Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
I finally scheduled physical therapy for my shoulder. I've been putting it off because movement hurts and therapy involves movement. LOL. But...I'm sucking it up and going. It will either help or not....if it helps then great. If not, or if it makes it worse, then surgery it is.
Per the radiology report, I have severe bursitis, tendonitis, tendinopathy, bone spurs, thickening of the joint capsule, cysts in the head of the humerus and, of course, arthritis.
Have any of you had improvement with therapy? I'm not real hopeful about it but I want to go in with an open mind.
Per the radiology report, I have severe bursitis, tendonitis, tendinopathy, bone spurs, thickening of the joint capsule, cysts in the head of the humerus and, of course, arthritis.
Have any of you had improvement with therapy? I'm not real hopeful about it but I want to go in with an open mind.
The most common mistake I've seen is pushing to hard. If your therapist tells you to do something you KNOW is going to hurt then don't do it. 'No pain no gain' is generally bull. An experienced PT will not push it with RA.
DrSLPT....I will definitely keep that in mind. Hopefully I'll have a therapist that's familiar with RA and the fact that it's not "just arthritis."
My Rheumy used to try to get me to go to physical therapy for my wrist but I have managed to avoid it.
Hope it helps with you shoulder!
I dont know RC if you have that option but I will come back on here and let you know. I have had success with PT elsewhere and with steroid injections. So will have to see what happens.
My shoulder started to play up last October but like all else RA settled down March onwards when I was away for a couple of months in hot hot sunshine..But pain back with vengeance now, like at diagnosis, when steroid injection and drugs led to huge improvement. Like you and Madhuri at the moment cant lay on it or sleep through night because of pain of it.
I tend to be optimistic about treatments helping as they have in the past. Do you have any sort of shoulder sling? I found one in a pharmacy and although a little on the big side - for a man I suspect - it does help a little bit. Plus taking a couple of pain killers at night.
Today we didn't really do much. Measurements for range of motion and such. He talked a lot about my C5 disc.....feels it's out of place and compounded the muscles/tendons of my shoulder.