NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many physically-active people will return to recreational sports after having shoulder replacement surgery, research shows.

In fact, most of the people who had the surgery in order to continue to participate in sports reported that their ability had actually improved, Dr. Eric C. McCarty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver and colleagues found.

Most studies to date on activity after joint replacement has focused on hip and knee replacement, the researchers note in a report in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. The one small study that looked at shoulder replacement focused on golf.

To examine the ability of people to return to other types of activity after the surgery, McCarty's team looked at 75 adults who underwent a total of 86 shoulder replacements. They were followed for up to 9.4 years, with average an average follow-up of 3.7 years.

Forty-eight of the study subjects (64 percent) said they had the surgery in order to keep playing sports, while 91 percent cited pain as a reason. Swimming was the most common activity, followed by golf. Before their shoulder problems developed, patients had engaged in their activity or activities of choice 2.6 days a week.

Within a year of the surgery, people were engaging in their sport 1.7 days a week, on average, and reported that it took them 5.8 months to return to full activity.

Twelve of 13 people who had enjoyed fishing before surgery returned to the sport, while 37 of 43 swimmers did. Three-quarters of golfers and tennis players were able to play their sport again after surgery.

The sport people had the hardest time returning to was softball, with only 2 of 10 people returning to the sport after surgery.

Among the 48 adults who had the surgery at least in part to continue their athletic activity, 71 percent said the operation improved their ability, and half were participating in the sport more frequently after the surgery than before it.

Just four procedures were performed after the initial surgery, suggesting that the new joints functioned well even with repetitive activities such as swimming, the researchers note.

SOURCE: American Journal of Sports Medicine, August 8, 2008.

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