Shoulder progress :)

[thekarens]

Some good news. Sounds like this guy knows what he's doing. I hope it brings you great results!

[Catrin]

Some good news. Sounds like this guy knows what he's doing. I hope it brings you great results!

Thanks! You know, I have been fortunate, so far everyone I've worked with has known their stuff, my shoulder is just so blasted complicated... How far do I go with this? I draw the line at surgery as long as it is functional for everything outside of overhead lifting. There are injections that CAN dissolve the deposits - but I guess that is hit and miss - and the main source for the medication is British, there wasn't large enough of a market for the US makers to continue it.

It is interesting the ART was so bloody painful but left no soreness. The OMT had no pain at all but the soreness started within the hour and lasted for about 28 hours.

[Catrin]

I've been trying to figure out the difference between adhesions and "fibrotic changes" in a muscle. I know the first is scar tissue, but I've been unable to find an online source that really explains the latter. We have some very smart women here, so I figure someone here has to know the difference My OMT says there are some fibrotic changes in some muscles attached to my problem shoulder - he thinks it is due to the shoulder not healing properly after an injury and thus not working properly for at least 41 years.

[OakLeaf]

I would ask him specifically what he means, unless someone here can help. In my experience, DOs and LMTs use different language than MDs and PTs when it comes to describing muscle composition, injury and neuromuscular function. What you might find in a cursory online search is almost certainly unduly alarming, because it's going to be MD-type stuff.

Bottom line, does it matter? It's going to be slow and very possibly incomplete progress. You want a ballpark idea of how far you're going to be able to get and how long it's going to take, obviously, but does it make much difference the particular language they use to describe the sequelae of your old injuries?

[Catrin]

I would ask him specifically what he means, unless someone here can help. In my experience, DOs and LMTs use different language than MDs and PTs when it comes to describing muscle composition, injury and neuromuscular function. What you might find in a cursory online search is almost certainly unduly alarming, because it's going to be MD-type stuff.

Bottom line, does it matter? It's going to be slow and very possibly incomplete progress. You want a ballpark idea of how far you're going to be able to get and how long it's going to take, obviously, but does it make much difference the particular language they use to describe the sequelae of your old injuries?

Good question, and I had wondered if there was a different vocabulary being used. In the end it matters if it helps me to understand what is the root of the problem and the odds of measurable improvement. Right now I am trying to understand the odds of the outcome for more aggressive treatment. More conservative methods don't appear to be working from what I can tell, though those methods have certainly decreased certain types of pain. Would more aggressive treatment fix the problems or just add to them? That has to be determined. Then again, I've got to be careful to not get lost in the details! There are large calcium deposits that are easy enough to remove from what I've been told, but that is only one layer of a complex condition.

Thanks for getting me thinking