Orthopaedics

Total Shoulder Replacement Surgery gives Ken McGlynn a New Lease on Life

I've had a very active life. I played in high school sports, and as an adult I played baseball, basketball and golf. I was a policeman for 26 years in Howard County. Over the years my shoulder pain got increasingly worse. I couldn't move my arm, or reach for something without having a sharp, shooting, stabbing pain. It hurt getting dressed, it was hard to move my arm in a certain way. Even if I sneezed my arm shook and I had sharp pain. I couldn't even shake hands without having pain. It was embarrassing. It was so painful I couldn't sleep.

During that time I went to several different orthopaedic surgeons, a chiropractor and even an acupuncturist. Basically, what I had was severe shoulder arthritis from past trauma. The surgeons I went to said they couldn't treat me because the only option was a shoulder replacement, which they couldn't do because they did not specialize in this type of surgery.

Eventually I saw an orthopaedic surgeon at Kernan Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, who directly referred me to Dr. (Anand) Murthi of University of Maryland Orthopaedics. He's a specialist and is very experienced in performing shoulder replacement surgery.

I was reluctant to get a shoulder replacement until I met Dr. Murthi. He's a great guy, and he made me feel relaxed and reassured. He answered all of my questions and educated me by giving me articles to read. He even gave me names of former patients to contact to get more information. Even now, I can e-mail him with a question and he'll e-mail me back.

The day I went in for surgery (January 5, 2004) I couldn't even raise my arm to sign into the security log. I can't explain how severe the pain was, it was a stabbing, uncontrollable pain.

I had the surgery at Kernan Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Hospital and Dr. Murthi told me exactly what was going to happen - how long it would take, how the operation is done, etc. I was in the hospital for three days. When I came out of the operation I felt no pain from the surgery. The hospital staff was great. They took good care of me. I received fantastic care, which made the whole situation easier to deal with. Dr. Murthi and the nurses were so reassuring.

The day before I left the hospital, Dr. Murthi took my arm out of the sling and moved my arm. The good news was I felt no pain. Dr. Murthi said I'd feel pain from the surgery, but I wouldn't feel the pain I felt before. He said mine was one of the worst shoulders he'd ever seen. He said that the surgery was a total success, and the rotator cuff was not damaged.

Two to three weeks after the operation I had to start physical therapy and I was amazed. The therapist moved my arm and I did not feel pain. I could do things I couldn't do before: comb my hair, get dressed, shake hands, etc. I had about four months of physical therapy.

Getting the operation was the best thing I ever did. Since the operation I have not experienced that pain again, so it was a total success. In fact, I just referred a good friend of mine to Dr. Murthi.

Four months after the surgery I was playing golf. I couldn't do that before because it hurt. Now, six months later, my shoulder does hurt every once in a while. It aches if I do too much, such as moving heavy objects around the house. You're restricted after this type of surgery - you're not supposed to lift more than 30 or 40 pounds of anything.

Since the surgery, my quality of life has changed tremendously. I can do the simple things couldn't do before, like combing my hair, getting dressed, tying my shoes and putting on suntan lotion. I can also participate in sports again, including basketball, golf, and baseball. It's fantastic.

Now I can live a normal life again. To me it's a miracle. I owe Dr. Murthi a lot; he gave me a new lease on life.

This page was last updated on: May 13, 2009.

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