Bursitis

[Kent Swafford]

on 4/30/00 5:20 PM, Roy Ulrich at ulrich@rangenet.com wrote:

> Help! Anyone got experience with a BAD case of bursitis in your tuning
> shoulder? Aspirin, Advil, and a new anti-flammatory (200mg once a day) are not
> cutting it. I'm out of commission until this gets fixed, if it can be.
> Experience with cortosone shot? I seem to remember hearing that it's more
> painful than the never ending throb in the shoulder itself! I'm cancelling
> tuning appointments as after the one I did Friday, I have virtually NO use of
> my right arm. Heating pad, aspirin, etc. are seeming to have no effect. This
> has plagued me for 2 or 3 years but has never been this bad - did I wait too
> long? After 3 days of being able to do nothing than download movies from the
> dish and fight with the heating pad, I'm about ready to go for an amputation
> from the neck down - above that point seems to be the only working part and
> there are those that will argue that point. Any suggestions greatly
> appreaciated before I make an appointment tomorrow. Hey. Thanks.
> 
> Roy Ulrich

I would suggest seeing a specialist, specifically an orthopedic surgeon, who
can provide differential diagnosis of whether the problem is actually a
bursa problem, or perhaps a tendon, ligament or joint problem. After the
diagnosis is certain, then appropriate treatment can be undertaken.

Cortisone shots do help with the pain, but care must be taken not to overdue
activity immediately after having one. (The treatment is so effective in
relieving pain that it is easy to overdue and cause more damage.)

There may be no quick fix to your problem. If the problem has gotten as bad
as you describe, then it could take a while to heal. After you receive a
diagnosis and the pain has subsided, a physical therapy assessment of the
underlying cause might result in a good long term program for improvement.
In other words, one needs to look beyond the symptoms and go after the root
cause of the problem.

Bonnie Swafford
Clinical Director of Physical Therapy, University of Kansas Medical Center