posted
I have constant hip and shoulder pain. I assume somehow it is related to Lyme but I don't know.
All on my right side, but my shoulder is the worst.
Do I assume it is lyme related? Or should I have the shoulder evaluated in case it is the rotator cuff.
I am not an old lady....early 40s....but do lyme and rotator cuff injuries go hand in hand? Do they usually require surgery? Goodness I hope not.
Does Lyme cause this and can I make it worse by continuing to use my arm/shoulder. I feel like I have made it worse.
I guess I just want to know if I can assume it will go away as treatment continues....like I hope other symptoms do???
Thanks
-------------------- Tick bite in 2006, bullseye rash, treated with 2 rounds of 2 weeks of doxy. (once in 2006, once in 2009) Dx with chronic Lyme May 2011. LLMD April 2012, Treating with omnicef/zith Lots of supplements! Posts: 640 | From Connecticut | Registered: Apr 2011
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
i know of docs dx rotator cuff...doing the surgery and when it doesnt get better it is probably lyme. some are honest and say they didnt find a tear...others arent
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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lymeinhell
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4622
posted
Ditto. Know of 2 people that happened to.
What type of pain is it? Can you describe?
Just thinking out loud here - do you sleep on your right side? On a regular spring mattress?
Could it be pressure point pain from the mattress or inflammation?
I had a mystery should pain for a year and a half that no one could figure out, and it completely resolved when I started using a mini trampoline. It was muscle pain (spasm), and the bouncing and punching exercises I did while bouncing cleared it up literally in 2 days.
This might not be your issue, but thought I'd throw it out there in case it might help.
-------------------- Julie _ _ ___ _ _ lymeinhell
Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed. Posts: 2258 | From a better place than I was 11 yrs ago | Registered: Sep 2003
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
If it were just shoulder pain, I would say you might want to see an orthopedic surgeon and have a shoulder MRI. A tear in the rotator cuff will show on an MRI. (My husband has had 3 rotator cuff tears and 2 surgeries.)
But, since you also have hip pain on that same side, my guess is that it is lyme and co. Many talk about getting one-sided pain with these diseases.
My general advice to all lyme patients is to treat their diseases and avoid going to any specialists for symptoms until lyme treatment is complete because 99% of the time, the symptoms are caused by lyme and coinfections. (Seeing specialists for all the various lyme symptoms wastes an awful lot of money and takes up your energy.)
THEN, once lyme is gone, if there are any symptoms remaining (and there generally WON'T be), go to specialists to get them figured out. Generally, once the lyme and cos are treated, you will find that you have no symptoms left.
However, you can't delay when heart symptoms are present. Perhaps some others. But, certainly you can delay investigating the symptoms you are describing. And, that is what I advise that you do.
By the way, doctors advise that you don't get surgery for rotator cuff tears unless the pain is just constant and unbearable. The surgery is likely the most horrendous surgery you will ever have. Actually, it is the recovery that is so horrendous. The physical therapy to get you to be able to have full movement in the shoulder is extremely painful. You also must inflict pain on yourself at least 2-3 times per day as you make yourself raise your arm more and more each day in at home therapy.
So, it is highly unlikely that you tore a rotator cuff at your age (unless you know the incident that caused it--you fell and felt the pain, or a car accident that brought on the pain, etc.), and you certainly don't want the surgery if you can at all help it.
Physical therapy will help a minor rotator cuff tear, by the way. And, that is what orthos recommend for small tears.
One man told my husband that he would rather have 2 open heart surgeries than one rotator cuff tear surgery. That's the reputation the surgery and recovery has, and it is totally deserved.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
quote:Originally posted by TF: One man told my husband that he would rather have 2 open heart surgeries than one rotator cuff tear surgery.
Oh my, that sounds pretty awful.
Peggy, I know of an easy way to treat your shoulder and hip pain yourself.
Look into pulsed electromagnetic therapy.
I bought the SOTA Magnetic Pulser several years ago when I read that it could reduce pain and help joints to heal. I was having so much pain in my right knee, even when I wasn't walking.
I'm pretty cheap, but I figured that buying this device would be easier than going to physical therapy a couple times per week...plus my deductible was 1K.
I used it for 15 minutes at a time, a couple times per day. I set it up in the bedroom, propping it up against my knee with a pillow, and read the paper while it was on.
This magnetic device is stronger than the little magnets that you buy. My knee began to feel better, and stopped hurting after a couple weeks. I have not had any more knee pain.
You can find vendors at Amazon and eBay, but they are more expensive. When you buy it from the company, you can get a 10% discount, and it has a 30 day return guarantee.
I've been using the Mag Pulser when I have back pain. The muscle spasms relax, and in ten minutes I'm okay. I haven't had any broken bones, but it's supposed to help fractures heal more quickly. There are videos on YouTube that explain how to use this device.
You can google for information explaining how magnetic therapy helps cells to heal. There have been many discussions about magnetic therapy at LymeNet. There are other types of pulsed magnetic devices available...Robin123 has had good results.
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I had shoulder pain and hip pain due to Lyme. However, once I got better, they still hurt! I had changed the way I hold myself to compensate for the pain. It took over a year of pilates reformer, massages, and chiropractic to get myself back in balance.
It doesn't hurt to have it checked out to be sure. It could be a little of both.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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