They chose this type of replacement because of my age.The resurfacing cap has a small stem & looks like a mushroom cap that fits over your own humeral head. It's very rare to have complete bone on bone in the shoulder even in your 60's much less in your 30' & 40's. I have Degenerative Joint Desease ( Osteoarthritis ) in both shoulders. The Copeland resurface saves bone if you are young & have healthy bone but no cartilage. Because if you have replacement surgery at such a young age, they only last about 15 yrs so you will need another, so you want to save as much bone as possible. My thought was " you never know what new medical proceedures they will come up with in the next 10 years.

I knew that I was ready for the surgery after living in pain (not sleeping on my shoulder, not being able to reach in the cabinet to get a plate or glass, pain in using a towel after a shower, etc.). I had several stroid shots that didn't help. I had 3 surgeries on my left shoulder to try to relieve the pain. Every time there was more & more cartilage damage until it was all gone on the humeral head. I was finally referred to a Shoulder Specialist. He recommended the partial replacement surgery. It was a tought decision. I waited about 9 months after seeing him for the first time before I decided to have the surgery. They did not replace the glenoid socket.

2 years later, I've had some relief but it's not all better. I saw another surgeon, he did a CT scan and saw the the glenoid socket was in bad shape now & they are suggesting removing my resurfacing cap & replacing the whole shoulder. I am going to wait for that surgery until I can't stand it anymore. The first one was very painful & a long recovery. I'm an active person (Dog Groomer & boater). I've decided to wait and do some research to find the perfect Dr to do this surgery. I've had too many shoulder surgeries that didn't work so I want the best this time.

My suggestion is to get several opinions. With my insurance, I had to see at least 2 Ortho Drs. before I could be referred to a Specialist in the big hospitals in Boston. I'm sure you've been in pain for a while but you don't want to go through what I went through so you need to wait for surgery until you can get the best Dr. possible.

I hope this helped.

If anyone out there knows a great shoulder replacement Surgeon in Boston, I'd appreciate a response.

Hopefully people will look at our posts & reply, Kimberly. Sorry for the long story but I needed to vent & I saw your post & know what you're going through. Good luck & write back if you have any questions or comments.

Deb