At 73, Luann is no stranger to pain.
The Williamsport, Pa., resident had her right rotator cuff repaired arthroscopically 20 years ago. She has a history of osteoporosis and has fractured her wrist, leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. Her lower spine is fused.
So, when she tore her left rotator cuff sometime in 2023, she knew to pay attention to the pain.
At first, Luann noticed when the pain increased. Trying to hang something up or pull a sweater over her head became bothersome. Then, she had to stop her go-to exercise — swimming.
“After my back surgery, I was recommended to swim, which was great because I enjoy it,” says Luann. “But then my shoulder started bothering me, so I eased up a little bit, then tried to ease back in.”
In the meantime, Luann’s husband was ill with leukemia and needed constant care. “I was doing a lot — I needed to do a lot because he couldn’t.”
During this time, a physician assistant gave her a shot for the pain, but she was too focused on taking care of her partner to follow up with her own care. “I became busy and neglected myself because I had my husband to take care of, so by the time I saw Dr. Campbell, my shoulder was too far gone.”
Ronald A. Campbell, MD, is no stranger to Luann. He previously cared for her fractured wrist and performed her carpal tunnel surgery.
“I just love him — he gets right to the point,” Luann says. By the time she saw Dr. Campbell, she had torn and retracted her left rotator cuff beyond repair. He told her that shoulder replacement surgery was the only option to regain the function and relieve the pain.
North Central Pa Ortho
The Right Surgical Option
The type of surgery Dr. Campbell recommended for Luann was a reverse total shoulder replacement. This is an alternative option to conventional shoulder replacement surgery. It works best for people with torn rotator cuffs who may or may not have shoulder joint arthritis.
In a traditional shoulder replacement, the placed device works the same way a normal shoulder does. It features a plastic cup fitted onto the shoulder socket, and a metal ball at the top of the humerus, the upper arm bone.
A reverse shoulder replacement surgery switches the ball joint and the socket. It fixes the plastic cup at the upper end of the arm bone and fixes the metal ball to the shoulder.
The reverse shoulder replacement relies on the deltoid muscle to move and position the arm. That’s according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The deltoid essentially recreates the role and function of the destroyed rotator cuff.
The surgery originated in Europe in the 1980s. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it in 2003.
About 60,000 Americans undergo it each year with satisfactory results. That’s according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Gift of a New Shoulder
Luann saw Dr. Campbell around the holidays in 2023. He performed her reverse total shoulder replacement surgery on Valentine’s Day 2024 — which was also Luann’s 73rd birthday.
“I told my husband that I was getting a new shoulder for my birthday, so he didn’t need to get me anything else,” says Luann.
A week later, Luann was out of her sling and in physical therapy sessions.
“This surgery was a walk in the park compared to all the others I’ve had,” she says. “I didn’t have a lot of pain right after surgery and I don’t have any pain now. It really is a whole new shoulder!”
Freedom to Be Mobile Again
Luann loves staying active — hunting, fishing, and staying on the go even in her 70s. Reverse shoulder replacement surgery gave her the freedom to get moving again.
“Until you are incapacitated, you don’t think of all the little things it affects,” she says. “It was time. I was overdue.”
While Luann hopes she doesn’t have to see Dr. Campbell for another injury, she’s pleased to have had so many positive outcomes with him.
“What can I say? Dr. Campbell is my hero,” she says. “I tell everyone – don’t be afraid of replacement! It’s been great for me.
“Even though I am 73 and I know I am not 20 anymore, there is still a lot I want to do. I don’t want to sit around, and now I don’t have to worry about that!”