According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, shoulder replacement surgeries have been performed in the United States since the 1950s. Currently, shoulder replacement surgeries are used to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, post-traumatic arthritis and other shoulder conditions. Shoulder surgeries are not that common, and are mainly performed when a patient can no longer function or complete activities of daily living with their shoulder. If conservative treatments fail, a shoulder replacement surgery may be needed.
Blood Clot
A blood clot may occur after a shoulder replacement, notes MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. A blood clot is a hardening of blood in a blood vessel. This can occur after shoulder surgery because damage to blood vessels in the arm or shoulder can make blood clotting more likely to occur. A blood clot that is formed in the shoulder can be dangerous because it may travel through the body to the heart, brain or lungs and cause a heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolism. These cases are serious and may result in death if left untreated. Signs of a blood clot include excessive pain, swelling and redness in the shoulder joint. If these symptoms are experienced, a patient should not hesitate to seek medical treatment.
Reaction to the Artificial Joint
MedlinePlus states that the patient's body may abnormally react to the artificial joint implant. This occurs because anytime a foreign body, in this case an implant, is inserted into the patient's body, the patient may have an abnormal immune response to the foreign object. This results in over activation of the immune system and ultimately rejection of the shoulder joint implant unless antirejection medications are immediately started. A second surgery may be needed to remove the shoulder joint and possibly insert another shoulder joint with different materials. Signs of reaction to the artificial shoulder joint include fever, chills, night sweats and excessive pain in the shoulder joint. If any of these symptoms are experienced by the patient he should not hesitate to seek immediate medical treatment.
Loosening of the Implant
Loosening of the implant over time may occur after shoulder replacement surgery, states MedlinePlus. This occurs because use of the shoulder over time may allow the implant to loosen in a patient's existing shoulder and upper arm bone. In this case, a second surgery may be needed to replace the artificial shoulder implant. Signs of artificial shoulder implant loosening include excessive pain, weakness and swelling in the shoulder. A patient should not hesitate to contact his surgeon if these signs are experienced.
