Sarah C's Story

Comments: Dear Professor Levy,
I have produced a brief overview of my shoulder surgeries:

Brief Medical History:

I was born on 31st December 1965. At the age of 4 I was diagnosed with Still's disease which has over the years resulted in multiple joint replacements.

Pre Copeland Shoulder Surgery:

At the age of 21 I started to experience extreme pain and very limited movement in my left shoulder and was having difficulty performing everyday tasks, such as:-
Washing my hair.
Putting clothes on over my head.
Driving a car; in particular changing gear.

The pain in the shoulder would wake me up in the night if I rolled over on it.
I had a Copeland shoulder in 1987; the operation was performed by Mr Copeland himself.

I was only in the Royal Berkshire hospital 3 days post surgery and left hospital with my arm in a sling.

Post Surgery:

There were no complications post surgery, I received no physio but was given exercises to do. The range of movement improved although it was still restricted. More importantly for me was that the joint was totally pain free. I was able to perform all the tasks of everyday life without impediment.

Over the two decades the range of movement in the shoulder decreased; I struggled getting non stretchy clothes on and off over my head and reaching items on overhead shelves, but as the joint was pain free I did not feel the need to consider more surgery. During a routine check up at Professor Levy's shoulder clinic I was informed that my Copeland should was non longer in the correct position; however as the joint still gave me no pain I decided to leave well alone.

Pre Verso Shoulder replacement:

Sometime in 2010 the shoulder started to cause me problems, the pain was waking me up in the night and every day tasks became very painful. My quality of life was being impaired.

In 2011 Professor Levy kindly agreed to replace my Copeland shoulder with the Verso shoulder.

Post Verso Shoulder:

The surgery was performed at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and there were no post operative complications. I was an in patient for approximately 5 days. The arm was in a sling but I was given a list exercises from day one. Naturally the shoulder was uncomfortable to exercise at this point, but there was no joint pain just discomfort form the post operative swelling and of course the stitches pulling.

At home I continued with the exercises and had two physio session locally. When I had the Copeland shoulder I was living in Maidenhead but by the time I needed the Verso I was residing in a little village to the North of Ipswich. The local physio had not come across this type of replacement before and was unsure of how far to push it. Whilst the Copeland shoulder had served me extremely well for over two decades, I had experienced quite a restricted range of movement for years, so my muscles and tendons had shrunk.

At my 6 week check up with Professor Levy, he was pleased with the replacement but felt that I was not getting the maximum range of movement. Professor Levy took the time to show me how to gently push the arm and help stretch the the muscles and tendons.

These exercises were very simple to preform - lay back on a bed and raise the operated arm as far as it will go and then with a little support from your good arm push the arm of the operated shoulder back, and once you are up over head level gravity does the majority of the work for you. By performing this simple exercise three or four times a day the range of movement in my left shoulder quickly increased.

I can honestly say that my shoulder is now totally pain free and that I have the largest range of movement in it that I have had in the last thirty years. I am able to carry out all daily activities without even giving my shoulder a second thought. I am extremely grateful to Professor Levy and his team and can't recommend the Verso shoulder replacement highly enough.

I am now 5 years after the Verso shoulder replacement totally pain free with full function and range of motion.

See you next year.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah C

June 2016