[TheForge] shoulder pain OT

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

On Wed, 8 Dec 2004, Schade wrote:

bob> 
bob> I got a new chainsaw last month and must have overdid it.
bob> My left shoulder hurts. I can't sleep on it and raising my
bob> arm is painful. I think it might be a rotator cuff  injury.
bob> 
bob> Does anyone have any experience with this?
bob>
i unfortunately have far much experience with shoulder injuries.
i would recommend seeing an orthopedic doctor and asking them if the 5
day cortisone pack would be worth a try. this is a standard prescription
for shoulder injuries. used mainly to reduce inflamation and give the
shoulder room to move inside the joint. if the shoulder is unable to
move enough in the joint the result is a frozen shoulder. also physical
therapy( torture ;-) ) may be an option.
if the cortisone pack and physical therapy do not help push for an mri
of the shoulder. the longer you wait the higher probability that you
will develop a frozen shoulder. a frozen shoulder is no fun. frozen
shoulders generally require surgery to get them to move again there is
also the risk that while attempting to unfreeze the shoulder that the
arm can be broken. ( they use the arm as a lever to unfreeze the
shoulder. )

avoid putting the arm in a sling for prolong periods. depending on the
sling it may place unecessary pressure on the ulna nerve in the elbow.
if you do use a sling watch for numbness in the ring and little fingers
of the hand. that is a clear sign of pressure on the ulna nerve. take my
word for it you do not want problems with the ulna nerve. ulna nerve
transposition surgery sucks. been there done that. depending on which
type of ulna nerve surgery maximum medical improvement is either 18 to
24 months.

if after all of this surgery is required tell the orthopedic doctor to
perform the a/c joint resection and acromioplasty at the same time.
there is no sense having two separate surgeries.

bob>
bob> Are there exercises I could do?
bob>

finger walk a wall. using the fingers walk up a wall to a couple times a
day to keep the shoulder moving.

get a piece of rubber ( the physical therapy elastic ) there are various
types each has a different pull strenght.

get a pulley that you can hang from the ceiling or over a door and some
rope. use the good arm to lift the bad/sore/hurt/injuried arm.

the main goal in all of this is a keep the arm moving.

bob> 
bob> Thanks
bob> 
bob> Bob
bob> 

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>