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Help for Frozen Shoulder One of the most significant changes I've seen in medicine since graduating from medical school has been the development of less-invasive treatments. Many ailments that used to be corrected surgically are now handled at least as well with a combination of medications, physical therapy, and other conservative measures. Guys, now more than ever, the cure definitely isn't worse than the disease.
Take, for example, frozen shoulder, a painful problem that each year affects about 4 of every 1,000 people over 50. The causes of frozen shoulder aren't clear, but we do know that the condition constricts the amount of fluid cushioning the joint. As a result, the shoulder becomes very painful to move, progressively loses its range of motion, and is very uncomfortable to sleep on at night. Reaching for your wallet in a hip pocket can be an excruciating experience. Frozen shoulder generally develops in three phases. Pain and increasing stiffness last from 10 to 36 weeks, followed by a period of 4 to 12 months when pain is less severe but stiffness increases. In the third phase, which lasts from 5 to 26 months, pain lessens and mobility gradually improves. Although frozen shoulder usually disappears after two to three years, those can be miserable years. In the past, frozen shoulder was treated with lengthy physical therapy, surgery under general anesthesia, and extended bed rest. Recently, though, doctors at the University of Tennessee and St. Joseph Hospital, both in Memphis, have developed a combination therapy that works far better than previous surgical approaches. Distention arthrogaphy consists of injecting the joint with a combination of steroids and anesthetic, followed by exercise to extend the joint (monitored by x-ray). Eighty percent of the patients in the Tennessee team's study group enjoyed immediate pain relief and improved mobility. Ten weeks after the treatment all but two were able to sleep on the shoulder without discomfort. And after six months, shoulder mobility had improved 68 to 83 percent. These results are far more rapid than those achieved by surgery, physical therapy, or even steroids alone. What's more, the procedure can be done on the same visit as the problem is diagnosed and without a hospital stay, making it far less costly than surgery. Of course, distention arthrography is only one example among many that shows that seeing your doctor isn't an invitation to go under the knife. If you're hurting, don't tough it out like a man. Get help, ask about the options, and feel better.
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