Shoulder Arthroplasty: Historical Considerations

The first articular metal prosthesis was implanted in the shoulder more than 120 years ago. The aim of this paper is to report shoulder arthroplasty evolution during this time thru the literature of the twentieth century.

A literature review was performed selecting the founding papers about shoulder arthroplasty.

After being almost forgotten during the first part of the 20^th century, various implants were introduced in the 1950s with Charles Neer as a leader. The reverse concept appeared in the 1970s and knew many failures before Grammont’s design.

After many unfortunate trials, the shoulder prosthesis is now widely disseminated with products of many companies.