Patients with glenohumeral joint arthritis can benefit from anatomic total shoulders with prosthetic glenoid components. However, some patients may wish to avoid the activity limitations and potential risks of glenoid loosening, polyethylene wear, and contribution of wear debris to glenoid bone loss, humeral osteolysis and loosening that can be associated with the prosthetic glenoid used in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA).
In spite of what may be a more challenging rehabilitation and a greater risk of stiffness, these patients may consider the ream and run procedure (RnR), a glenohumeral arthroplasty that does not employ a prosthetic glenoid component (see this link).
One can immediately see that patients choosing RnR differ from those choosing aTSA even though they may have similar histories, physical examinations, and x ray findings. Important differences may lie in domains that are challenging to quantify: resilience, optimism, goals, motivation, pain tolerance, and type of desired occupational and recreational activity.
The characteristics of RnR and the outcomes of patients with aTSA are compared by the same…
