As people grow older, painful joints often become a part of life. Arthritis, injury, age or other joint problems can be the cause for joint pain, but what most people don’t realize is there may be a solution.

Billie Lake, of Turon, KS, recently underwent a new surgical procedure at Pratt Regional Medical Center to relieve the pain in her shoulder. The new procedure, a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement performed by orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Michael Yost, was successful, and Lake can not believe the results. “I suffered from constant pain in my right shoulder for at least a year or more,” Lake said. “And now, the pain is gone. I can’t believe it. I don’t know where it went, but I know is it’s gone.”

The Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement is designed specifically for patients with severe shoulder arthritis and irreparable rotator cuff damage. “Until now, there have been limited surgical options available for patients with severe deterioration of their shoulder joint,” Dr. Michael Yost explained. “Conventional shoulder implants could not necessarily address both arthritis and rotator cuff damage. As a result, patients often had no choice, but to endure pain with restricted shoulder function.”

Lake was a good candidate for the new replacement surgery, “My shoulder was just worn out. I had two rotator cuff repairs, and I was still taking pain medications regularly,” Lake said.

The Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement surgery was developed in Europe in the 1980s, and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States in 2004. Reverse total shoulder replacement is used for people who have

• Completely torn rotator cuffs,
• The effects of severe arthritis (cuff tear arthropathy) or
• Had a previous shoulder replacement that failed.

For these individuals, a conventional total shoulder replacement can still leave them with pain. They may also be unable to lift their arm up past a 90-degree angle. Not being unable to lift one's arm away from the side can be severely debilitating. In reverse total shoulder replacement, the socket and metal ball are switched. That means a metal ball is attached to the shoulder bone and a plastic socket is attached to the upper arm bone. This allows the patient to use the deltoid muscle instead of the torn rotator cuff to lift their arm. Many thousands of patients have experienced an improved quality of life after shoulder joint replacement surgery. They experience less pain, improved motion and strength, and better function.

Dr. Yost joined the specialists at the South Central Kansas Bone and Joint Center in August of 2006. Prior to his arrival, he was serving a fellowship at the Florida Orthopaedic Institute, where he was trained in surgical and non-surgical treatment of sports related injuries, the newest techniques in shoulder and elbow replacement, arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears and fracture care. Yost trained under two orthopaedic surgeons who assisted in the design of the Reverse Total Shoulder prosthesis for Encore, which is the company that makes the shoulder prosthesis.

For more information, Dr. Yost may be contacted at the South Central Kansas Bone & Joint Center. The phone number is 620-672-1002 or toll free 800-650-1002. The South Central Kansas Bone & Joint Center address is 203 Watson, Suite 300, Pratt, KS 67124.

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