Question:
My Dr. recently did an MRI and he said I have an empegment, the Rotator cuf (i think) the part that helps hold the bone in the socket well anyway the top one is thinning. He said I have a form of Arthritis that causes the bone to detreate and I have pieces of the bone still in there and a lot of fliud. I have lost some range of motion. He would like to give me a sterriod shot to help his diagnosis. He has scheduled me to start physical thearpy. My question is 1) Is the shot a good idea, neither Dr I have talked with are very conveincing I should do it. 2) I'm only 36 I have never played sports and I have had no injury's why would I have this? 3) Should I worry about other joints I do have pain in them but Iam on Vioxx and that helps all other joints but the arm. Thank You for your time.
Question submitted by:
[email protected]
| Dr. Hasan |
Dr. Hasan is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in shoulder, elbow, and general orthopaedic problems. Dr. Hasan has received the M.D. degree and a Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering, both from Vanderbilt University. He completed residency training at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago followed by fellowship training at both the University of Washington and the Texas Orthopaedic Hospital in Houston.
Dr. Hasan has published a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented his research efforts at national and international orthopaedic conferences.
Dr. Hasan’s areas of interest include: arthroscopic and open surgery of the shoulder, elbow, and knee as well as joint replacement surgery. He currently practices at Cincinnati Sportsmedicine and Orthopaedic Center.
|
Answer:
If you have impingement than an anti-inflammatory such as Vioxx is a good idea. If it is not helping your shoulder, then ask for another one (there are about 30 anti-inflammatories to choose from). A cortisone injection may help ease the pain, but you should not get in a cycle of repetitive injections. Physical therapy that stress improving your shoulder motion is key, as is avoiding activities (at work, for example) that make your shoulder pain worse.
As far as shoulder arthritis is concerned, it is unusual to see this in a 36 year old, especially someone without a history of injury. If the xrays show arthritis, then you should see a shoulder specialist for further evaluation.
