Shoulder Pain responds to Neck Exercise

An old friend recently told me about her Physical Therapy for a Rotator Cuff Repair. She stated she had received 35 Physical Therapist visits, and her co-pay for each visit was $40. Her total cost out of pocket was $1,400.  She was compliant with all of her home exercise program, but she never gained back her full range of motion for her operated shoulder. She reported being diagnosed with frozen shoulder several months after surgery, during the process of receiving Physical Therapy since she was still quite stiff in her shoulder. Finally, she was discharged from rehab because her surgeon and Physical Therapist did not seen any further rehab potential.

As a McKenzie MDT practicing Physical Therapist, of course the first thing I did was assess her neck. I established baselines, which showed her right shoulder flexion (forward elevation) was 60%. She was lacking the ability to reach overhead. She reported having neck fusion surgery several years ago for disk problems in her lower neck. I showed her how to do neck retractions as an exercise, and she did 3 sets of 10 neck retractions in sitting. Then she stood up and we re-checked her baseline, which was active flexion of the right shoulder. Her new range of motion for right shoulder flexion was 90%.

To clarify, her ability to raise her arm overhead improved from 60% to 90% within two minutes of doing a neck exercise. Her next words were: "You helped me more in a few minutes than 35 visits of regular Physical Therapy!"

McKenzie MDT (Mechanical Diagnosis & Therapy) is a method of assessing spine and joint disorders in order to determine the source of symptoms and the mechanical (movement) solution. It is not uncommon for shoulder, arm, or hand pain to be originating from pinched nerves in the neck. Similarly, pinched nerves in the low back often cause leg symptoms in the high, thigh, knee, lower leg, foot, or toes.

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A busy mom's PAINFUL Christmas

This is a true story.

There was a busy mom who had four children. She hurt her back one day when she was at work. Her work was pretty strenuous; she cleaned houses. This was no minor back injury--she could barely stand up and walk. So working was out of the question. But how could she take care of her kids and maintain her home? She was used to doing all the cooking for their family of six, in addition to all the usual activities busy moms do.

It turns out she needed back surgery! While recovering, her children often found her lying on her side on the living room sofa. At least that way she could be in the same room with the rest of the family. She could not believe this happened, but all she could do was pray for a fast recovery. She was powerless to do anything for her children during that time. For once, her kids and husband had to serve her instead of the usual way of life.

The worst part was that she had been the only parent working full-time because her husband was in graduate school full-time. Christmas was coming, and they did not have money for presents; they barely had enough for groceries. But God answered that busy mom's prayers and provided some gifts for the children to open up that year.

That family truly felt the cost of a major injury. Hopefully you never will, so practice PAIN PREVENTION today!