Shoulder Replacement Surgery Anybody?

I have final stage arthritis in both shoulders, and it's hard to climb when you can't move your arm, so I'm having my right shoulder replaced in 5 days.
Is there anybody out there who's still climbing after having their shoulder replaced?  
If yes, I'd love to know what the recovery was like.
Everything I read about is for civilians, like pain management and super conservative, only passive movement for the first four weeks.
What are the real risks of non-passive arm movement 3-14 days post op?
(Other than pulling the reconnected tendon loose, or a risk of pain.)
And I'm not talking about being stupid, by lifting weights or climbing with my rotator cuff lashed in place with a piece of static line.  
Recovery protocols are, by design, very conservative, and they should be. But like, don't move your arm?  
As a climber, if I choose to be less conservative (kind of the definition of the sport), it's always good to know where the edge is.

So my buddy is 70, in good health and very active though doesn’t climb any more. He’s three weeks post shoulder replacement and was thinking “this will go quicker than the doc is saying.” He’s learning the doc was right. His wake up was when he went for a “brisk three mile walk” and came back and needed pain meds. Even in a sling that brisk walk created problems (though walking a slow pace has been fine). 

Everybody is different and age certainly plays a part but I’d say it’s a long haul to full recovery. 

Thanks, but I'm going to cling to my denial, and the memory of my 5 mile hike 2 weeks post-op achilles tendon surgery.

Mark Elliot wrote: Thanks, but I'm going to cling to my denial, and the memory of my 5 mile hike 2 weeks post-op achilles tendon surgery.

Ha ha ha that is awesome! Yeah maybe your recovery will be quicker!

I work in surgery. Not a doc.

Anyway, the absolute worst thing about total joints is when people mess them up, either from falls or doing too much too soon.

Less to work with, everything is a mess inside, chance of infection is way up.

This isn't a little thing, saws and reamers and epoxy is going in. Maybe it's worth listening to your doc?

My friend Mark — New River first ascensionist — has had both of his shoulders replaced. He's still climbing. Last I heard, 5.12 and trying 13s. My friend Brian had his replaced as a young man (as a result of a traumatic injury). In his 30s, he climbs 5.13. My wife had one if her shoulders replaced, arthritis. Her natural shoulder is now the limiting factor. One doc didn't want her to climb again, but others were on board with a return to climbing.

I was diagnosed with severe shoulder arthritis in 2005. The surgeon (treats Olympic athletes for shoulders) told me not to attempt hard climbing after a total replacement, nor to engage in gymnastic exercises involving the shoulders. Too much stuff can go wrong. He suggested partial replacement, and referred me to a climber who had that procedure and was climbing again - safely.

I chose to have nothing done, and have dealt with reduced motion, but still enjoyably do pull-ups, traverses, etc. However, I gave up climbing around 2010.

Not much out there but I just had anatomic stemless TSR yesterday -Started passive/active ROM TODAy-My Ortho is not placing ANY restrictions on climbing after i recover -Goal is Tr/indoor leading 3 months and BC skiing 4 months-I will send updates on my recovery and hopefully give hope to other climbers with bad osteoarthritis of shoulder 

Update -8 days out-only moderate pain for about 1 day-sleeping fine in bed not propped up-have over 145 degrees passive assisted ROM overhead-there is hope for all  

Staples out-Steri strips on-Passive assisted rom about 170-Maybe a fleeting ache at night 

Just passed 6 weeks post op total anatomic shoulder replacement-Moving on to active and active assisted ROM exercises with no restricted movements other than 10lb lifting limit-Out of sling-Have been trail hiking since 2 weeks post op-Now can do elliptical and Nordic Track-6 more weeks to top rope climbing and xc(? BC) skiing

Thanks for posting this!  Good luck in your recovery!

I've got end stage arthritis in my right shoulder.  Been really trying to go as long as possible before replacement because I want to keep climbing.  I'm red pointing 5.12 with 60% ROM in that shoulder but I'm worried harder climbing will all end after replacement surgery.  So thanks for taking us along on your journey.  

Two orthopedists told me I am a candidate for shoulder replacement, but that I would need to give up climbing afterward. They said you don't want to have to do surgery again if you damage the replacement from climbing - too many risks of a second surgery. I've read about people climbing after a replacement, but I'm going with what the two orthopedists told me. So, no shoulder replacement for me.

