Early Effectiveness of Shoulder Arthroplasty for Patients Who Have Primary Glenohumeral Degenerative Joint Disease*†

Abstract

Twenty-nine consecutive patients who met strict criteria for a diagnosis of primary glenohumeral degenerative joint disease completed standardized questionnaires regarding general health status as well as function of the shoulder before I performed a total glenohumeral arthroplasty. The patients completed the forms again at an average of ten months after the operation. Comparison of the preoperative and postoperative responses to the questions regarding health status demonstrated highly significant improvement in the patients' assessments of over-all bodily pain (p < 0.0001) and physical function (p < 0.0005) as well as significant improvement in role function (p < 0.05) and the anticipated change in general health status (p < 0.05). Concurrently, comparison of the responses to the questions regarding function of the shoulder indicated highly significant improvement in the ability of the patients to sleep on the side, to tuck in the back of a shirt, to place the hand behind the head, to toss overhand (p < 0.0001 for all), and to place one pound (0.5 kilogram) (p < 0.005) or eight pounds (3.6 kilograms) (p < 0.0001) on a shelf at shoulder level. The comparison also revealed significant (p < 0.05) improvement in the ability of the patients to place a coin on a shelf, to carry twenty pounds (9.1 kilograms) at the side, to wash the back of the contralateral shoulder, and to do their usual work.