The shoulder joint may suffer from pain that prevents a person from performing his daily tasks as a result of damage to one of the parts of the joint.

The shoulder joint includes:

     Head of the humerus.

     The glenoid cavity of the scapula.

     Clavicle bone.

     A group of muscles and ligaments that support the stabilization of these parts.

Various injuries to the shoulder joint may require a surgical procedure to repair the damage caused to it, including a semi-joint replacement of the shoulder.

What do we mean by the operation to replace the shoulder joint?

Hemi-joint replacement is a surgical procedure in which only the head of the humerus is replaced without affecting the rest of the shoulder joint. It is performed through the following steps:

     The surgeon removes the damaged parts of the head of the humerus and flattens them (that is, sands them flat).

     Fixing a metal ball on top of the humerus using surgical screws and some special tools to replace the head of the humerus, so that it can rotate inside the glenoid cavity until the patient regains normal shoulder movement.

Cases of resorting to a Hemi-Shoulder replacement

The operation to replace the shoulder joint is performed if the head of the humerus suffers from one of the following problems:

    . Osteoarthritis.

    . Injuries to the rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder joint.

    . Shoulder fractures.

    . Rheumatoid arthritis, a disease caused by an overactive immune system.

    . Osteonecrosis, which means the death and erosion of the tissues of the head of the humerus as a result of a lack of blood supply to them (i.e. a lack of blood supply).

Advantages of shoulder replacement surgery

     Hemi-Shoulder joint replacement surgery helps:

. Restoring normal movement of the joint.

. Get rid of shoulder pain.

. The surgery is less complicated than total shoulder replacement surgery, and therefore it is an operation with fewer complications.

Possible complications of shoulder hemiarthroplasty…

Shoulder hemiarthroplasty may carry some complications, like any shoulder surgical procedure, such as:

   . Infection.

   . Dislocated shoulder joint.

   . Shoulder fractures.

   . Rotator cuff wear.

   . Damage to surrounding nerves.

These problems can be avoided by resorting to a skilled orthopedic surgeon who specializes in this type of surgery. It should be made clear that the procedure to replace the shoulder joint is the least invasive procedure and has the least complications among shoulder joint operations.