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OT: Rotator cuff injection(s)
OT: Rotator cuff injection(s)
About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
(dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
and therapeutic.
Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
whole needle thing, to begin with.
I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
Margie
About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
(dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
and therapeutic.
Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
whole needle thing, to begin with.
I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
Margie
Re: Rotator cuff injection(s)
I had a rotator cuff repair with acromioplasty on one shoulder (make darned
sure you have a tear before you let them do that--it really hurts and takes
somewhere around a year to completely heal), and have had cortisone
injections in the other shoulder. When they injected my shoulder, I don't
recall them injecting more than one site. It was pretty sore for about 3
days afterward, but I didn't have any more problems with it for about 6
months. I got one more injection in it after that and have never needed
another.
Does you have more shoulder pain when you're trying to sleep? That was the
worst for me. I didn't get a decent night's sleep for 6 months before they
finally diagnosed a bone spur that had caused a tear. If you haven't
already been icing the shoulder, you might give it a try. I found that to
be more helpful than I expected.
Dang it, I used to have a link to a website that had a flash presentation of
the workings of the rotator cuff, as well as other joints, but I can't seem
to find it right now. It was from a university in a southern state, South
Carolina or Alabama, maybe? If I can track it down, I'll post it.
I hope you heal quickly!
Anne
"Margie" <nomoremargiesjunk@earthlink,net > wrote in message
news:vr9704ljjh4t1031to8s4r4fk7pppfje76@4ax,com ...
> About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
> (dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
> wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
> a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
> and therapeutic.
>
> Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
> If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
> injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
> effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
> the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
> would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
> rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
> shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
> whole needle thing, to begin with.
>
> I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
> entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
> thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
> be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
> the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
>
> Margie
I had a rotator cuff repair with acromioplasty on one shoulder (make darned
sure you have a tear before you let them do that--it really hurts and takes
somewhere around a year to completely heal), and have had cortisone
injections in the other shoulder. When they injected my shoulder, I don't
recall them injecting more than one site. It was pretty sore for about 3
days afterward, but I didn't have any more problems with it for about 6
months. I got one more injection in it after that and have never needed
another.
Does you have more shoulder pain when you're trying to sleep? That was the
worst for me. I didn't get a decent night's sleep for 6 months before they
finally diagnosed a bone spur that had caused a tear. If you haven't
already been icing the shoulder, you might give it a try. I found that to
be more helpful than I expected.
Dang it, I used to have a link to a website that had a flash presentation of
the workings of the rotator cuff, as well as other joints, but I can't seem
to find it right now. It was from a university in a southern state, South
Carolina or Alabama, maybe? If I can track it down, I'll post it.
I hope you heal quickly!
Anne
"Margie" <nomoremargiesjunk@earthlink,net > wrote in message
news:vr9704ljjh4t1031to8s4r4fk7pppfje76@4ax,com ...
> About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
> (dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
> wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
> a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
> and therapeutic.
>
> Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
> If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
> injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
> effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
> the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
> would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
> rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
> shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
> whole needle thing, to begin with.
>
> I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
> entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
> thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
> be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
> the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
>
> Margie
Re: Rotator cuff injection(s)
Definitely hurts more at night -- I can't really sleep on that side
any more. It's kind of a "back burner" problem right now because I
found out I'm also dealing with two herniated lumbar discs and
moderate arthritis in both hips. (Falling apart at the seams am I.)
So I figure if the shoulder gets bad enough, I'll concentrate more on
it. For now, I will try ice if it gets bad (as suggested below).
Thanks!
Margie
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:41:06 GMT, "Anne V."
<ahvasquez@NOSPAMsbcglobal,net > wrote:
>I had a rotator cuff repair with acromioplasty on one shoulder (make darned
>sure you have a tear before you let them do that--it really hurts and takes
>somewhere around a year to completely heal), and have had cortisone
>injections in the other shoulder. When they injected my shoulder, I don't
>recall them injecting more than one site. It was pretty sore for about 3
>days afterward, but I didn't have any more problems with it for about 6
>months. I got one more injection in it after that and have never needed
>another.
