Dr. Moby Parsons of Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine recently partnered with Exactech, a developer, manufacturer, and seller of orthopedic implant devices, on implementing a new type of shoulder prosthesis technology called The Equinoxe® Resurfacing Humeral Head, which is an expansion of Exactech’s Equinoxe® Platform Shoulder System.

Shoulder resurfacing arthroplasty, an alternative to total shoulder replacement, is unique in that it does not require the patient’s damaged humeral head to be removed. Instead it is sculpted to receive a metal “cap” that fits on the end of the bone. The cap functions as a smooth humeral head. Shoulder resurfacing can be less invasive and, because it preserves the native bone, can be an option for younger patients who may otherwise require future surgery. In addition, resurfacing may allow the surgeon to better recreate the patient’s native anatomy, as opposed to conventional replacement, where the position of the ball can be restricted by the position of the stem inside the arm bone.

Known as a leader in joint replacement innovation and a proponent of advanced surgical technology, Dr. Parsons was the first to perform a surgical case using the Exactech shoulder resurfacing technology in New England and he has currently done more cases using this technique than any surgeon in the country.

“With experience, this technique can be applied to both partial and total shoulder replacement surgeries,” states Dr. Parsons. “I expect to use it almost exclusively in the setting of conventional shoulder replacement surgery in order to take advantage of its bone preservation qualities.”

Dr. Parsons was also the first to perform a reverse shoulder replacement in New Hampshire, the first Ream and Run operation in New England, as well as the first surgeon to use an augmented glenoid implant and an in-growth cage glenoid implant in the area.