- Orthopaedic & Neurosurgery Specialists PC (ONS)

In severe cases, where the rotator cuff tendons are degenerated or torn beyond repair and the patient has a drastic loss of mobility and severe pain, a reverse shoulder replacement may be an option.

While approved by the FDA for use in the United States in 2004, reverse shoulder replacement has been used successfully in Europe for more than 20 years. The surgery uses a metal and plastic implant that works the opposite of a normal shoulder by placing the ball onto the shoulder blade and the socket onto the top of the upper arm bone. The reversed position of the ball and socket alters the mechanics of the shoulder. By changing the center of the shoulder’s rotation, the strength needed to move the arm is shifted away from the damaged rotator cuff muscles allowing the deltoid muscle to take over.

ONS shoulder specialist Seth Miller, MD was one of the first surgeons in the NY Metro region to perform reverse shoulder replacements. He has done over 50 reverse shoulder replacements in the past 4 years.

Dr. Miller graduated Harvard University and earned his medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He did his residency in general surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center and another in orthopaedic surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He was a research fellow at Hospital for Special Surgery and a clinical fellow in shoulder surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Miller is a staff orthopaedic physician at Greenwich Hospital. He serves as clinical assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery specializing in shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Medical Center. He is also assistant attending physician in orthopaedic surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is Board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Miller has been an orthopaedic consultant to the New York Mets for over six years.