Carmen, a hairdresser, lived for years with worsening shoulder pain. It got so bad she couldn’t lift her arms. That meant she couldn’t serve her customers. She couldn’t even comb her own hair or dress herself.

“I couldn’t lift my great-grandchild. The pain was unbearable. I fell into depression,” Carmen said.

Her orthopedic surgeon, Alex Fokin, MD, Memorial Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Center, knew Carmen from a previous knee replacement. “Her diagnosis was bilateral shoulder arthritis — loss of cartilage, a narrowing of the joint,” said Dr. Fokin. “Basically, bone-on-bone arthritis in both shoulders.”

The solution Carmen chose was patient-specific instrumentation for joint replacement. That meant two sets of computer-designed 3D replacement parts and computer-guided shoulder replacement surgery.

“I’m like the bionic woman, now,” said Carmen. Most importantly, she’s back to her busy life of work and family with no pain.

“I can even pick up my great-grandbaby,” she said with emotion. “Dr. Fokin gave me my life back.”