Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/2qepToTtCWM Our shoulders take a lot of abuse, and the latest statistics reveal a 6-fold increase in shoulder replacement surgery over the past 20 years.  You’re probably thinking...so what.  We can replace any joint at will, and there is already a good track record for hip and knee replacements. The problem is that joint replacements don’t last.  They wear out, like any mechanical device. The latest study from the University of Oxford’s orthopedic surgeons reveals that nearly one in four young men will require ultimately a revision of their shoulder surgery, and the artificial shoulders fail most often during the first 5 years after placement.  Trying to revise shoulder replacements can be complicated and risky.  Living bone and metal replacement parts don’t always play nice with each other. Shoulder replacements aren’t the only artificial joints that fail or wear out.  Hip and knee replacements each only last about 10-20 years.   The overwhelming driver of replacement joint failure