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Has anyone ever had a torn rotator cuff? I finally got an MRI since my shoulder and elbow and everything else was throbbing in pain. Until then it was just being treated as bursitis or inflammation only.
Now the MRI revealed it is rotator cuff tear, and tear of the extensor tendon of the right elbow. So for the past 18 weeks, I have to baby my right arm and hand, even though I go to physical therapy three to four times a week. What a chore! Haven't been able to type or do signs or much of anything but I'm a weekend warrior type.
I'm a hands-on kind of girl. They want to do surgery, but, I insisted on more physical therapy. They are both smaller tears, not huge, so maybe they will heal in time. Have any of you or your buddies gone through this and healed with physical therapy alone? of course, this is minor compared to Si!!!!! But,,,, I am going nuts!!!like Si!
[ May 30, 2005, 01:30 AM: Message edited by: Deb Fowler ]
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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Hey your fast, Si. I just finished this post and dropped yo a line!I heard your psychic too! I love the far infrared and ultrasound and massage. Ok, I knew I could find my answer here, as always, what a great site.
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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I had the same situation at FKAB in Quebec. The diagnosis was bursitis, but MRIs showed a torn rotator cuff and a couple of hereniated disks in the neck as well.
Go with the therapy. I know it can be a drag and very time consuming, but these days I'm back to business as usual without going under the knife. Worth every minute.
Get better soon, Rapid
[ May 30, 2005, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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I was told by a dr. that there's a poor chance of successful surgery on tendons . . .and that tendons really don't 'grow' back together either. Mabey he was a quack...this was his diagnosis after a #11 blade went completely through my finger. I still can't totally straighten it out, but I have some feeling in it and can still use it just fine even without surgery.
I once had a torn cartlidge in my knee and had the same diagonios as above . . . so I had no suregry, but was 'sposed to wear a cast for 6 weeks, and have 6 weeks of PT . . .due to an unpredictable life style in those days, I tore the cast off after about a month and only had 2 weeks of PT. ...knee has always been fine since, 'cept for an occassional, momentary little glitch when climbing steps.
I dunno what a torn rotor cuff is but it sounds painful . . .
Still, sometimes I think dr.s offer a LOT of different directions to go, including surgery, mainly in order to cover their butts, when in all actuality good, ol' fashioned, R & R combined with proper therapeutical movements would treat the thing better . . .
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i had rotator issues that took 2 years to be tolerable...still haven't been rock climbing for 3 seasons! now i have terrible elbow issues...probably switched one for the other...all i have to do is touch the bone of my elbow and it kills! must be our line of work...it's really aweful after i've lettered alot of vans and trucks in a week. squeeging over head kills! i feel your pain!
-------------------- Karyn Bush Simply Not Ordinary, LLC Bartlett, NH 603-383-9955 www.snosigns.com info@snosigns.com Posts: 3516 | From: Bartlett, NH USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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quote: ...still haven't been rock climbing for 3 seasons!
yeah sure Karyn... I'll bet you weren't able to play violin after that either
I never mentioned that I broke my foot 6 weeks ago, but allow me to say casts & crutches suck!!! Tomorrow is my final visit to the ortho guy for the final x-ray & the hopeful release from bondage that I have been anxiously awaiting. (then p.t. to follow of course)
good luck Deb. My dad had that in his early 70's & we think the anesthetic contributed to an undetected minor stroke that contributed to the Parkinson's that he died from 3 years ago. I guess that's another vote against the knife!
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Had 2 Surgery's on one rotor cup tear (re-tear) was #2. Feel's much better. No more hockey ever. Blew out a knee, got the spur's on my neck and last hockey practice had hip burn that still won't go away. Sad part is... I think I am still a product. Oh,well... Got the pictures of the ligament tears and it shows the stiches and the pins that were used for building a new ligament post. So yeah,it works but it does take time to re-hab the body and because the area that was injured needs re-hab the rest of the body that turns lazy needs a lift as well.
Think it through....
CrazyJack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Ray, Sheila, Doug, Jack, Karen: I can see you're not whiners either. Hope these things heal in time, as that's the secret, knowledge and time. thanks for the advice, too. It's really good to get some advice from those that have been there.
I've never agreed with surgery when I've been doing the chiropractic thing and natural for years and it does more than the doctors want to ever admit. Of course, some docs don't argue, but they are gagged by the Supreme Court to offer natural remedies and say that they work.
Saving surgery for something of the extreme, as my Mom was a good nurse and spoke to the subject of failures of most back surgeries. She was against it at all lengths and it stuck in my mind.
I did break down and tried some injections in Jan: Seraphin and litacane and a small unit of cortisone. He gave me them in the shoulder and all over my shoulder blade, elbow, lots of them! Ohh, they stung, and numbed it finally a bit, but the pain increased as I was lifting everyday and it wasn't getting better, just worse. Sometimes, you just need to lift and hope things will get better with exercise. Just was too much lifting, about 17 lbs did it.
I had another couple from the ortho doc in early April, and now that has helped, temporarily. But, I've done research and will not have them again since they can cause harm later (even so the docs don't admit it). Never have been one for synthetic stuff in me, but I was told that the seraphin is natural from a tree bark and the litocane was for the pain. All this time, I had been undiagnosed until early April.
Since I have been putting up with severe sciatica in my hip for 16 years and torn ligaments in my knee for 17, a couple spurs in my neck on C5 or something, I am not complaining about a couple small tears. I think I need to get myself proper exercise and rest, and never overdo it, since I think the tearing was from some lifting extra weight instead of healing, plus computer work aggravated my arm. I was using the computer mouse from 8 to 12 hours per day for 6 months so it aggravated it also.
I can relate to yours too, Sheila. Four years ago, I slipped on the second ladder rung which was muddy after working on a sign and tore my thumb, also as the sheathing now is restricting my use of hand brushing or squeeging or using the mouse. He says surgery, but I am just doing stretching and vitamin E.
Actually, the physiotherapy is helping a tad, but I have some natural remedies (horse linament), I am going to apply to the areas as I should have done before. This feeds minerals through the skin as I am kicking myself that I haven't been using it. I'll let you know if it helps along with the new far infrared and ulrasound heat treatments. Until then, have a good spring!
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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Deb, Consider vitamin B-12. Read the labels and find info about it. It may be a good choice. I have given up (E) for the B-12. It is good for your brain too!
CrazyJack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Those tendons and ligaments can take longer to heal than a broken bone and lack the elasticity or blood flow of the surrounding muscles so it's best to keep avoid aggravating the injury and follow the through w/physical therapy.
The one and only time I fell off a ladder was at the raised base of a set of grain towers that hadn't allowed to "lock" the stepladder, it twisted enough to throw me off balance and fall to the asphalt below . I was able to absorb most of the fall but my hand and area just above my elbow took it pretty hard.
Instead of going to an emergency room (as in hindsight would have been best)I wrapped up my wrist pulled up the extension ladders and hand lettered the towers w/my badly swollen wrist and hand in Santa Ana force winds, that blew the ladder over when I'd stepped down.
I never saw a doctor and it took almost two yrs. for the pain to go away from a now arthritic hand and wrist.So let the injury rest and gradually allow the tendons and ligaments to strengthen and regain flexabilty as the PT probably already suggested.
-------------------- Joe McGillicuddy Signgraphix 2354 Lambert Drive, Pasadena CA jmcgillicuddy1@earthlink.net Posts: 20 | From: Pasadena, California | Registered: Oct 2003
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