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Debbie W. and "All" I have been treated by an orthopedist for intermittent severe shoulder pain - which turned out to be a torn rotator cuff - for over 3 years. In researching this and discussion it with not only my orthopedist, but my neuro as well, it appears that about 50 percent of persons who end up with PD, often get shoulder pain prior to getting the disease. In my own case, I've had PD on my right side for almost 22 years with no shoulder pain. However, about 3 1/2 years ago, was struck with terrible pain in my left shoulder which was made worse with movement - kinda a problem, since I'm left-handed <groan>. This turned out to be a torn rotator cuff causing bursitis, possibly brought on by so much repetitive movement with the PC keyboard and/or the mouse. And if not actually brought on by that, certainly aggravated by it! Just about that time I also began to develop PD in my left side, so it's entirely possible that the shoulder pain was the precursor to the advent of the let-side PD. My orthopedist has injected cortisone into the shoulder joint which relieves the bursitis for an average of about 4-5 months, then the cycle repeats itself.. Recognizing that it's not beneficial to have lots of repeated cortisone injections, my ortho none-the-less has decided to continue them with caution because the only other option is surgery to clean up the shoulder joint. While it is usually done as arthoscopic surgery, sometimes more is needed, and this is VERY tough on the Parkie, apparently, causing a major case of "frozen shoulder," which then necessitates extensive physical therapy to hopefully gain a return of movement to the shoulder. Gotta tell ya, it sure is easy to forget about the shoulder when it's not acting up, and DAMN - it's SO frustrating when it returns (and it does, in my case at least) Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange On Behalf Of Barbara Patterson Sent: Friday, June 20, 1997 4:05 AM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN Subject: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Debbie White" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Shoulder Pain Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 22:38:29 -0400 Phil, Thanks for the information. I spoke to my mother tonight, and she said that the shoulder feels a bit better. I'm hoping it is not part of the overall illness. This has just brought to the surface the confusion involved in evaluating the origin of various problems now that my mother has been diagnosed with PD. It's hard enough for ANYONE to determine the cause of a problem -- but how do you decide whether something is a symptom of PD or whether its a separate problem that you can combat with more conventional medicines? Debbie White [log in to unmask] ---------- > From: Phil Gesotti <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Shoulder Pain > Date: Thursday, June 19, 1997 9:27 PM > > Debbie, > > Just prior to my PD diagnosis a year ago, the symptom that caused me the > most discomfort was the pain in my right shoulder (the side affected by the PD). With Sinemet, the chronic pain eventually went away and arm swing returned, but I will still get soreness in this arm when stressed or fatigued. What does help is a 2 1/2 lb. ankle weight worn on my wrist while walking. It seems to stretch the arm and force an arm swing cadence. > Wrist weights are lighter and might be alternatives. > > Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer here. I'm not a doctor. I'm not giving medical advice, etc., etc., etc. > > Phil Gesotti 47/1