisfaction, and validated outcome scores.  We were very encouraged with the results of our patients.

How long do you recommend before having a second shoulder replacement?

Dr. Morris:  The average time between surgeries in our published group of patients was an average of 8 months between surgery, but some patients had as few as 2 months between surgery.  We typically discuss at least a 2 to 3 month period between shoulder replacements. 

I tell patients to recover from their first one for 2 to 3 months to see how they are doing and then proceed with the 2^ndreplacement when they are ready.  Most patients are very satisfied early after their 1^streplacement and desire to proceed a month or two later.