For decades, I suffered with the after-effects of a hairline fracture of my right shoulder that occurred during a high school basketball tournament back in...well, when I was a high school freshman. I'm 69 years old now. Being your typical high school athlete/idiot, I didn't realize the seriousness of the original injury and began throwing with my right arm since baseball season was starting up and I was one of our high school's pitchers. I figured the soreness would just work itself out. Wrong. It became worse, which, of course, only convinced the high school me to throw harder. I finally threw my arm out of socket - which then began a series of shoulder dislocations. Think: Mel Gibson's character in the Lethal Weapon movies. I would be slipping a shirt over my head, and sneeze - then the shoulder would pop out. Putting the joint back into place required me to writhe on the ground like a dying fish, or bump my shoulder up against a wall until I forced it into place. Needless to say, this chronic dislocation caused me severe pain and royally screwed up my shoulder ligaments. In 1969, I had my first surgery to reattach ligaments to limit the movement of my right arm...dashing my dreams of being a pitcher or quarterback for my high school.
Flash forward to early November, 2019, after I had tried all types of "non-surgical solutions" in a failed search for pain relief including acupuncture, NSAIDs like Naprosen, and all manner of topical creams and gels (and cannabinoids, of course). I had a brief consultation with Dr. Gary Blum, of Orthopedic Associates, and after he examined some x-rays, he exclaimed, "You're a perfect candidate for shoulder replacement." He seemed too eager, so I tried to get another opinion from Dr. Darryl Kan, also in that office. Dr. Kan said that he refers all shoulder patients to Dr. Kyle Chun. OK, so I went to see Dr. Kyle Chun. When I met with Dr Kyle Chun, he listened to my medical history, examined the x-rays and then ordered an MRI scan so he could see the condition of the joint more clearly. When he came into the exam room, he stood at the doorway, placed his hands on his hips, and exclaimed, "That's the worst I've ever seen!" I told him that I've been working on it for the last 50 years so I wouldn't expect it to be in "like new" condition anymore. We laughed. Dr. Chun got serious and told me that - if we do this - he expects that there isn't enough bone remaining in the scapula to support an anatomical Total Shoulder Replacement (TSR). If that's the case, he would insert a *Reverse* TSR - where the joint ball would be placed into the scapula and the joint cup into my arm. I told him that I wanted to do this because I didn't want to continue suffering with this shoulder. Stage 4 osteoarthritis is no fun, especially if you have to live with it for another 10-20 years. We scheduled the procedure for early March, 2020 - just before the freeze on all elective procedures was put into place. The procedure lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Dr. Chun told me afterward that, "It was super tight in there." But the x-ray that he took immediately after the procedure showed it to be a complete success (see image). It took me several weeks to realize that my shoulder would not dislocate if I moved it into angles that - for decades previously - I avoided because of the pain and fear of the joint dislocating. I'm writing this review five months after the procedure was done. I'm still going to physical therapy (with Ken Morimoto of Holomua Physical Therapy), but the shoulder joint is working perfectly. I've regained far more range of motion that I ever thought possible, and am looking forward to playing my first round of golf this coming weekend! If you are living with shoulder pain, don't delay - consult with Dr. Kyle Chun if you are considering TSR. His youthful appearance belies the deep knowledge and extensive experience he has in this area of medical specialization. He is hands-down the only orthopedic surgeon I would recommend if you are considering a shoulder replacement procedure. read more