Few months back I was in Costco with the wife...I was leaning on a pallet when an older guy stopped and asked how I was. We got to talking...he had mentioned that he had several joints replaced...and they all had some sort of bone infection set in. Don't remember the specifics but he mentioned that bone infections are somewhat common in joint replacements. When I saw your comment about the concrete cast that is what made me remember him.
My shoulder doc has mentioned that I am going to need an aftermarket shoulder at some point, but with my rotator cuff starting to go the therapy is going to be a bit on the long side...she mentioned a year is not uncommon. I fell, out of bed, a while back and jammed my arm into a night stand. The fall caused some disc damage. I ended up at the guy that did my carpal tunnel surgery. My thumb, pointer and middle finger on my left hand have numb tips. Doc said that the cervical damage is the cause, and that the cervical area that is damaged causes shoulder pain, chest pains and shortness of breath....depending on how things go with my wifes recovery I very well may be having my cervical area looked at while she is recovering.
If I had known I was going to be this torn up at the the age of 53 I wold not have worked jobs that required repetitive motion....
