Patients undergoing reverse total shoulder arthroplasty have less pain and require fewer opioid pain medications compared to anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty in the early postoperative period: a retrospective review

Background: Recovery after anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) has many similarities; however, recently surgeons have suggested patients undergoing rTSA have a less difficult postoperative course with less pain compared with aTSA patients. Given the heightened awareness to postoperative pain control and opioid consumption, as well as the expanding indications for rTSA, we sought to determine the differences in pain and opioid consumption between aTSA and rTSA patients in a 12-week postoperative period. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify all patients who underwent a primary aTSA or rTSA from January 2013 to April 2018 at a single institution. Patients with recorded visual analog scale (VAS) and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores were included for analysis. Revision arthroplasties were excluded. VAS scores were recorded preoperatively and at standard 2week, 6-week, and 12-week postoperative time points. P values < .05 were considered statistically significant, except where Bonferroni corrections were applied. Results: A total of 690 patients underwent TSA (278 aTSA, 412 rTSA). Preoperatively, aTSA and rTSA patient groups had similar VAS scores (6 vs. 6, P = .38). Postoperatively, the aTSA group had a higher VAS at the 6-week visit, compared with rTSA patients (2.8 vs. 2.2, P = .003). aTSA patients remained on opioids at a higher rate at the 2-week (62.4% vs. 45.6%, P < .001) time period. aTSA patients needed more opioid prescription refills before the 2-week (61.7% vs. 45.5%, P < .001) and 6-week (40.4% vs. 30.7%, P = .01) follow-up visits. Conclusions: Despite similar preoperative VAS and rates of preoperative opioid use, aTSA patients required more opioid medication refills and remained on opioids for a longer duration in the early postoperative period to achieve similar postoperative pain control as indicated by similar VAS. This study suggests that the recovery from rTSA is less difficult compared with aTSA as indicated by VAS and opioid consumption. Level of evidence: Level III; Retrospective Cohort Comparison; Prognosis Study (c) 2024 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.