Question:

Hello Group – My Mom injured her shoulder while learning to Eskimo roll (appropriately sized ww kayak in a pool, with plenty of guidance) last March.  She went to her HMO General Pract.  who told her that she "damaged her joint and probably has arthritis", and due to her age (53) she probably won’t see any noticeable improvement in it, ever.  We have tried to get them to give her a referral to a sports therapist, an MRI, or even an x-ray, but they just give her arthritis pain pills which puffed up her face like a balloon and impaired her judgement (i.e. drives through red lights – not a usual activity!).  We think she has torn her rotor cuff (one chiropractor and one massage professional both agree).  I try to keep up a regular schedule of rubbing, and some progress is being made – however, the muscles from her right shoulder to right elbow are constantly in knots, and the joint does make a nice grating sound when moved high.  This injury has effectively left Mom on the shore. My questions are these:  Does anyone have any advice to aid Mom’s recovery or at least improve the situation so she pull a paddle without agony? (Currently, she can prep. with a couple Excedrin and last 20 minutes on flatwater.)  Any exercises you can recommend?  Have any other over-50 paddler’s out there come back from paddle sport shoulder-trauma?  Has anybody of any age successfully recovered from a rotor cuff tear?  If so how and what have you tried? Thanks for any and all feedback.  It will be greatly appreciated! Regards – Pamela

Response:

Hi Pamela, Rotator cuff tears are nothing new, can and do occur often in the active American age 18 to 80. Good rehab results are often obtained with the help of a licensed Physical Therapist, avoiding surgical intervention. This is the first line of defense. If your mom does not respond to PT, then an Orthopedic surgeon is the next stop for a consult. Arthroscopic surgery does wonders these days. After surgery, back mom goes then for rehab and strengthening to the PT. If mom ignores this, and keeps her shoulder by her side to decrease the pain, she runs the risk of developing adhesive capsulitis, a fancy way to say her mobile shoulder joint seizes up do to lack of going through full motion. Not good. Best of luck to mom, Tom Martin PT Grand canyon Clinic, Grand Canyon AZ

Response:

Hello Group – My Mom injured her shoulder while learning to Eskimo roll (appropriately sized ww kayak in a pool, with plenty of guidance) last March.  She went to her HMO General Pract.  who told her that she "damaged her joint and probably has arthritis", and due to her age (53) she probably won’t see any noticeable improvement in it, ever.  We have tried to get them to give her a referral to a sports therapist, an MRI, or even an x-ray, but they just give her arthritis pain pills

(snip) Her HMO doc if full of crap. True arthritis of the shoulder joint from that sort of injury is unlikely and couldn’t be diagnosed without at least an x-ray. A soft tissue injury such as a rotator cuff tear and/or bursitis and impingement under the acromion (the grating you mentioned) is much more likely and is treatable. If the HMO doctor offers no other help DEMAND a consultation with a sports medicine physician or orthopedist for a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan. If the plan doctor won’t refer (and he/she may have a financial incentive not to), call and complain to the Medical Director of the HMO. Mention your attorney’s name if you need to. If they balk, have your mom get a private consultation and get well. Jordan Ross (47 and been there with the shoulder injuries)

Response:

I dislocated my shoulder, fractured the head of my humerous and broke off a dime sized piece of the glennoid fossae, all while rolling three weeks ago. my orthopaedist took xrays and CT scan, determined that surgury wasn’t appropriate at this time and put me on an intensive rehab program. three weeks later, i have regained about 80 percent movement in the shoulder and am now on weight strengthening excersizes.  doc says i should be good as new in about 8 weeks.  yes, i have some shoulder pain — not arthritis, just "getting better" type pain.  doc says not to expect arthritis as a result of this injury.  you’ve been given some seriously bad advise.  get medical help quickly or your mom will have a "frozen shoulder" and then some serious problems in the future. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello Group – My Mom injured her shoulder while learning to Eskimo roll (appropriately sized ww kayak in a pool, with plenty of guidance) last March.  She went to her HMO General Pract.  who told her that she "damaged her joint and probably has arthritis", and due to her age (53) she probably won’t see any noticeable improvement in it, ever.  We have tried to get them to give her a referral to a sports therapist, an MRI, or even an x-ray, but they just give her arthritis pain pills (snip)

Response:

My comments are preceded by a "-". My Mom injured her shoulder while learning to Eskimo roll (appropriately sized ww kayak in a pool, with plenty of guidance) last March.  

