I haven’t been typing much here because my arms are doing quite poorly. Often my right arm is mostly non-functional. To the point where I am eating with my left hand more and more.
It seems like a bad time to write huge long screeds.
I haven’t been typing much here because my arms are doing quite poorly. Often my right arm is mostly non-functional. To the point where I am eating with my left hand more and more.
It seems like a bad time to write huge long screeds.
Oh wow! I’d suggest seeing someone about that. Perhaps some therapy or surgery or something might help.
I get massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care and I’m seeing a physical trainer.
Who would you suggest I see to what end? I’m not ready for surgery.
I really don’t know just seems like things shouldn’t get this bad. Like something is being missed.
I’ve had some luck with physical therapy, as distinct from a trainer. Of course, I’ve had one good one, one bad one…
An orthopedist could also possibly do a cortisone injection, if you haven’t tried that yet. That helped my shoulder last year, until I fell on it and made everything worse again.
The current trainer specifically works with injury, which is good. Haven’t had him long, though. A separate physical therapist might be good, but they’re hard to get without doctor’s recommendation, which has been complicated.
The cortisone injection isn’t a bad idea, though I’m not sure how it works with wrist/forearm stuff. Definitely also requires a doctor’s recommendation, though.
I have tried for years to get physical therapy. I can’t get it. The trainer is what I can get.
I think I mentioned my experience before but Im not sure?
What I originally thought was a muscle spasm in my shoulder turned out to be a bulging disc in my neck. First I went to urgent care and got an injected NSAID and muscle relaxers. Then i went to my primary care doc who suspected neck injury and referred me to physical medicine and rehab plus an MRI. I went on oral prednisone and gabapentin after they saw the disc and started physical therapy. Prednisone has nasty side effects but I can use my left arm again. It is a wonder drug for me that I love and hate, whether by targeted injection or oral/systemic.
The difference btw physical therapy and physical trainers generally is PT have a looot more knowledge in minimizing re injury, a lot more specialized equipment, a lot more knowledge of anatomy esp. nerves and muscles. My physical trainer was able to say “something weird was going on in my neck and shoulder” and we experimented with gentler stretches, whereas my PT and the rehab doc were able to say that despite MRI I have evidence of nerve impingement on 2 different major nerve pathways- could be anatomical variation. My PT has a giant TENS unit. Rehab docs and some other types can do electrical tests to measure nerve function, though ive never had those.
PT and the rehab doc are sometimes quite painful; we have to explore the limits of my range of motion and strength to identify them and see what needs working on.
I’ve had mixed experiences with these types pf doctors. But ive never regretted going. I dont even regret the MRIs which have given me terrible panic attacks. A lot of this is quantifiable and measurable with a variety of treatments, not just surgery. But its nearly impossible to identify what treatment options exist without doing those investigations. 🙁
I have requested physical therapy repeatedly for my issues. I’m handed pamphlets and told to go home. I’m doing the best I can.
That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard this week. Not on your side. And there’s been a few contenders this week too.
Uhm, there are reasons I hate doctors.
I had great experience hiring a PT on my own. It isn’t that getting a PT is particularly hard (IME), it is that getting the insurance-will-cover-this referral is incredibly hard.