Medic??? (translation needed)

Sigman

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Could someone with some ability to translate the following info, please put it into a form a little easier to understand? I understand it's a damaged shoulder/bicep...I guess I'm wondering how serious? We are talking some EXTREME pain at times as well as the arm actually "locking" at certain positions coupled with that pain.


TECHNIQUE: A dedicated MRI of the left shoulder was performed on a 1.5 Tesla magnet. Imaging sequences included oblique coronal T1 and fat saturated T2 sequences, an oblique sagittal T2 sequence, and an oblique axial fat saturated proton density sequence.

FINDINGS: The biceps tendon is not clearly evident in the fluid filled bicipital groove, consistent with biceps tendon tear. A somewhat globular intermediate to low signal intensity structure at the superior glenoid on coronal image 13 may represent the torn end of the biceps tendon.

There is a moderate shoulder effusion, including fluid in the subcoracoid bursa. There is no full thickness rotator cuff tear. Increased signal in the supraspinatus tendon is consistent with undersurface fraying.

There is a normal variant sublabral foramen. There is no evidence of labral tear.

There is hypertrophy of the acromioclavicular joint with mild mass effect on the underlying supraspinatus muscle and tendon. Bone marrow signal intensity is normal. There is no ganglion. There is no Hill-Sachs deformity of the humeral head.

IMPRESSION:
1. TEAR OF THE BICEPS TENDON.
2. MODERATE SHOULDER EFFUSION.
3. NO EVIDENCE OF FULL THICKNESS ROTATOR CUFF TEAR.
4. HYPERTROPHY OF THE AC JOINT.
 

UncleFester

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From a layman's viewpoint, it sounds like your biceps tried to pull loose. Whadabendoin', arm wrestling The Abominable Snowman?
 

bwaites

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I'm not sure what you are asking but here it is in Laymans terms.

1) The biceps tendon attaches the biceps muscle to the shoulder allowing your arm to flex (make a biceps muscle). You have apparently torn that tendon. That means that arm strength in the affected arm will be diminished, but not absent, since the biceps tendon actually attaches in 2 spots, called the long head and short head. The long head goes through the groove and appears to be what you have ruptured. Apart from pain induced weakness, usually you only lose 10-20% of the strength of the affected arm

However, the tendon also helps to locate the shoulder, keeping it from dislocating forward, and surgery might be required because of that.

2) A moderate shoulder effusion means an accumulation of fluid in the shoulder, usually blood from the torn muscle and tendon.

3)The rotator cuff does not appear to be torn. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles which allow flexibility and rotation (duh!) of the shoulder. Rotator cuff tears take 3-9 months to heal after surgery, so this is a good thing.

4)Hypertrophy means enlargement of the Acromio-clavicular (AC) joint. This joint is where the collarbone joins the shoulder. Hypertrophy sometimes occurs on the dominant arm side simply because of the stress we put on our dominant arm versus our non-dominant, but can also happen with nothing more than an old injury or arthritis.

Hope that helps!!

Bill
 

Sigman

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Bill thanks, that helps put it together a little better in my mind. I guess the question I really have is how do they repair something like this? I'll be getting that info from my doc next week, but just got the MRI results Saturday and had all these questions.

I was thinking pretty much what you said, you explained it better for sure!

It's not a fun thing, that's for sure...working for a railroad can be tough at times.
 

bwaites

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LauraQ is correct, and probably an ortho doc or nurse if she knows that!

Recovery time to normalcy is generally 3-6 months, though some heal faster, some slower.

Whether or not it can be repaired arthroscopically depends on a variety of factors: length of time from injury, how much bleeding, whether it was a clean rupture with strong tissue left or a frayed type of rupture, etc.

Some doctors don't even advocate fixing them, but trying rehab with physical therapy first, depending on your occupation and physical activity level.

Good luck either way!!!

Bill
 

DarkLight

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Ac joint trouble can be painful, I had a long overdue cortisone shot in mine about 3 weeks ago..but dayum its feeling fine ever since...
 
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