- Perhaps an existing weakness in that shoulder contributed to this injury.  BTW, the critical thing about roll training is not the amount of guidance given, but the quality.  Strength training and roll technique are both very important factors in avoiding another injury to the shoulder. We think she has torn her rotor cuff (one chiropractor and one massage professional both agree).

- I’d like to second the advice given by Tom Martin and Jordon Ross.  Get consults from medical professionals who have sports medicine training and experience. For my own shoulder injury I consulted with both an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports injuries and a physical therapist, and I’m glad that I did. Time is important for joint injuries.  The sooner your Mom starts physical rehab of her shoulder, the better the chance that she will regain all the joint function that she had prior to the injury. Bruce Rosar |  If you send me unsolicitated commercial email you agree to pay my| | standard consulting fee of $250/hr for examining your message (a  | | minimum charge of one (1) hour).  The bill for my service will be | | sent to you along with my analysis of your message.               |

Response:

My ‘preferred provider’  was a disappointment.   I watch the shoulder posts after going thru a shoulder injury.  Here’s part of a post that seems worth reposting: #ended up seeing three Docs and the best one I tripped across was Dr. #Frank Pattrone in Arlington VA He does a number of paddlers shoulders #including Dana Chladek’s (sp?). there’s not a lot more to it. Sam Heinrich – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hello Group – My Mom injured her shoulder while learning to Eskimo roll (appropriately sized ww kayak in a pool, with plenty of guidance) last March.  She went to her HMO General Pract.  who told her that she "damaged her joint and probably has arthritis", and due to her age (53) she probably won’t see any noticeable improvement in it, ever.  We have tried to get them to give her a referral to a sports therapist, an MRI, or even an x-ray, but they just give her arthritis pain pills which puffed up her face like a balloon and impaired her judgement (i.e. drives through red lights – not a usual activity!).  We think she has torn her rotor cuff (one chiropractor and one massage professional both agree).  I try to keep up a regular schedule of rubbing, and some progress is being made – however, the muscles from her right shoulder to right elbow are constantly in knots, and the joint does make a nice grating sound when moved high.  This injury has effectively left Mom on the shore. My questions are these:  Does anyone have any advice to aid Mom’s recovery or at least improve the situation so she pull a paddle without agony? (Currently, she can prep. with a couple Excedrin and last 20 minutes on flatwater.)  Any exercises you can recommend?  Have any other over-50 paddler’s out there come back from paddle sport shoulder-trauma?  Has anybody of any age successfully recovered from a rotor cuff tear?  If so how and what have you tried? Thanks for any and all feedback.  It will be greatly appreciated! Regards – Pamela

Response:

The insurance company depends upon people who are willing to trade their future ability to enjoy life, to a doctor that says "your (X) years old, you should slow down a little."  Please don’t let them sell your mom that load of crap!  Having had to deal with unsatisfactory assistance from my HMO, I give you this advice:         Look up your insurance carrier on the Internet, and prepare a letter for the president of the organization.  Keep in all the pertinent details, date of injury, doctor’s name, doctor’s instructions, include your mom’s normal activities (kayaking, and all others that show her lifestyle is an active one), and demand to know why she should have to trade off her lifestyle due to the negligence of her doctor?  When the email is ready, on the CC line, include all of the news organizations signature asks for help.   These steps were undertaken by myself, with great success.  I was referred to a great orthopedic surgeon within 3 days of the receipt of my email.  I don’t believe it was a coincidence.   — Rich Living in the desert gives one a dry sense of humor!

Response:

Related Questions