Can You Maintain a Competitive Golf Swing after Total Shoulder Arthroplasty?

Purpose:
Return to sports after joint arthroplasty is mainly evaluated for lower limbs procedures. When a return to a specific sport is mentioned, no technical approach nor level consideration are specified. We suggested that patients who undergo total shoulder arthroplasty will be able to maintain playing golf at same high level.

Methods:
We performed a retrospective study on active gophylfers who have undergone shoulder arthroplasty. Inclusion criteria were: (1) over 50 years old (2) handicap

Results:
Sixty-one patients were retrospectively included in the cohort. Mean age was 69.1 years old. Mean follow-up was 79 months. Pre-operative golf frequency was similar between the two groups. Surgery resulted in significant pain relief in both groups. No difference was shown between the two groups in clinical assessment. Satisfaction rate was 95%. Return to golf time was done progressively from the 20th week for putting until the 27th week for playing on the course. Handicap analysis did not show any difference between the level before surgery and the current level in ASA group (20.6 vs 22.9,p=0.82) and RSA group (20.6 vs 24.2,p=0.86).

Conclusion:
Our study suggests that both patients with ASA or RSA can maintain an active lifestyle with moderate to high frequencies of participation after surgery, particularly in golf.