Thread: ROTATOR CUFF INJURIES

Originally Posted by Roverlord off road spares

I noticed a few of us have rotator cuff injuries, I believe members like Bohica and JC have rotaor cuff injuries
Mines flaired up again and is causing some agonising pain, using my walking stick exerts pressure on it also.
I had xrays and ultra sounds done and diagnosis is chronic Subacromial Bursitis, I have a referral for an ultra sound guided Steriod injection to be done the local public hospital under medicare so no cost. Last one lasted me 10 years. so hopefully this one will last also.

Get to a good physio and you will never need a injection ever again. I had Bursitis- it was very painfull lifting arm at all and especaily with kids. Bursitis seen during a ultra sound was very cool. Offered the same as you by the nice xray Doc. My doc offered physio first. best move I made. A simple exercise basicly putting my arms behind me and pulling them forwards with resistance from a rubber band or even the odd dooray or two. Inside two week zero pain.

I did have to get shown how and where to hold or possition my sholder while doing the exercise. I was told the ultra sound guided Steriod injection last a maxiumn of 6 montsh and only masks the pain. It doesnt fix it like the streagnthering excerise will.

Originally Posted by NavyDiver

Get to a good physio and you will never need a injection ever again. I had Bursitis- it was very painfull lifting arm at all and especaily with kids. Bursitis seen during a ultra sound was very cool. Offered the same as you by the nice xray Doc. My doc offered physio first. best move I made. A simple exercise basicly putting my arms behind me and pulling them forwards with resistance from a rubber band or even the odd dooray or two. Inside two week zero pain.

I did have to get shown how and where to hold or possition my sholder while doing the exercise. I was told the ultra sound guided Steriod injection last a maxiumn of 6 montsh and only masks the pain. It doesnt fix it like the streagnthering excerise will.

Currently doing the same as you, but both shoulders. Started with about 15° rotation in my rotor cuffs, now up around 70° and a lot less pain. Just need to do my excercises

Hmm this thread is both interesting and alarming. Over the course of this year I have begun to get pain in my right shoulder. Gets bad at night so I can`t lay on that shoulder. I also have done a lot of physical work, a lot with vibration as in grinders. Hands have been bad for years with arthritis. Cant close the right one up tight or open it flat with out hurting some. Always feel some low level aches. I also get pain that goes up my arm to my elbow when my right hand is playing up. Left arm goes numb but that is another issue. So I thought it was just more of the arthritis moving on to my shoulders. Not so sure now. Dam just did a google and I have all the symptoms. Certainly not going to make it to seventy for retirement. I for one are not one those that is enjoying getting older.
Cheers Hall

Had a very painful shoulder (left) for years. Considered surgery, cortisone, amputation etc. Pain eased of and almost disappeared a month or so after open heart surgery. Got my MC licence back, started driving the roadtrain on the cotton harvest, and the shoulder started aching again! Eventually tracked it to the way I was using the shoulder while changing certain gears. Altered my position and arm angle during those changes, problem solvered! All the specialists I saw recommended surgery.

Originally Posted by Hall

Hmm this thread is both interesting and alarming. Over the course of this year I have begun to get pain in my right shoulder. Gets bad at night so I can`t lay on that shoulder. I also have done a lot of physical work, a lot with vibration as in grinders. Hands have been bad for years with arthritis. Cant close the right one up tight or open it flat with out hurting some. Always feel some low level aches. I also get pain that goes up my arm to my elbow when my right hand is playing up. Left arm goes numb but that is another issue. So I thought it was just more of the arthritis moving on to my shoulders. Not so sure now. Dam just did a google and I have all the symptoms. Certainly not going to make it to seventy for retirement. I for one are not one those that is enjoying getting older.
Cheers Hall

Danny get it checked out then you'll have answers why. I started this many many years ago similar pains down the arm, it as a impingement of the nerves in the neck to the arm. I ended up having a disc removed and fusion done in the neck. The pain I had was excruciating, on the 1-10 pain scale they always ask you about, it was off the scale for me, it had me screaming and that was not even moving anything.

Originally Posted by NavyDiver

Get to a good physio and you will never need a injection ever again. I had Bursitis- it was very painfull lifting arm at all and especaily with kids. Bursitis seen during a ultra sound was very cool. Offered the same as you by the nice xray Doc. My doc offered physio first. best move I made. A simple exercise basicly putting my arms behind me and pulling them forwards with resistance from a rubber band or even the odd dooray or two. Inside two week zero pain.

I did have to get shown how and where to hold or possition my sholder while doing the exercise. I was told the ultra sound guided Steriod injection last a maxiumn of 6 montsh and only masks the pain. It doesnt fix it like the streagnthering excerise will.

I initially went to various physios in the early years and it didin't improve my situation, they gave up in the end. I think surgery, physio and injections are a case by case thing, some thing work for some and not for others, the doc who did my injection told me some get relief others may not.

Up date:I was able to raise my arm to brush my teeth, put my hands on the top of my head to wash my hair and reach around with toilet paper today with less pain today.
All this was unpleasantly difficult and very painful before yesterday so it has helped a bit. The pain is still there just more bearable
Rotator cuff movement is used every day, you don't realise it until it fails.
I have my physio session for my other problems at the local hospital this arvo, so will ask about the physio about some exercises to help with this.

I put up with sub-acromial bursitis (that's what the GP called it) for about 12 months, yes it is unbelievably painful and debilitating, you have a functional hand on the end of a pretty much useless arm.

There was no known cause, no previous injuries to the shoulder. A cortisone injection ordered by the GP had an effect which lasted about 3 days so ended up seeing a specialist.

He refereed to it as 'frozen shoulder' (not sure if bursitis and frozen shoulder are exactly the same things). Anyway the specialist ordered another cortisone injection but gave a great amount of detail and direction to the clinic that to was to do the injection. The specific type / brand of drug to be used, how much, specifics of where the needle was to be guided to etc.

The effect this time was dramatically different. Total relief for ~6 weeks. It did come back after that but was never as intense and the pain slowly faded away after another 4-5 months to the point where I had recovered completely free movement in that shoulder.

Has been good for the last 18 months. It's certainly not something you get over quickly.