Fighting With My Osteophytes

Well, Than and I are finally settled in our new home. Between moving, planning a wedding, work, and trying to squeeze in a little play, I'm afraid this blog has been neglected. Prepare to  be overwhelmed by information...

Left arm bent as far as it will go.

I visited a chiropractor this week. The last time I went to a chiropractor was in high school, so I was curious about the appointment. I am having problems with my shoulder, and it seems to be getting worse. I hypothesized my shoulder problems are caused by my elbow problems, and it turns out I am right (sort of). I broke my elbow when I as nine, and after the cast came off we discovered I could no longer bend my elbow. I went to one session of physical therapy where a man tried to force my arm to bend (which didn't work), and then the doctor announced he would have to re-break my arm to fix it. Being only 9 years old, I decided leaving well enough alone was fine with me. Fast forward twenty years.

Right arm bending properly.

My arm still does not bend, but now I am discovering how the knee bone is connected to the hip bone (I love that song.)  Since my arm won't bend, my shoulder ends up compensating when I do things like lift weights or rock climb or ride a mountain bike or wear a back pack. According to the chiropractor, over time my body has identified my shoulder and my elbow as damaged areas, and has been sending calcium to help fortify them. While good in theory (thank-you body, for trying to protect me), the calcium builds up in little deposits and as it ossifies, can potentially limit your range of motion. This is what is happening in my shoulder area. My calcium deposits are beginning to push on my scapula, which strains all the associated muscles. Same with the elbow. So while I continue to be active in an attempt to keep my body healthy, my body interprets my activities as damaging and continues to deploy calcium.

Gangly chicken wing.

The only short term solution is to let the chiropractor break down the calcium deposits. This is extremely painful - imagine a packet of glass shards being rubbed into your body. I had this treatment yesterday and felt like my elbow was re-broken. (Arm on fire, tender to the touch.) I do believe this is helpful, and am now very aware how sensitive my elbow is. I don't think it has ever really healed and I can only imagine what condition it will be in in another twenty years.

Perfectly functioning right arm.

As for a long term solution, I have considered having my arm re-broken and re-set. This may or may not be possible depending on what exactly is going on in there. My chiropractor hypothesizes osteophytes grew over the fracture and are blocking the joint from bending. Apparently, this not a unique condition (bones often grow osteophytes over fractures or frequent stress-points, like an in-body band-aid), and there are surgical treatments available. Referred to as bone spurs, osteophytes are commonly found in the heels, knees, and shoulders of athletes. I guess there is new laser technology that can remove bone spurs with minimal scarring. This sounds like a good option to me, but I will need X-rays and possibly an MRI to know exactly what my options are. Considering we just bought new home, we are about to host a wedding, and that I have been living with this for twenty years, I'm not sure elective surgery is on the horizon just yet.