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Justa note to let ya know that about 50 per cent of Parkies have a torn rotator cuff, prior to the initial PD symptoms. It's not uncommon to have had one-side-only PD for many years and to then have a torn rotator cuff on the NON-PD side - frequently an early indicator of future PD on the then non-PD-side. Generally a frozen shoulder can become functional again by physical therapy tho about 10 percent of those having physical therapy don't respond and subsequently continue to suffer pain and loss of full movement in the affected arm. As a rule this can be corrected by out-patient surgery plus post-surgical physical therapy. For some unknown reason, occasionally a torn rotator cuff will heal on it's own, tho this doesn't happen with great frequency. I've had PD for 23 years - right-side only until mid-1994, when I developed a very painful torn rotator cuff and frozen shoulder plus barely perceptible PD symptoms on my left side. At that time I haf felt so awful from the PD symptoms that while my shoulder was extremely painful, I sought medical help for the PD first, rather than the shoulder. In Oct. 1994 I had a very successful unilateral (one-side only) pallidotomy. After that I was able to concentrate on getting medical attention for the still-painful shoulder and was referred to an orthopedic surgeon for evaluation and treatment. I also began a Web search to find out more about torn rotator cuffs/frozen shoulders and thru that discovered the relationship between PD and torn rotator cuffs. Last year my orthopedic surgeon had a consultation with another orthopedic surgeon about continued cortisone injection treatment vs.surgery-on-a-PD-patient and included me in on the discussion. The MDs felt surgery should be put off as long as possible and because of the PD, and I concurred. I chose to continue having the cortisone injections - no more than every three months as there's danger in having repeated treatment with cortisone - as both surgeons said that the post surgical recovery for a PWP is often very prolonged, painful, and the success rate is less than 80 percent. Both the ortho and I have noticed that over the last 6 months, while I've still got pain in the shoulder, it's not quite as bad as it has been in the past, and I've been able to go for longer periods of time between cortisone injections. Maybe.... just MAYBE.... the shoulder is healing on it's own??? YEAH!!! <smile> Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] ---------- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of Leo Fuhr Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 1998 5:00 AM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN Subject: Re: New Recruit I have not heard the term hemiparkinson. Newly diagnosed parkinson's patients often exhibit symptoms unilaterally. This is the case with me as my first symptom was a frozen left shoulder and a left arm that wouldn't swing as I walked. My left side is still the most effected and I'm in hopes that the progression of the symptoms to the rest of my body will be very s-l-o-w. Jeanette Fuhr 47/7mos. <[log in to unmask]> ---------- >