Thousands of people have shoulder replacement surgery each year, making it one of the most common types of joint replacement in the United States, yet there is no standard rehabilitation protocol for patients. Some get physical therapy after surgery; some do not. Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., have won a grant from the Arthritis Foundation Upper Midwest Region to study how to best aid recovery after surgery.
Patients with joint degeneration and pain that interferes with their daily lives _ often caused by rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, shoulder fractures or rotator cuff injuries _ are the most typical candidates for shoulder replacement surgery.
Researcher Wendy Hurd, Ph.D., says she and co-investigator John Sperling, M.D., will track patients’ range of motion, strength and function before and after surgery to help determine the most important physical therapy interventions. The Arthritis Foundation Upper Midwest Region is providing $100,000 for the two-year study.
In the video below, Dr. Hurd discusses the need for this research.
