Advice re arthritic shoulder (me not client)

[Steveman3014]

Hi,
I am massage and aroma practitioner. About twenty years ago I was in an accident and had a shoulder seperation injury. Basically my clavicle was detached at the acromioclavicular joint and all the ligaments damaged. Although it was painful, surgery was not performed as the doc wanted to try to get it to heal naturally. It did after a few months but the AC joint has always been deformed (pronounced lump).
Now I am getting on a bit, the pain has become steadily worse, there is crepitus in the joint, it gets inflamed and recently extremely 'wake me up at night' painful.
I cannot use my shoulder some days and certainly can barely raise it above horizontal without pain and crunching.
The doc says it is arthritic (no, really?) and tells me to take anti-inflammatories.
I have had to reduce my client load as I cannot manage more than one massage a day now without it seriously affecting my shoulder.
I am thinking now that within a year I will have to give up and am wondering what I can step sideways into.
Obviously nothing strenuous.
I have done foundation course in crystal healing and also Reiki but gave up as there was no call for it in my area.
Maybe I am the one who should be going for treatments now!
So if anyone has any ideas, I would be interested.
Thankyou so much.

 

[Alley Cat]

glucosomine comes in various forms and is a more natural anti inflammatory.
where are you based?
BG

 

[M.P. Hall]

Despite the history, it is possible something else entirely is happening to the shoulder - it would be possible to develop a frozen shoulder or rotator cuff strain with or without the previous injury.

Assuming for now that this is a consequence of the original injury, given the nature of the damage it is unlikely that it can recover to 100%.

However, if it has been left to its own devices, it has probably not recovered nearly as much as its full potential. The reason is that following such a strain, regional and global changes take place in the body to protect the damaged part. These changes include local contracture of connective tissue; contraction of muscle, to brace the area, and postural changes to divert stress around it; pain to tell you to be careful.

As time progresses, these protective adaptations actually get in the way of recovery, and begin to create new problems of their own. If it is becoming inflammed, then this is part of the process happening at a metabolic level. Fighting the pain and inflammation is not the answer, looking at why they are happening is more important.

So it is unlikely that anybody can put back together every damaged fibre. But reducing some of the knock-on changes and protective adaptations can make an enormous difference.

As an example, if the shoulder tip is drawn inwards towards the body, reversing this process by careful manual therapy may be very helpful. Such a change can involve the pelvis and spine too, as the big bowstring muscle of the back (latissimus dorsi) pulls the shoulder forwards and down, and the whole posture can be affected.

 

[Nuackedaedida]

Hi there,
sorry to hear about your problem. I have twice had shoulder problems, due to very bad form lifting weights (I should know better) and it took forever to heal on both occasions. Whilst I agree with the other posters, the thing that seemed to get rid of my pain, and allowed me to have treatments, were magnets. I bought the tiny ones that come with corn type plasters, and within a couple of days, the pain was well reduced, and within a week, was gone.

My opinion is, try anything once!

Hope you get it sorted.

 

[Irish Bear]

I don't dismiss magnets as a way of reducing pain, although I am sceptical of any real depth of benefit. As I understand it, if strain within the body actually changes, there is generally a reaction somewhere. What I would like to know is the physiology behind the possible effectiveness of magnets. And do they actually work by solving the problem or do they just target symptoms?

 

[rdjbunyr]

Hi kvdp,
as I said in my posting, I used them to reduce pain, and therefore allow me to have treatments, so yes, I feel that in my case they targeted symptoms, which in my view, you have to treat to be able to deal with the problem.

Whether magnets work on everyone, who knows, as I said, I am always prepared to try anything once, and it worked for me

 

[XxBellexX]

My GP sent me to the physiotherapist as I was getting pain in my arm. She thought it may be due to my rheumatoid arthritis. The physio told me that it was due to the fact that I had not been using my arms through their full range. This tends to happen as we get older. She showed me exercises to stretch my arms and shoulder blades and neck back and forward and from side to side. After a few weeks, I could move them all through the full range. Maybe you should go back to your GP to see if they can help any further.

 

[meesterbond]

There was something on Radio 4 (I was told by a friend) that there have been several studies (I can't find any) that dismiss the effectiveness of Glucosamine saying it was no more than a placebo effect. Have you heard anything about this Gaz?

On a personal note I suffer with Spondylosis, c5/c6 carbon cage in place etc and have been taking these supplements for the last 18 months, I am now back working (new s/e career in massage etc and off incap benefit) and off codydramol and Ibuprofen, as I got more relief from these than any painkiller, you can't tell me it's placebo

 

[Sellasie]

Personally I have always been sceptical about glucosamine, chondroitin suplements etc. Your body can make everything it needs from the basic building blocks, very often the problem we're discussing is why those substances aren't getting to where they're needed.

