Georgia Patient Travels to Virginia Beach, Virginia for Ream and Run Shoulder Replacement

Joe is a patient of mine from Georgia who traveled to see me for the Ream and Run Arthroplasty, an innovative option for patients who seek to maintain a high level of shoulder function and demand, either through exercise, sport, recreation, or work. He's over two years out from surgery, and we wanted to check in to see how he was doing.

Here's what he had to say:

"After dealing with a lot of pain and stiffness in my shoulder for over a year I went to two seperate orthopedic surgeons who both informed me I had significant arthritis and would need a shoulder replacement. This shoulder replacement would place limitations on what I could do physically in the future which concerned me a lot. I have a physically demanding job in addition to enjoying weightlifting to stay in shape. Additionally, I was told that there was a possibility of wearing out a traditional shoulder replacement and having to have another surgery in the future. I spent a lot of time looking on various blogs and sites to see what other people's experiences were when I discovered the mention of ream and run.

After a lot of reading up on the procedure I contacted Dr. Carofino's office. They answered all my questions and I decided to have the surgery. The office was especially helpful since I was coming from several states away (8 hour drive) and had everything set up where I arrived, had the surgery the next day, and went back home the following day.

Pain from the surgery was tolerable and pretty much done with after about 3 days. The hardest part of the ream and run is the first few weeks when you are just stretching. Once I started physical therapy and could actually start moving the shoulder around things just started getting better.

After about 5 months I was back to working out and building my strength back up. I am now at the two and a half year mark since I had the surgery and I am so very impressed with what Dr. Carofino and his staff did. They told me that the repair gets better and better over time and they are right. My repaired shoulder does not hurt at all and is stronger than my nonsurgical shoulder. I have full range of motion and no limitations which is huge for me.

If you are willing to put in the rehab work that the ream and run requires, I think anyone who leads an active lifestyle would be pleased with the outcome, which in my opinion is far superior to a traditional shoulder replacement. I cannot recommend Dr Carofino and his staff enough and feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to have them care for me."

-The Ream and Run Shoulder Arthroplasty is an innovative approach to restore function and improve quality of life for young and active patients with shoulder arthritis.

-For more information and to find out if this procedure is right for you, please seek an appointment with Dr. Bradley Carofino, MD in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Chesapeake, Virginia in partnership with Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists.

Author

Brad Carofino, MD Dr. Brad Carofino is a board-certified (American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery), fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder & upper extremity surgery. Dr. Carofino is an expert in shoulder replacement surgery, minimally invasive arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and complex reconstructive procedures of the upper extremity.