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WyoRockMan
climber
South Fork of the Shoshone
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 19, 2015 - 04:41pm PT
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About a week ago I woke up with a very sore shoulder. I didn't think much of it, figuring I just slept on it wrong. By the end of the day, I could hardly move it. Now a week later, it is absolutely horrendous.
I went to the ortho this afternoon where he did some motion tests and shot some X-Rays. His diagnosis was "calcific tendinosis" and the prognosis was very vague in regards to recovery time/specifics.
Options are:
1) Wait it out. He said the calcium deposits often are just reabsorbed over the course of "X" amount of time. X having a delta from a few days to a few years, but typically within a few weeks.
or
2) Cut it out. Among the risks are damaging the tendon during debridement of the calcium, requiring further repair (and no doubt a longer recovery).
Now that I'm done sucking my thumb over not being able to climb for X amount of time, it looks like a decision point is at hand.
I'm leaning towards giving it a few weeks to improve before committing to a surgical procedure, if I don't gnaw it off in the meantime.
Anyone else have this? Other options? Outcome?
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crankster
Trad climber
No. Tahoe
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Aug 19, 2015 - 08:20pm PT
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Definitely wait it out. I've had something similar due to hard ski and bike falls & age, and was told I needed surgery. Friends talked me out of it. Went away enough to be pain free and still climb, etc, albeit with a bit of limited motion.
Get a bike, take a break from climbing and be ready to come back in the fall.
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Aug 19, 2015 - 08:30pm PT
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FWIW, I had calcified tendinosis in both elbows (lateral) that did not respond to rest or conventional PT but a single PRP injection in each elbow did the trick over about 4 months (2 separate instances, about 1.5 years apart).
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WyoRockMan
climber
South Fork of the Shoshone
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 20, 2015 - 11:10am PT
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Crank, I wish I could ride a bike, but no way with the current level of pain. Peak bagging is in my immediate future.
Brass, Thanks for your experience. I'll bring up PRP injections when I speak with my ortho today. Looks promising.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Aug 20, 2015 - 11:14am PT
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Maybe it is the universe telling you to come to the Mike M happy hour? Heal up soon!!!
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Sep 29, 2015 - 05:33pm PT
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I've had chronic shoulder pain for the past 19 months, and finally went and got it checked out (last month has been rapidly degenerating): x-rays confirmed +1 to team CT. Gonna try PT for a while. Figure I'll start with the least invasive option.
How are you doing, WyoRockMan?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Sep 29, 2015 - 11:14pm PT
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X-Rays will see a fracture or displacement, not much else. They see bones. Get an MRI and ignore the report from the MRI radiologist. Go to an ortho who reads his or her own MRI's. I've been through this twice. On one occasion the Doc said "This guy tried to tear his arm off but the skin held it on." Surgery. Great outcome. Second time (other shoulder) the radiologists report looked like I was toast. The doc read it and said all the bad stuff in the report was old well healed injuries. PT did the trick.
Don't settle for diagnosis of tricky joint problems based on X-RAY.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Sep 29, 2015 - 11:45pm PT
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Went in to diagnose shoulder pain recently. First real persistent pain.
Moving right shoulder up (shrug move) and lifting the arm back and to the right at the same time sets it off.
I got same advise regarding xray, they are equivocal at best.
My pain isn't debilitating, seems to go away and range of movement is otherwise good.
They said Bursitis.
Sorry this probably isn't much help, but TFPU. Helped to think about calcification for differential for me.
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WyoRockMan
climber
South Fork of the Shoshone
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2015 - 12:00am PT
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LEFH- I'm doing better.
I had a steroid cocktail injection which gave substantial relief within a few hours. Within a week I was doing my weights at about 50%, pull ups by day 10, and very moderate climbing by 2 weeks. The pain is still there, but it is simply annoying (no meds) for 95% of the range. I've since had a couple multipitch days with only mild pain the day after. Overall, I'd say I'm back to about 80%, but improvement has plateaued.
Don't settle for diagnosis of tricky joint problems based on X-RAY. This is sound advice, from my other shoulder a couple years ago.
The calcium deposit was very obvious on the Xray. I made the decision to hold off on other imaging, pending results of the steroid. The sudden overnight onset, with no MOI, along with the Xray image weighed heavily on postponing an MRI.
Unfortunately chicken-winging is still the worst type of movement.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Sep 30, 2015 - 08:34am PT
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I have that. Just bothers a bit in the right shoulder.
About 2 days before your incident I went swimming in the surf and came out after some time with a sore neck. Got worse fast. Xrays and MRI show the bone surrounding the right arm nerve leaving the neck has calcified and closed up. This is due to degeneration of discs in that area.
Right arm is fukked. I've been disabled since August 16th. Got my second steroid shot into that nerve yesterday. I've got a whole kit of anti-inflamatory drugs and pain killers now but I avoid them unless absolutely necessary.
Hopefully I can get back to normal without surgery.
Kris's positive comment about surgery is a big help. It's my spine though in a tricky area. One little slip and the damage could be serious. Doctors at Kaiser want to do everything possible to avoid surgery.
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Sep 30, 2015 - 09:20am PT
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Glad to hear about your rapid improvement, Wyo (both for your sake and mine).
The calcium deposit was very obvious on the Xray.
Mine too. I have one superior to the head of the humerus and another lateral to the head.
This isn't my actual shoulder, but is representative of how the calcifications showed up:
Considering the positive x-ray, I'm very confident about the diagnosis.
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