THE PATIENT
Graham Goff, 72, from Warsop, Nottinghamshire, tells about his experience
Before retiring at 70, I ran my own butcher’s. I was really looking forward to spending time with my wife Lynn, pottering about, cycling and taking trips in our caravan.
But not long after giving up work, a dull pain started in my left shoulder. It was strange — I’m right-handed, and for years I’d chopped joints of meat with heavy cleavers using that arm, yet that shoulder felt fine.
Over the months the discomfort became worse and I suspected it was arthritis. Putting on a sweater or washing my hair became a real struggle because of the pain and stiffness. Chores such as decorating and gardening were soon impossible. It was frustrating. Over-the-counter painkillers helped a bit, but I was always aware of this nagging ache.
In September 2017, an X-ray revealed my joint was in a right mess due to arthritis — the cartilage had totally worn away and I was told I needed a shoulder replacement.
In the meantime, I was given a steroid injection but it didn’t help the pain. By the middle of last year, Lynn had to help me thread my belt or put on my socks and shoes. I gave up driving as I didn’t feel safe on the road. I’d often be awake in the early hours, almost crying with pain. It felt like someone was sticking a knife into my back.
At the end of last summer, I couldn’t even bear the weight of my own left arm and would hold it in my pocket to support it. As I’d effectively stopped using it, the muscles began to waste away.
My GP discovered that the letter putting me on the NHS waiting list had been lost in the system. Luckily it was quickly sorted and in October I saw consultant orthopaedic surgeon Malin Wijeratna.
He said I needed a total shoulder replacement, removing the ball and socket part of the joint and replacing it with a metal one.
Mr Wijeratna said he would like to use the latest computer navigation techniques to place the new socket more accurately — by mapping the joint so he knew exactly where to drill. He said the more precise the placement of the socket the less the chance of the new joint loosening and therefore the longer it is likely to last.
When I saw Mr Wijeratna two weeks later, he showed me a computer image that the software had created of my shoulder — an exact 3D model. I felt very safe in his hands.
I had the two-hour surgery in the second week of December. When I woke up, my shoulder was in a thick dressing and my arm was in a large sling.
I didn’t feel any pain. I stayed in hospital for three nights and before going home was taught exercises to build up the muscles around my shoulder. I did them diligently and gradually felt my strength returning. Even swinging my arms while walking seemed to help.
Reaching up high and shopping aren’t a problem any more, Graham said. (file photo)
The dressing came off after a fortnight and revealed a neat 6in scar. I was back driving after five weeks and now I have almost total movement back. I saw Mr Wijeratna in February and will see him again in December, when I will hopefully be signed off.
Reaching up high and shopping aren’t a problem any more. I’m enjoying life again and before too long I hope to be riding my mountain bike.
THE SURGEON
Malin Wijeratna is a consultant shoulder and elbow surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
The shoulder joint consists of a ‘ball’ (the humeral head) that fits into the socket (the glenoid). Although some replacements are needed due to injury, the majority are needed because the joint has become arthritic, meaning the cartilage has been lost from the bone surface, which often happens as a result of genetics.
Early indicators are pain and a lack of function in the shoulder. For example, women might struggle to take off their bras. Initially patients will be treated with ibuprofen or paracetamol, but as painkillers become less
