BONE SPUR, CALCIUM DEPOSITS - LASER TO THE RESCUE!

J-T was a male in his mid fifties, who had severely injured his right shoulder twenty- five years ago. After living with increasing pain and limitation for the last six years, he sought the advice of an Orthopaedic Surgeon. He was told that it was not life threatening and that he should "just live with the pain". This was depressing for J-T and his friend - a patient at the Centre asked him to get an opinion from myself.

When I met J-T, he was very distressed. He was in such pain that he could not shake my hand. He mentioned that there was limited motion in his right shoulder, sleeping on that side was impossible, and movement/activity would cause increased pain for three to four days. Of more importance to J-T was the fact that he was not able to use his arm for shaving and not even able to bring a cup of coffee to his lips!

After reviewing the x-rays that J-T brought with him, I saw a medium size calcium deposit at the front of his right shoulder joint and minor spurs at the top of the shoulder joint. These would explain the limitation of movement, and the inability of J-T to do certain daily activities.

I assured J-T that we could help eliminate his pain and most of the calcium deposit and spurs. This would however take time, from 4-8 weeks with three visits per week. J-T was somewhat relieved, but still skeptical even though I had shown him x-rays of other patients I had helped with similar conditions. I further explained to J-T that I have been using lasers for over 20 years and I had developed specific protocols for addressing his conditions.

 

J-T reluctantly agreed to try our therapy for four weeks. As part of his therapy, I advised J-T to take specific supplements to assist returning his tissues to normal. After two weeks J-T was more confident that our laser therapy would assist him as he was experiencing less pain and some improvement in his range of movements.

I then prescribed deep stretching exercise for his shoulder muscles. These exercises work with the Nervous System to cause lengthening of the muscles, which will increase the healing and range of motion in the shoulder.

X-rays at eighteen treatments showed that the calcium deposit was resolved, and there was over 70% reduction in the spurs on the top of the shoulder joint. J-T now had 90% range of motion, no pain and was able to shave and bring a cup of coffee to his lips!

Because of the long period of inactivity with J-T's shoulder, there was a great degree of muscle wasting. Specific strengthening exercises were then prescribed.

J-T was very grateful for the improvement to his shoulder. He told me that he could now lie and then sleep comfortably on that side. This was important for both J-T and his wife, because now he could sleep facing her.

Without the laser, I would not have accepted J-T as a patient. The laser is the only modality, which can effectively deal with pain, calcium deposits and spurs. J-T is now, thanks to the laser, living a normal life.

Osteoarthritis :

• Approximately 2.7 million workdays are lost annually due to the restricted activity brought on by arthritis.
  
• Arthritis accounts for approximately 10% of Canada's health care costs.
  
• Approximately 80% of Canadians with arthritis have trouble using the tub or shower.

All the bones that make up joints have cartilage lining their ends. This cartilage allows easy gliding action of the joint as well as lubrication. With time, cartilage can wear down and become cracked and pitted resulting in pain, decreased joint mobility and stiffness¡ this is Osteoarthritis. All joints can be affected by Osteoarthritis, however, the weight bearing joints such as the low back, hips and knees are more prone to wear and tear. 

CASE STUDY:

After my examination I discussed nutrition with S. She had a good breakfast, with a light lunch and supper. However, she was not taking any supplements. I advised her on a special pure Glucosamine. She promised to take it as outlined, but was more interested in how quickly her pain would stop and when she would be able to limit her use of medication. I advised S that this would take sometime because there was a lag time beginning therapy with the laser, and experiencing results. I also mentioned that due to the extent of her Osteoarthritis, results would take longer than usual.

After 18 treatments, S began to use only a cane. She had decreased her medication by fifty percent and had more movement of her right knee. There was still swelling. After 24 treatments, S walked better due to her increased right knee movement and decreased swelling. S wanted to know when she would be able to stop using her cane! I mentioned that we still had a lot of work to do, such as strengthening her leg muscles to provide her with better support.

This was challenging, because there was still the low-grade inflammation in her knees. The gentle exercises that were prescribed increased the pain, this discouraged S a great deal. However with persistence and lots of icing at home she slowly progressed.

S is walking more easily now, her movements are more fluid and she is able to partake in certain activities, which she had stopped some time ago. She is off medication, sleeping better, but still needs to use her cane as she continues to strengthen her thigh muscles.

Without the laser, I would not have accepted S as a patient. Due to the laser's ability to decrease pain, control inflammation and heal tissue, I felt sure that I could assist. S has not totally returned to normal function yet. To improve the degeneration of cartilage due to Osteoarthritis requires long term therapy, but I have been able to improve her ability to participate in more activities of daily living with less pain and improved movement.