Successful Bi-Lateral Ream and Run Surgery!
Hello everyone, my name is Dan, and I had both of my shoulders replaced using the Ream and Run technique performed by Dr. Brad Carofino. I had my left shoulder replaced in March, 2017. The recovery process following was fairly difficult because I had an arthritic right shoulder! It is difficult to help your newly replaced shoulder when your other shoulder is bad as well. However, I figured it out and went on to have full motion of my left shoulder by 3 months. My pain was surprisingly mild following surgery. Physical Therapy was a must and helped me achieve the best outcome. I’ve read, as well as Dr. Carofino informing me, that ream and run rehab can take several months or up to a full 2 years to get better. I would agree with this in regards to strength, however, return of motion was quick for me. It is so much better now than what it was prior to surgery…especially the feeling of not having arthritic pain when I raise my arms!
I didn’t return to full strength with my left shoulder before moving forward with replacing my right shoulder because I wanted to build them both up together. Dr. Carofino replaced my right shoulder using the ream and run technique in August, 2017. I recently was seen for my 3 month post-op for my right shoulder. I couldn’t be more pleased at my outcome! It was literally a “rinse and repeat” replacement as I’ve had the same great outcome as my left shoulder.
Both my shoulders have a full range of motion and are pain free. I am now progressing with building up my strength of the shoulders. Mild discomfort comes and goes throughout this process with certain motion, as expected, but again it is quite the trade-off from where I was before surgery. I am very thankful for Dr. Carofino’s expertise and skill in performing the Ream and Run on my shoulders. He and his staff are absolutely the best in the region when it comes to patient care of the upper extremity!