>
>Does you have more shoulder pain when you're trying to sleep? That was the
>worst for me. I didn't get a decent night's sleep for 6 months before they
>finally diagnosed a bone spur that had caused a tear. If you haven't
>already been icing the shoulder, you might give it a try. I found that to
>be more helpful than I expected.
>
>Dang it, I used to have a link to a website that had a flash presentation of
>the workings of the rotator cuff, as well as other joints, but I can't seem
>to find it right now. It was from a university in a southern state, South
>Carolina or Alabama, maybe? If I can track it down, I'll post it.
>
>I hope you heal quickly!
>
>Anne
>
>"Margie" <nomoremargiesjunk@earthlink,net > wrote in message
>news:vr9704ljjh4t1031to8s4r4fk7pppfje76@4ax,com ...
>> About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
>> (dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
>> wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
>> a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
>> and therapeutic.
>>
>> Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
>> If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
>> injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
>> effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
>> the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
>> would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
>> rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
>> shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
>> whole needle thing, to begin with.
>>
>> I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
>> entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
>> thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
>> be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
>> the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
>>
>> Margie
>
Definitely hurts more at night -- I can't really sleep on that side
any more. It's kind of a "back burner" problem right now because I
found out I'm also dealing with two herniated lumbar discs and
moderate arthritis in both hips. (Falling apart at the seams am I.)
So I figure if the shoulder gets bad enough, I'll concentrate more on
it. For now, I will try ice if it gets bad (as suggested below).
Thanks!
Margie
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:41:06 GMT, "Anne V."
<ahvasquez@NOSPAMsbcglobal,net > wrote:
>I had a rotator cuff repair with acromioplasty on one shoulder (make darned
>sure you have a tear before you let them do that--it really hurts and takes
>somewhere around a year to completely heal), and have had cortisone
>injections in the other shoulder. When they injected my shoulder, I don't
>recall them injecting more than one site. It was pretty sore for about 3
>days afterward, but I didn't have any more problems with it for about 6
>months. I got one more injection in it after that and have never needed
>another.
>
>Does you have more shoulder pain when you're trying to sleep? That was the
>worst for me. I didn't get a decent night's sleep for 6 months before they
>finally diagnosed a bone spur that had caused a tear. If you haven't
>already been icing the shoulder, you might give it a try. I found that to
>be more helpful than I expected.
>
>Dang it, I used to have a link to a website that had a flash presentation of
>the workings of the rotator cuff, as well as other joints, but I can't seem
>to find it right now. It was from a university in a southern state, South
>Carolina or Alabama, maybe? If I can track it down, I'll post it.
>
>I hope you heal quickly!
>
>Anne
>
>"Margie" <nomoremargiesjunk@earthlink,net > wrote in message
>news:vr9704ljjh4t1031to8s4r4fk7pppfje76@4ax,com ...
>> About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
>> (dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
>> wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
>> a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
>> and therapeutic.
>>
>> Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
>> If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
>> injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
>> effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
>> the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
>> would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
>> rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
>> shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
>> whole needle thing, to begin with.
>>
>> I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
>> entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
>> thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
>> be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
>> the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
>>
>> Margie
>
Re: Rotator cuff injection(s)
Neither of the orthos I have done work for routinely inject for a tear
unless they think it is not a complete tear. If they suspect a tear they
almost always do an MRI to confirm before deciding on treatment, and don't
inject if the tear is complete. They will usually do no more than 1
injection to the shoulder. They do do different injection sites according
to what the MRI shows and where the pain is, and on rare occasions inject
two spots.
My husband had surgery for rotator cuff and yes, it is painful, requires a
lot of rehab, but for him it was worth it. It is about 10 years now, and
the shoulder is standing up pretty well. Just mostly some arthritis, but he
has good motion of the shoulder still at 79.
Barb C.
"Margie" <nomoremargiesjunk@earthlink,net > wrote in message
news:vr9704ljjh4t1031to8s4r4fk7pppfje76@4ax,com ...
> About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
> (dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
> wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
> a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
> and therapeutic.
>
> Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
> If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
> injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
> effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
> the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
> would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
> rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
> shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
> whole needle thing, to begin with.
