Fairly certain I have a tear of some kind in my rotator cuff now. I have always benched wide, way wider than I should for my shoulder width., index fingers on outer rings. This has lead to a few pec strains. Just coming off a pretty severe pec strain and decided to clean up my bench to ring fingers on rings. I began noticing pain over the next two weeks to the point I can no longer bench 1/3rd of my former weight without pain. Seems that half way through the descent I am hit with pain till I reach about the same point on ascent. I have repostioned my hands and to the my wide grip but the problem is still there. Have also been having issues sleeping on that shoulder as well as expierencing pain when making sudden movements or awkward movements. Like reaching for things at odd angles.
I did some research and tried a couple of tests which has led me to believe it is a shoulder impingement. Before everyone shouts get an MRI. I have high deductible insurance and can’t swing it at this time. So I mentioned this to my buddy who is an MD and he offered that if I could make it out by him he would hook me up with PRP injections at little to no charge. So has anyone tried these for tears in the shoulder and had any luck?
Mine wasnt shoulder, but im a pretty big fan of prolotherapy in general. helped get my knee healthier then anything else by far (still not perfect though)
However, do you KNOW for a fact that its a tear? can you do external rotation exercises without pain?
Shoulder impingement and a rotator cuff tear are two completely different pathologies. A tear may benefit from a PRP injection since it aids in the healing process but if it is an impingement issue you may want to ask your MD friend for a cortisone injection.
Below is some more info for you so you can see the difference in each injury.
[quote]tork94 wrote:
Mine wasnt shoulder, but im a pretty big fan of prolotherapy in general. helped get my knee healthier then anything else by far (still not perfect though)
However, do you KNOW for a fact that its a tear? can you do external rotation exercises without pain?
[/quote]
I guess I don’t really know if it is a tear or a rotator cuff. Any type of external rotation causes pain. Not severe but definitely uncomfortable.
[quote]rlBanda wrote:
Shoulder impingement and a rotator cuff tear are two completely different pathologies. A tear may benefit from a PRP injection since it aids in the healing process but if it is an impingement issue you may want to ask your MD friend for a cortisone injection.
Below is some more info for you so you can see the difference in each injury.
Reading through the RC Tear I have the following issues;
Pain at rest and at night, particularly if lying on the affected shoulder
Pain when lifting and lowering your arm or with specific movements
Crepitus or crackling sensation when moving your shoulder in certain positions
I had two cortisone and two PRP injections into my elbow for treatment of a tear.
In my opinion, cortisone is fucking worthless. It hides the pain, but does zilch to fix anything.
The PRP injections, given four weeks apart, helped significantly to heal the tear within a couple of months. Hurt like fuck though.
I’d definitely get them, especially for no cost. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?
ballnm - I have had a tear in my supraspinatus tendon treated with PRP and it healed up nicely after just one shot. However, you seem to be suggesting that you are going to get PRP for your ‘rotator cuff’ without the benefit of an MRI beforehand. I don’t see how this is going to be successful at all since you don’t know for certain that you have a tear and you don’t have any idea where the tear is located.
An MRI is required to confirm the prescence and location of the tear and then the PRP injection itself is best done when guided using an ultrasound so that the doc can inject directly into the tear. Absent the imaging your doctor will just be injecting blindly into your shoulder with no guarantee that the right tissue is being targeted let alone the site of the actual injury.
Unless you would pay a blind man to paint your house and then not even give him your proper address and still expect a good result then I don’t think you want to approach this without the benefit of the imaging.
I’m not a doctor and I’ve only had this type of treatment once so take this for what it is worth but this is how mine was done and it seems to make the most sense to me.
I would just hate to see you waste your time and money when you could take the extra step and have everything fixed right up fairly quickly.