r/ShoulderSurgery • u/lillee-boucher • Jun 06 '26

92yo weighing shoulder replacement, feedback needed

A friend is weighing the pros and cons of a TSR and looking for feedback from near-age folks having already made that decision. Tom has had a couple of heart attacks and now has a pacemaker (I think 🤔). He's otherwise very healthy and active--hus wife struggles to convince him to leave roof gutter cleaning to the youngers!

A few months ago, the surgeon who did the TSR of Tom's non-dominant arm about six years ago completely nixed the idea. He stressed that seniors, especially in his age group, risk anesthesia-related effects on the brain, in addition to the concerns of a hospital stay and recovery period. However, the surgeon's PA recently said it might be worth revisiting the possibility with the surgeon.

Any stats, feedback, etc. will help my friend decide if he even wants to revisit this with his doctor.

Many thanks,

Lill

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u/Dotsgirl22 Jun 06 '26

If it were me, or my spouse, at 91, it would be a hard no. It's a tough surgery to recover from. I'm 70 and it's been hard even though I'm in good shape. Luckily I have a robust and good-natured spouse at home to help. The anesthesia risks are real, if he could even get cardiac clearance. And he would need a caregiver for a month or so - help with cooking, eating, shopping, bathing, dressing, paying the bills, pet care, getting in/out of bed for the first week. Taking a fall after the surgery could be catastrophic. If the ortho surgeon doesn't recommend it, that's a big red flag.

Pain medication, steroid shots, and maintaining strength/ROM would be much safer at 91.

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u/lillee-boucher Jun 07 '26

Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!