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Cortisone has never been worth a rat's ass for my left shoulder issues which presently include deep tears in the tendons of three of the four rotator muscles and a degenerated glenoid labrum along with a tear in the long head tendon of the biceps. But hey I guess everyone's mileage varies.
I had a friend, now passed, who was a very prominent orthopedic surgeon. My rotator cuff started to bother me, and I asked him about getting it fixed. He checked the movement of my arm and said " Leave it alone and see what happens. The after effects of the surgery can be worse than the initial problem."
He was right, the thing cleared up and it has been years since I had that problem. Glad I didn't try to have it repaired.
I've had all sorts of different injuries over the years, mostly related to athletic workouts. And every one of them completely cleared up eventually, with no medical treatment. But I was lucky and I know enough about physical therapy and injury-management, that I was able to do the right things and avoid causing more harm.
A friend with a rotator cuff partially torn off his upper arm bone, needed surgery to carve a groove in the bone, to provide a place to re-anchor it. After months of recovery, it did heal and he's able to carefully have fairly full workouts again. But his pain was intense for some time and the pallative medications discussed previously gave him no relief.
Cortisone has never been worth a rat's ass for my left shoulder issues which presently include deep tears in the tendons of three of the four rotator muscles and a degenerated glenoid labrum along with a tear in the long head tendon of the biceps. But hey I guess everyone's mileage varies.
I avoid steroids as everything I hear they weaken and break down any cartilage we have in our joints.
A partial tear may heal on its own, but a full thickness tear will not. According to my ortho dr. the longer you wait the more difficult it is to fix, because the torn ends retract.
If surgery is needed, it is a painful and long recovery process with months of physical therapy. Hopefully OP does have a partial tear that may heal with rest and time.
A full tear usually occurs due to some traumatic incident such as a fall. Yours doesn't sound like that category needing surgery, which is good because most rotator cuff surgeries for full tears have a ***** of physical therapy ahead.
It's my own fault. My trainer warned me about extending my arm in repetitive motions.
The soonest I can get in to see my doctor is Tuesday and he's probably just going to say, "Yup, that's the problem" and refer me to an ortho.
How do I deal with the pain in the meantime?
Ibuprofin as mentioned. I don't know of anything else that would be safe to use. Hubby has this problem, but isn't a candidate for surgery so has just learned to live with it. In his case it isn't the pain but the immobility that is driving him nuts. He has had hours of therapy.
Good luck and keep us posted.
BTW, it will be up to your doctor as to whether you need a MRI or just an X ray. Hubby's ortho doctor who is highly recommended said just the X Ray is all that was needed. So I don't think any of us know for sure. Leave it to your doctor
[quote=nmnita;53547154]Ibuprofin as mentioned. I don't know of anything else that would be safe to use. Hubby has this problem, but isn't a candidate for surgery so has just learned to live with it. In his case it isn't the pain but the immobility that is driving him nuts. He has had hours of therapy.
Good luck and keep us posted.
BTW, it will be up to your doctor as to whether you need a MRI or just an X ray. Hubby's ortho doctor who is highly recommended said just the X Ray is all that was needed. So I don't think any of us know for sure. Leave it to your doctor[/QUOTE]
Wrong.....completely wrong....
It is not possible to diagnose a torn rotator cuff with a plain x ray.
So yes, some of us do "know for sure"
"Other tests which may help your doctor confirm your diagnosis include:
X-rays. The first imaging tests performed are usually x-rays. Because x-rays do not show the soft tissues of your shoulder like the rotator cuff, plain x-rays of a shoulder with rotator cuff pain are usually normal or may show a small bone spur.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. These studies can better show soft tissues like the rotator cuff tendons. They can show the rotator cuff tear, as well as where the tear is located within the tendon and the size of the tear. An MRI can also give your doctor a better idea of how "old" or "new" a tear is because it can show the quality of the rotator cuff muscles." https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseas...or-cuff-tears/
This article discusses confidence intervals for diagnosis of rotator cuff tears via physical exam, Ultrasound and MRI....