 

[Clo Clo]

I guess this is what the Radio show was about, but as I said, I can't find any such study

P.S I hate it when you change your posts lol

 

[jessica deanna saucedo]

Before knocking GS have a look at this article: http://www.anh-europe.org/news/bmj-research-says-glucosamine-and-chondroitin-don%E2%80%99t-work

My own opinion is that you can get this from your diet, but how many people wish to eat lumps of gristle? Anyone for a bowl of homemade cartilaginous chicken soup made with the carcass?

Maybe my grannie was right!

 

[cusmoter]

I'd like to add one more personal recommendation for glucosamine sulphate for the treatment of inflamed joints. I use it for my sore knees when I resume running after a long break. Without taking glucosamine (such as running when on holiday) my knees persist being sore until I can take some glucosamine. I take 4 x 500mg whilst the problem is acute, and taper it off by reducing it by 1 capsule/day every 2 days.

My tin-hat theory comes from my recent experience with my tooth infection. The antibiotics don't appear to work until I begin taking Ibuprofen for the pain. My theory is taking the Ibuprofen reduces the localised congestion caused by the inflammation, which was preventing other substances freely accessing the infected site. I think it's the same for glucosamine - it reduces the inflammation and hence enables access to other nutrients which repair and protect. That's a tin-hat theory, so not meant to be taken too seriously.

I naturally have quite flushed cheeks - and when I am taking glucosamine sulphate capsules they reduce their rosiness. Folk hence comment that I am looking peely-wally. That can't be a placebo effect.

My feeling why it works for some people, and not for others is because the glucosamine just reduces inflammation. It doesn't in itself assist the joint - it's the availability of nutrients for repair which do that. If you have a diet which supports building and repair then that will be doing the lion's share of the work.

Ava x

 

[m1sticka]

I think you are probably right there Ava.
As for the placebo affect. It doesn't mean the placebo pill repairs the damage. It is the brain which does the repairs. So if you believe it will work, then it will.

 

[grace]

I have been recommending it for about 12 or so years, and have found it works well in pretty much everyone who has taken it.

People dismiss things out of hand all of the time, but usually come back to it. Look at silver, they are now saying that it is good for infections, in small doses.....erm didnt they use it over a century ago as an antibiotic?? Then it got slated.....and now, its back! Scientists have to earn a living somehow....especially those that work for big pharma!

 

[blizz123]

Ylangrose - Oh yes, of course, I agree. But in my example it's slightly different, surely? i.e. Why would I believe that it would have an unexpected and undesired effect of reducing the flushing of my cheeks... and have evidence visible to other folk that it has? Anyway, I'm just laboring a point. I'm sure we are both in agreement - no need to fuss over details!

Ava x

 

[animation videos]

Silver is pretty toxic, it's not just antibiotic, it's anti many things. There's a reason why heavy metals (mercury etc) are no lonbger used as treatments, personally I wouldn't put it in my body.

Yes it may 'work', that can mean many things, depending on what we expect from the treatment.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I'm afraid Ava I disagree with the tin-hat theory. When inflammation or local symptoms are reduced, this is interference with a healing process, pure and simple. When that happens, the body redistributes its problems and priorities nto accomodate the demands of the treatment: all that happens is that the strain that was taken by the local tissues (joint) becomes thrown onto another part (organ). This is the problem with treatment of specifics, it's like de-cluttering one room in a house - all the clutter just ends up in the other rooms.

Next, inflammation is one of our most important healing processes. When we suffer these acute-on-chronic problems, this is simply the body having repeated attempts to correct the problem but for whatever reason being unable to see the process through.

Sometimes resolution means a more substantial shift. For example, I recently treated a lady with RSI in the wrists, everybody she had been to had tried to damp down the inflammation but it had never fully resolved. During our work together there was a point where she had 2 days of excruciating inflammation, and then it was all over and things moved to a different level. I didn't provoke this inflammation, it happens when the body has regained the reserves to have another go at rebuilding the affected tissues.

In effect, local palliation, reduces local symptoms but increases general degeneration, which is why those who know all the quick fixes seem to have myriad 'unrelated' health niggles all the blooming time. That would be my preferred theory.

As for chondroitin, RP, I disagree - it is a protein, our bodies can make it easily out of lower building blocks. How do you think it gets inside the chicken? If you eat it, it will more than likely be broken down before anything useful is done with it.

And Glucosamine is not an essential amino acid. So if we are not making enough ourselves, we have to ask why - are we deficient in something else, perhaps, or toxic in some way.

Hence I have never yet recommended anybody to take either of these substances.

 

[sasafras0916]

Its usage was only stopped when it was found to be very useful, and the pharmaceutical industry couldnt patent it. The studies in Brussels seems to be getting along very nicely with it, and after years of me suffering from the cold sore virus, for 30 odd years, one dose of this, 4 years ago, and I havent had one since so yes, its gets my vote, even though I took it slightly off topic (oh and it was a massive dose, but I didnt have any side effects, and im still here.....though some would say im slightly delirious )

 

[sitnfish]

Yes I see what you mean. A placebo wouldn't cause unexpected things to happen.

 

[eddy chamoun]

I guess we'll let darwin decide this one...