Reverse operation gets Wendy back in top gear
25 January 2018
When Wendy Hughes injured her right shoulder in a fall she ‘shrugged it off’ and just got on with her life.
But as the months went by the pain got worse until 66-year-old Wendy, of Chelmsley Wood, could hardly move her arm at all.
“It got to the stage where I had to get people to do things for me as I just couldn’t use my right arm – it sounds daft but you really don’t know how much you need two arms until you can only use one,” she said.
“As well as that I was having problems sleeping because of the pain, it really was affecting most aspects of my life.”
After visiting her GP, Wendy was referred to Mr Madhur Shrivastava, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Spire Parkway Hospital, Solihull, Birmingham West Midlands.
He decided that Wendy needed a shoulder replacement but that instead of the conventional operation, she needed a reverse procedure in order to get the best outcome.
He explained: “The shoulder is a ‘ball and socket’ joint – meaning that, in a normal shoulder, the ball is formed at the top of the arm and this glides around a ‘socket’ on the shoulder blade.
“However, because of the condition of Wendy’s shoulder, particularly the torn rotator cuff tendons and underlying arthritis, I decided that it would be best to ‘do things in reverse’.
“That meant that I attached a metal ball to her shoulder blade and then fitted a plastic socket at the top of her arm. This changes the centre of rotation of the shoulder and allows better use of the outside shoulder muscles which then do the work that would normally be done by the tendons”.
Wendy, a former sales representative who lives with husband Colin was delighted with the results and within weeks was starting to feel the benefits.
“Obviously I had to do the physio but that really wasn’t a problem. Within weeks, I was seeing a massive improvement and now I have full use of my right arm again – you can’t believe how good that feels.
I’m also getting a good night’s sleep and enjoying life to the full. I really can’t thank Mr Shrivastava enough, not just for his surgical skills but for the way he dealt with me from the first meeting to after the operation. It all went so well, I really can’t thank him enough”.
How much does a shoulder replacement cost?
A shoulder replacement is from £9,000.
A fixed price for this treatment may be available on enquiry and following an initial consultation.
You can trust Spire Parkway Hospital to provide you with a single, fixed price so there are no surprises. And, through our carefully chosen partner you can even be considered for interest free finance.
About us:
- Fast access to diagnosis
- Consultations within 24 hours
- Appointment times to suit you
- Consultant of your choice
For further information, you can call Spire Parkway on 0121 704 5530 or enquire by clicking here.