Patent ID: 8105385

Claim:
A medical procedure involving a humeral prosthesis and used in connection with a patient suffering from cuff tear arthropathy, the humeral prosthesis having a prosthetic head component, wherein (i) the prosthetic head component includes a glenoid-bearing portion and an acromion-bearing portion, and (ii) the glenoid-bearing portion and the acromion-bearing portion define an outer bearing surface, and (iii) the outer bearing surface extends in a medial/lateral direction across a radial distance D, and (iii) D≧190°, comprising: implanting the humeral prosthesis in the patient so that the acromion-bearing portion contacts and bears directly against a natural acromion of the patient during abduction of an arm of the patient that possesses the humerus, wherein the implanting step further includes implanting the humeral prosthesis in the patient so that the glenoid-bearing portion contacts and bears directly against at least a part of a glenoid surface of the patient during abduction of the arm of the patient.