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Shoulder replacement surgery has traditionally been associated with older, less active patients. That's changing fast. As both anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty have become more reliable and more widely used, we're operating on younger, more active people — people who hunt, fish, shoot, and row, and who fully intend to keep doing those things after surgery.
The question is: can they?
We designed a study specifically to find out. It's one of the first to look in detail at return to outdoorsman sports — fishing, shooting, archery, and rowing — after shoulder replacement, with sport-specific data on timelines, satisfaction, and performance. Here's what we found.
Who We Studied
We reviewed outcomes for 102 patients at the Oregon Shoulder Institute who participated in outdoorsman sports and underwent primary shoulder arthroplasty between 2012 and 2022. The group broke down as follows: 30 fishers, 41 shooters, 6 archers, and 25 rowers. About half underwent reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and half anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). The average age was 68, and the average follow-up was just over three years.
All patients had detailed pre- and postoperative outcome scores, range-of-motion measurements, and completed a sport-specific questionnaire about return to activity, performance, and satisfaction.
The Overall Picture: 77% Got Back to Their Sport
Across all four sports, 77% of patients returned to their outdoorsman activity after shoulder replacement. Of those who returned:
61% did so within the first 6 months of surgery. 86% reported being mostly or completely satisfied with their postoperative performance. 77% returned to at least the same level of activity as before surgery.
Every group showed significant improvement in forward flexion, external rotation, and patient-reported outcome scores. Pain dropped dramatically across the board. Whatever sport they played, patients came out of surgery with meaningfully better shoulder function than they went in with.
One finding worth highlighting: it didn't matter which arm was operated on. Return rates were nearly identical whether patients had surgery on their dominant arm or their non-dominant arm across every sport — a reassuring finding for patients who worry that dominant-side surgery will cost them more.
Sport by Sport: What the Numbers Show
Fishing — 80% Return Rate
Fishing had strong outcomes, and most patients were back on the water quickly. Of the 30 fishing patients, 80% returned postoperatively, and 75% of those who returned did so within the first 6 months. Overhead casting — the more demanding technique — was used by 60% of patients before surgery. After surgery, 78% of those original overhead casters were back to doing it comfortably.
Perhaps most telling: 54% of patients reported feeling more comfortable fishing after surgery than they had before. When a painful, arthritic shoulder is replaced with a well-functioning implant, it turns out people can do things they'd been quietly struggling with for years.
Shooting — 85% Return Rate (Highest of All Four Sports)
Shooting had the highest return rate in the study at 85%, which may seem surprising given that firearm recoil transmits meaningful force through the shoulder — approximately 70% of a rifle's recoil passes through the shoulder joint. The data also showed that shooters had slightly higher postoperative pain scores and lower functional outcome scores compared to the other groups.
Despite that, the vast majority returned and were satisfied. 91% of those who returned reported being mostly or completely satisfied with their performance. The pattern of firearm use was largely preserved: patients who preferred handguns before surgery tended to return to handguns, and rifle users returned to rifles.
Archery — 50% Return Rate
Archery had the lowest return rate at 50%, which aligns with what the biomechanics would predict. Drawing a bow requires sustained shoulder abduction and external rotation — two of the most demanding positions for a replaced shoulder. The draw phase stresses the subscapularis, and prolonged abduction loads the rotator cuff and periscapular musculature in ways that some patients simply couldn't comfortably recover to.
The sample size here was small (6 patients), so these numbers should be interpreted with appropriate caution. But the finding is consistent with other studies: archery is genuinely harder to return to than fishing or shooting after shoulder replacement. Of the three who did return, 100% reported being mostly or completely satisfied — so those who got back to it were happy with the outcome.
Rowing — 68% Return Rate
Rowing presented similar challenges to archery. The kayak stroke demands significant supraspinatus activity — electromyographic studies show it peaks at about 80% of maximum capacity during the pull-through phase — making it one of the more demanding upper-body sports from a shoulder standpoint.
68% of rowers returned, and among those who did, the results were excellent: 94% were mostly or completely satisfied, 94% returned to the same frequency as before, and 82% were using the same paddling technique. The ability to sustain rowing for an hour — a benchmark of meaningful participation — improved from 20% preoperatively to 47% postoperatively among those who returned.
Why Some Sports Are Harder to Return To
The pattern across these four sports isn't random. It maps directly onto shoulder demand.
Fishing, particularly with a relaxed grip and smooth casting motion, imposes relatively moderate and intermittent load on the glenohumeral joint. Shooting, despite recoil, largely requires a supported, stable position rather than dynamic range of motion. Both of these fit into the low-to-medium demand category — and both showed return rates above 80%.
Archery and rowing require sustained, high-effort shoulder positions: peak abduction in archery, repeated forceful pull-through in rowing. These place greater demands on the reconstructed shoulder and its surrounding soft tissues, and they showed it in the return rates.
This doesn't mean patients should rule out returning to these activities. It means they should plan for a longer timeline, commit to rehabilitation, and have realistic expectations about what full return requires.
What This Means for Active Patients Considering Surgery
If you're an outdoorsman who has been told you need shoulder replacement, here's a practical summary of what this research suggests:
If you fish, the odds are strongly in your favor — 80% return, most within 6 months, with many patients feeling more capable than they did before surgery. If you shoot recreationally, expect a similarly high return rate, though some residual discomfort with heavier recoil firearms is possible. If you row or do archery, expect a longer road and a lower overall return rate, but know that those who do return are overwhelmingly satisfied.
Across all four sports, the key variables were consistent: patients who were more active before surgery tended to return at higher rates, patients who committed to rehabilitation progressed faster, and dominant-arm surgery was no more limiting than non-dominant-arm surgery.
The Bottom Line
Three out of four patients returned to their outdoorsman sport after shoulder replacement — and the majority did so within six months. Among those who returned, satisfaction rates were high and performance was largely preserved or improved compared to their pre-surgery baseline.
Shoulder replacement has a well-earned reputation for pain relief and functional restoration. What this study adds is sport-specific context: the fishing rod, the rifle, the bow, and the paddle are within reach for most patients — and the data now backs that up.
If shoulder pain is limiting your time outdoors and surgery has been recommended, the conversation about return to your specific sport is one worth having in detail with your surgeon. The expectations you set going in will shape how you approach rehabilitation — and ultimately, how you come out on the other side.
Patrick J. Denard, MD is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder surgery at the Oregon Shoulder Institute in Medford, Oregon. He is the senior author of "Return to Outdoorsman Sports After Primary Total Shoulder Arthroplasty," published in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (2025).
If you have questions about shoulder replacement or returning to activity after surgery, schedule a consultation.
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