Frozen shoulder is one of the most frustrating problems for patients and doctors alike.
It’s painful, it comes out of nowhere, it causes sleepless nights and it often seems to drag on forever – 12 months is not uncommon.
As doctors we like quick fixes as much as you do. So it’s hard to see a patient come back to you for months on end and the best you can offer is:
Most people think that you need an MRI to “see” everything that is going on in your shoulder. But it’s simply not true. And there are a few ways that you can be fooled by this line of reasoning.
1. You fail to put findings in context
I can show you MRI reports of normal shoulders that will scare the daylights out of you. These are full page documents that describe in great detail, essentially normal findings in medical lingo. Unfortunately as a layperson and even many medical professionals who are unfamiliar with the problem, most of this language will sound scary and can be misinterpreted.
We don’t know a millionth of one percent about anything.
Thomas Edison
A recent presentation at the American Arthroscopy Association of North America tried to answer the question of why some adolescents re-dislocate their shoulder and others do not after shoulder instability repair.
The Tough Cases and Lasting Impacts Unfortunately, he still has limitations: mostly weakness and pain with lifting beyond 10 or 20 lbs. He also has difficulty supporting his weight on the involved arm. These impairments are likely permanent. We have talked about this on multiple occasions. Sadly, I cannot make everyone 100% better. These are … Read more
No doubt about it, rotator cuff tears can be confusing. It’s not that you can’t understand the idea of having a tear in your tendon. That’s easy.
It’s just that treating them can be counterintutive: some get better with therapy and others don’t. Some cause significant pain and others don’t. Some need surgery and others don’t.
I saw a patient in the office recently whose x-rays were a testament to two important points about shoulder arthritis:
Below is a typical case of severe arthritis in the ball and socket portion of the shoulder joint.
Arthritis is actually relatively uncommon in this joint. But when it occurs it tends to show a distinct pattern. The hallmark of arthritis at the ball and socket shoulder joint is joint space narrowing bone spurs at the bottom of the ball portion of the joint.