OA suggestions

Posted by roxiesmom13 @roxiesmom13, 3 days ago

I have severe OA in AC joint of shoulder and bicep tendenosis and now have limited range of motion. After numerous cortisone injections in joint and bicep the doc isn’t wanting to do more. I take 1800 mg of gabapentin daily but really not sure it helps. I spend a lot of time using heat/ice for relief. I am wondering about surgery but hate the thought. Any thing others have found helpful? Funny thing or perhaps good it’s not my dominant arm. I’m 78 so want to carefully weigh my options.

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Helen, Volunteer Mentor | @naturegirl5 | 3 days ago

@roxiesmom13 I attended a webinar yesterday on pain management. The recommendation for osteoarthritis is movement. I have osteoarthritis in several joints in my body including my shoulders. I don't sit still for long, I stretch, I walk, and I move. Yes, it hurts at first but then feels better the more I move and exercise.

I'm 73-years-old. I have been weightlifting for over 40 years so I already had considerable strength but had not been been working my injured shoulder. I fell while cross-country skiing last winter and fortunately I did not experience any fractures. I did have severe trauma that resulted in inflammation to my non-dominant arm, especially my left shoulder. After my primary care physician ordered PT my shoulder felt worse, not better. Finally, I went to an orthopedic specialist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. MRI showed fraying of one rotator cuff (supraspinatus) and a partial tear in another rotator cuff (infraspinatus). The medical provider I saw showed my the sections of my MRI that showed a LOT of inflammation in my shoulder, my AC joint, and my bicep tendon. She explained that surgery would not do anything to improve the inflammation which was the primary problem. Her recommendation was, in her words, a "salad" of treatments. The following is the list of what I followed from her "salad" ingredients.

1. Return to PT with specific emphasis on the areas of inflammation and pain.
2. Glucosamine and Chondroitrin with MSM
3. A shoulder brace that I purchased at Mayo Clinic and use sparingly, especially at night
4. Ice each evening before I go to bed
5. Home exercises that the nurse educator explained to me and my PT reviewed and changed as I've improved.
6. Salicylate pain relieving patches as needed that I buy at my local Walgreens - I use Salonpas which are very inexpensive.
7. Cupping on the affected area of my shoulder after I shower and my skin is moist. I use lotion and slide the a silicone (medium size) cup on my shoulder. I bought the cups from Amazon.

The "dressing" for the salad was two injections. I had not had any injections in my shoulder. The injections were done with ultrasound guidance so that the medical provider could see exactly where the needle was to make sure that the area that was targeted was the right area.

I don't do all of the above every day. But, I do the exercises every day, I continue to weight lift and I am still in PT. My shoulder is about 90% better than when I started all of this in mid-August.

Have you thought about getting another opinion from a different orthopedic specialist?