>
> I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
> entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
> thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
> be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
> the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
>
> Margie
Neither of the orthos I have done work for routinely inject for a tear
unless they think it is not a complete tear. If they suspect a tear they
almost always do an MRI to confirm before deciding on treatment, and don't
inject if the tear is complete. They will usually do no more than 1
injection to the shoulder. They do do different injection sites according
to what the MRI shows and where the pain is, and on rare occasions inject
two spots.
My husband had surgery for rotator cuff and yes, it is painful, requires a
lot of rehab, but for him it was worth it. It is about 10 years now, and
the shoulder is standing up pretty well. Just mostly some arthritis, but he
has good motion of the shoulder still at 79.
Barb C.
"Margie" <nomoremargiesjunk@earthlink,net > wrote in message
news:vr9704ljjh4t1031to8s4r4fk7pppfje76@4ax,com ...
> About 3 months ago I fell and landed on my outstretched left
> (dominant) arm. Fortunately, I didn't do any damage to my hand or
> wrist, but my shoulder is still sore and my orthopedist thinks I have
> a rotator cuff tear. She says that injections can be both diagnostic
> and therapeutic.
>
> Here's my question to any of you who have undergone these injections:
> If the pain migrates from the back to the front of the joint, does the
> injection need to target the specific area of pain in order to be
> effective? Or would I need multiple injections to different parts of
> the joint? I'm envisioning a warm bath of healing cortisone that
> would spread throughout the joint space and calm down the entire
> rotator cuff, but I don't know enough about the anatomy of the
> shoulder to understand how this works. And I'm not thrilled about the
> whole needle thing, to begin with.
>
> I'm trying to use "tincture of time" and avoid the injections
> entirely, but until I get to the point of seeing the ortho again,
> thought I'd ask the experts here. I know that shoulder problems can
> be long-term projects, and I sure want to avoid surgery, but I hate
> the idea of spending the rest of my life with a limited shoulder.
>
> Margie
Re: Rotator cuff injection(s)
You made an excellent point that I neglected in my post, Barb--despite the
pain and rehab time, I'm absolutely thrilled with the results I've gotten
from my rotator cuff repair. I have full, painless range of motion, and
it's extremely rare for me to even get a twinge in it since probably a year
or 2 after the surgery. I think it's been about 8 years now. It was
definitely worth it.
Anne
"Barbara Carlson" <bbcarlson@snappydsl,net > wrote in message
news:QtWdnXcqZpEpiJnVnZ2dnUVZ_q2hnZ2d@tampabaydsl,com ...
> Neither of the orthos I have done work for routinely inject for a tear
> unless they think it is not a complete tear. If they suspect a tear they
> almost always do an MRI to confirm before deciding on treatment, and don't
> inject if the tear is complete. They will usually do no more than 1
> injection to the shoulder. They do do different injection sites according
> to what the MRI shows and where the pain is, and on rare occasions inject
> two spots.
>
> My husband had surgery for rotator cuff and yes, it is painful, requires a
> lot of rehab, but for him it was worth it. It is about 10 years now, and
> the shoulder is standing up pretty well. Just mostly some arthritis, but
> he has good motion of the shoulder still at 79.
>
> Barb C.
You made an excellent point that I neglected in my post, Barb--despite the
pain and rehab time, I'm absolutely thrilled with the results I've gotten
from my rotator cuff repair. I have full, painless range of motion, and
it's extremely rare for me to even get a twinge in it since probably a year
or 2 after the surgery. I think it's been about 8 years now. It was
definitely worth it.
Anne
"Barbara Carlson" <bbcarlson@snappydsl,net > wrote in message
news:QtWdnXcqZpEpiJnVnZ2dnUVZ_q2hnZ2d@tampabaydsl,com ...
> Neither of the orthos I have done work for routinely inject for a tear
> unless they think it is not a complete tear. If they suspect a tear they
> almost always do an MRI to confirm before deciding on treatment, and don't
> inject if the tear is complete. They will usually do no more than 1
> injection to the shoulder. They do do different injection sites according
> to what the MRI shows and where the pain is, and on rare occasions inject
> two spots.
>
> My husband had surgery for rotator cuff and yes, it is painful, requires a
> lot of rehab, but for him it was worth it. It is about 10 years now, and
> the shoulder is standing up pretty well. Just mostly some arthritis, but
> he has good motion of the shoulder still at 79.
>
> Barb C.