The surgeon I chose said he has done replacements on elite level climbers and would not put any restrictions on my climbing-(2 other surgeons said the same)-What I garnered is that shoulder replacements have come a long way and the old school limits are passe-Considering the toll my severly limited ROM was having on my climbing (plus pain and instability) I decided to go for it and happy I did

I will continue to post progress reports but feel free to pm me with questions as well

Check out Dr. Tom Hackett at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.  He's fixed some big names in climbing and skiing. . . 

Mine included, though I'm not a big name. . .

I'm 4 months post-op right now.  I did a partial shoulder replacement. I decided to pass on the plastic receptical for the gelnoid (socket). If anybody could break it, I figured it would be me. Instead I got a "ream and run" where the surgeon reams out the glenoid to match the curve of the titanium replacement hemisphere. I've had a bunch of surgeries and I always sail through, no pain, fast recovery etc. When I woke up from this surgery, it was like payback for every bit of pain I've never experieced from my previous surgeries. How did it feal?  Like I had dislocated my shoulder, torn the ligaments and broken the humerous ... which is pretty much what the surgery is. Maybe worse was the nerve block they did, my arm was totally paralized for the first 24 hours. When I do my left shoulder, I'll deal with more pain and ask for less nerve block. So, normally they keep you in the hospital overnight for observation. But, the surgeon said, "I could keep you overnight, but it would be a waste of time, you're too healthy."  I'm 67, which demonstrates how climbing is the fountain of youth.  After checking out of the hospital, I arrived home and immediately took the sling off (the one I was supposed to wear for three months), and never used it again. All the risk involves the repair to the rotator cuff, which the surgeon has to disconnect and open up in order to access the humerous. The average person can't differentiate pain. If you've been an athlete long enough, you learn the difference between pain from fatigue or damage, I could feel exactly where the repair was, and what movements put pressure on the sutures. There were two source of pain, the repair to my rotator cuff, and anytime that titanium ball tapped my reshaped geleoid, the typical pain from hitting a bone bruise.  After two days off I began doing my easier training hike again (900 ft vertical over 4 miles) without my weighted pack. I used an elastic band to restrict my arm movement. I also started doing low resistance elastic band work, curls, lat pull downs, tricept extensions, etc. I simply avoid doing anything to put pressure on the repair. When I saw the surgeon four weeks later, he looked at the xrays and said that the healing process had been so flawless that the pictures belonged in a text book. That was the moment I took to confess about not using the sling. I expressed the opinion, and he agreed, that keeping the joint mobile and the circulation good had accelerated my recovery rate. SO four months post-op ....   I can't remember when my right shoulder hasn't hurt. and now? I am pain free. Unless I try to do any overhead work. My range of motion is way better that it was before the surgery. I still feel the repair when I do any kind of arm-extended life overhead. I would have started gym climbing again a month ago, but Seattle shut down all the gyms again because of COVID. I'm back to doing my trainging hike, 2000 ft vertical in 1.75 miles with 40 lbs, with some mile shoulder pain when I really lay on my poles. Previous to surgery I was no longer able to climb chimneys by using my arms in opposition, and I'm getting that range of motion back.   

I've been looking into the ream and run.  Thanks for your story Mark.  Who was your surgeon?

I don't want to jack the thread, but any advice from yall on how to prevent needing shoulder surgery when I'm older? Currently 29. 

Thanks for posting Mark-The surgeons I saw felt the TSR was a better choice than the ream and run for me

I had  good supraspinitis and biceps tendons already taken down/repaired from surgeries in 4/19 and 9/18-With the TSR my surgeon removed and then replaced the bone the Subscap attaches to so I had no soft tissue to heal and was pretty much pain free within a day (not the case when my rotator cuff was repaired)-I only used the sling while sleeping,  hiking and in the car and knew motions to not do out of the sling

I pretty much climbed up to the surgery although I only could reach looking like a T Rex-I look forward to my new shoulder giving me many more years on the rock and plastic

Btw I am 70

FOLLOW DOCTORS ORDERS!!! I have A.S.! Been climbing going on 40yrs. Multiple shoulder surgeries and knee surgeries. I no longer climb the harder grades. But I’m still climbing! I don’t climb plastic or sport! Trad only. My opinion is I can adjust my body to accommodate limited movement and weaknesses. 

As for protecting your body, listen to it! If it hurts stop. It’s better to take a few weeks off, than having surgery later on.