2.06.2012
early February shoulder update
Well, I saw the doctor last week and both he and the PA decided that it's time for the next step - time to treat the frozen shoulder. I'll be undergoing what's called a manipulation under anesthesia (MUA), so it's technically not surgery. Essentially they'll knock me out and then crank my shoulder around to break up scar tissue, and break it up enough so that I have full range of motion.
Then after I wake up and am out of recovery....I get to go to PT! Yup, the same day. And every day for the rest of that week. Keeping it moving and making sure I keep that range of motion intact will be key. They told me to plan on taking a week off of work simply because I'll be loopy on meds, but also because I'll need to stretch every couple of hours and that will be tiring.
I was sort of pushing for a combination of MUA and arthroscopy, which, according to papers, seems to have been favored over the past 10 years. But my doctor told me that since I scar up so much anyhow, and the act of just putting the scope through the shoulder capsule might cause extra scarring, he really wanted to see how just the MUA goes. There's a decent chance that it'll just freeze up again, in which case he'll do another MUA but this time with arthroscopy.
Anyhow, cranking date is the 13th. My normal physical therapist doesn't work late in the afternoons, so I will see someone else on that day (the day of the MUA). But we'll be reunited on Valentine's Day. Awwwwww!
Then after I wake up and am out of recovery....I get to go to PT! Yup, the same day. And every day for the rest of that week. Keeping it moving and making sure I keep that range of motion intact will be key. They told me to plan on taking a week off of work simply because I'll be loopy on meds, but also because I'll need to stretch every couple of hours and that will be tiring.
I was sort of pushing for a combination of MUA and arthroscopy, which, according to papers, seems to have been favored over the past 10 years. But my doctor told me that since I scar up so much anyhow, and the act of just putting the scope through the shoulder capsule might cause extra scarring, he really wanted to see how just the MUA goes. There's a decent chance that it'll just freeze up again, in which case he'll do another MUA but this time with arthroscopy.
Anyhow, cranking date is the 13th. My normal physical therapist doesn't work late in the afternoons, so I will see someone else on that day (the day of the MUA). But we'll be reunited on Valentine's Day. Awwwwww!
# posted by cheddah : 10:13 PM
