Shoulder Joint Pain Can Be Greatly Reduced Or Eliminated Extending Need For Replacement As Can Be Discovered In This True Story

Shoulder joint pain that lasts more than a few days, or is reoccurring is your early warning to continuing deterioration of the shoulder joint that commonly leads to shoulder joint replacement.

You should make it your goal at this early stage to avoid further injury, slow or stop deterioration, and totally avoid shoulder joint replacement. You CAN do it – if you follow the right method.

Injury to your shoulder, or mistreatment of your shoulder(s) while working or by excessive exercise, puts you on this path of destruction.

Young, strong and tough forever is a common attitude for someone in their late twenties and early thirties working in a landscape business. Landscaping brings a lot of joy and pleasure to those who love the great outdoors, the fresh air and sunshine, and working close to nature.

At times a hard day can still be enjoyable after looking back at days end. Some days are physically exhausting and end in pain. Such a day is a full day of trimming hedges.

Where It Began Here is where a landscaper easily taxes his shoulders that establishes the beginning of his ongoing shoulder joint pain. The use of long handled long-nosed shears requires a lot of full arm and shoulder workout.

Clipping off some of the small gangly growth on the sides and tops of the hedge takes a lot of muscle to drive those handles together to complete the cut.

...a cut that highly stresses the shoulder joints that ends in a sudden slamming stop.

Torquing, twisting, sudden crunching stops, and pounding takes a heavy toll on these shoulders. Then there is the long reaching out and over the head adding higher stress to joint and muscle.

What about the days he uses a 7 to 8 pound electric or gas hedge trimmer. Think what this weight extended at arms full reach at shoulder level or above labors his joints and muscles.

Note that he has gotten a little smarter in this work because he quit using the electric hedge trimmers and went with the gas trimmer. He went this way after cutting his electric cord eight different times.

Three days rest following his shoulder abuse, he would regain full abilities to his shoulders and be ready to go again.

It wasn’t long till he discovered a grinding feeling in his right shoulder as he reached out over the top of a hedge he was trimming. The grinding was heard as well as felt.

Although he felt very little to no pain he knew he had somehow along the way badly damaged his shoulder. He knew his hedge trimming days must come to an end – and soon.

Pruning trees did not create half the shoulder abuse as hedge trimming, but that too would require careful attention.

Shoulder Joint Pain Strikes

Ten to twelve years of avoiding overworking or abusing his shoulder didn't stop the deterioration that had begun earlier.

Then one day he felt a sharp shoulder joint pain by doing nothing more than turning his empty hand to the left with his arm extended down his side.

Sharp shoulder joint pain from minor turning movements persisted for three to four months, and he lost about 40% of his shoulder movement to avoid pain.

Choosing A Way To Go To Avoid The Pain

He sought information on shoulder joint pain and discovered two alternatives. He could use pain killing drugs, or a natural healing approach that involved the use of nutritional components that make up bones, joints, and muscles.

The drug medications offered some quick pain relief, but not for long, and with health risks beyond what he was trying to care for. They do little for extending life of the joint but mainly treat your symptoms – pain.

The natural joint and muscle nutrients showed a lot more promise without any risks. This choice gave sufficient hope of healing that would satisfy the goal of avoiding shoulder joint replacement.

What he had the most success with was a liquid combination of five joint components. These five joint nutrient components consisted of Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Hyaluronic Acid, MSM, and  Collagen.

A Visit With The Orthopedic Surgeon

Three months of the natural approach showed success with very little to no pain.

An opportunity to visit an Orthopedic surgeon came and he took it.

The surgeon slapped the x-rays up on the lighted panels, stood back a moment, then said, “Yup! You've been hosed.” After a moment of thought our landscaper friend chuckled a bit and said, “I hesitate to ask what that fully means.”

The surgeon replied, “Your shoulder is destroyed and needs to be replaced. There is no way around it.” “It has abnormal bone build-up, too much gap in the joint, and shows arthritis development.”

Then he asked, “Do you have a lot of pain?” The surgeon was well surprised when he was told, “Little to none, now.”

What's Involved In Shoulder Replacement?

…was the next question.

Briefly the surgeon explained that the shoulder joint would be separated, the ball would be cut off flat, a hole several inches would be drilled down into the humerus for mounting a man-made ball part of the new joint. In the scapula a smaller hole would be made for mounting a plastic socket.

Shortly after surgery physical therapy would begin - to improve healing and restore full movement and use of the shoulder.

Now The Bad News

Depending on the person's health, lifestyle, and even diet this new joint lasts 8 to 15 years before needing shoulder joint replacement, again.

With aging the stems in the ball and socket begin to loosen. Inflammation can set in and possibly infection, and shoulder joint pain is back.

Larger stem holes are required for the next shoulder joint replacement, then you're good for a few more years, but usually a little less than the last replacement period.

A third shoulder joint replacement is hoped to be avoided. It is more fragile due to less bone support, and has a much shorter lifespan.

Obviously your goal is to avoid replacement as long as possible. Your timing may be best in your late seventies.

Having Made A Good Choice

The surgeon counseled, “As long as you do not have a lot of pain, put off replacement as long as you can.”