The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of total shoulder arthroplasty on the self-assessed health status of a large series of patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis. In 91 patients we were able to compare the 8 quantitative domains of Short Form-36 (SF-36) before surgery and at 30 to 60 months after surgery. These preoperative and postoperative scores were compared with data from an age- and gender-matched control population. These results were also compared with those reported for patients who underwent other common, effective surgical procedures. Preoperative SF-36 values were significantly lower than population controls for 6 of 8 SF-36 domains (physical function, social function, physical role function, emotional role function, vitality, and comfort). Patients improved significantly in 4 of 8 SF-36 domains at 30 to 60 months after total shoulder arthroplasty: physical role function (P <.01), comfort (P <.01), social function (P <.01), and mental health (P <.05). Although the improvements were significant and similar to the postoperative scores reported for total hip arthroplasty and coronary bypass procedures, the scores did not reach those of the general population.