"Plain X-ray" isn't even MENTIONED because it has NO ROLE IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ROTATOR CUFF TEARS
I tore my rotator cuff and I just got an ex ray. MRI seems like overkill, but I could be wrong. My ortho gave me a cortisone shot and I did two weeks with a PT, so mine wasn't bad even though it was very painful. Your husband obviously had a more intense injury and the MRI was warranted. Also, it can takes weeks to get one depending on insurance and availability.
Seeing full tears requires an MRI. X-Rays can't image soft tissue.
Surgery for rotator cuff requires at least 6 months to heal, maybe longer. Trying to do too much too fast results in poor outcomes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaminhealth
I avoid steroids as everything I hear they weaken and break down any cartilage we have in our joints.
My rotator cuff issues were due to impingement, 2 shots, and I've been fine ever since, as the steroids reduced the swelling of the tendons so that the impingement went away. Without the steroids, I would always have an issue.
Seeing full tears requires an MRI. X-Rays can't image soft tissue.
Surgery for rotator cuff requires at least 6 months to heal, maybe longer. Trying to do too much too fast results in poor outcomes.
My rotator cuff issues were due to impingement, 2 shots, and I've been fine ever since, as the steroids reduced the swelling of the tendons so that the impingement went away. Without the steroids, I would always have an issue.
Orthos should start with an x-ray and then order an MRI if needed. My shoulder only needed an x-ray. My ortho is also the top in my area.
Also, MRI's are usually not readily available and insurance companies may not cover one if they feel its s not warranted. So a patient gets an MRI and then gets stuck with the bill.
Orthos should start with an x-ray and then order an MRI if needed. My shoulder only needed an x-ray. My ortho is also the top in my area.
Also, MRI's are usually not readily available and insurance companies may not cover one if they feel its s not warranted. So a patient gets an MRI and then gets stuck with the bill.
A plain X ray is ordered to rule out "other causes of shoulder pain" like arthritis or bone spurs, it is NOT ordered to evaluate for a rotator cuff tear.
I don't know where you live but MRI's are "readily available" pretty much everywhere in the US....
Insurance companies almost universally require a plain x ray before they will cover the cost of a MRI for extremity issues...
I order MRI's every day for patient's for soft tissue injuries, every insurance company is different for what they cover regarding MRI and what the patient's out of pocket cost will be for that study....
There is no reason for a patient in this day and age not to know what the MRI will cost THEM unless they didn't investigate it or look at their plan benefits in advance...
For those who continue to state that a rotator cuff tear CAN be routinely diagnosed by a " Plain X-ray" please explain how a radiologic study that CANNOT image tendons is able to show a torn tendon or tendons which is what a rotator cuff tear is....
A plain X ray is ordered to rule out "other causes of shoulder pain" like arthritis or bone spurs, it is NOT ordered to evaluate for a rotator cuff tear.
I don't know where you live but MRI's are "readily available" pretty much everywhere in the US....
Insurance companies almost universally require a plain x ray before they will cover the cost of a MRI for extremity issues...
I order MRI's every day for patient's for soft tissue injuries, every insurance company is different for what they cover regarding MRI and what the patient's out of pocket cost will be for that study....
There is no reason for a patient in this day and age not to know what the MRI will cost THEM unless they didn't investigate it or look at their plan benefits in advance...
For those who continue to state that a rotator cuff tear CAN be routinely diagnosed by a " Plain X-ray" please explain how a radiologic study that CANNOT image tendons is able to show a torn tendon or tendons which is what a rotator cuff tear is....
I guess it depends on the injury for an MRI to be expedited. I had two last year and each one had to be pre approved by my insurance and then scheduled, both 4 weeks out. But those were not for my shoulder.
I went to my orthopedist for my shoulder and I had an x-ray and I was told I had torn my rotator cuff. An MRI was never offered, so perhaps it was a minor issue.
With the state of insurance companies I would imagine they would not pay for an MRI if it was not warranted. But again, I could be wrong.
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