Jennifer Dowdall : ShoulderPainSolutions.com

What Are You Giving Up Today?

Shoulder surgery patient gets back to normalcy

Jennifer Dowdall, a marketing consultant and mother of two teenagers, is an active person with a busy life. The 43-year-old Cincinnati resident travels frequently for her job, is involved in her kids' school and sports, and loves to run, garden and renovate her home with her husband.

Recently, however, she found it difficult to take pleasure in those activities. Increasing pain in her shoulder was making it hard to garden or go jogging. Her daily functioning also deteriorated to the point that using a hair dryer, carrying a laundry basket, opening a restaurant door — and even driving her car — were too difficult to do.

"At first I thought I had slept funny on my arm," she recalls. "But the shoulder pain kept worsening. I also didn't have strength on that side of my body." A visit to her primary care physician had an explanation for what was going on. After reviewing her MRI, the doctor told Jennifer she had arthritis and bursitis, along with a suspected rotator cuff tear.

"My doctor said, 'No wonder you are in pain!'"

Less pain, more gain

Jennifer was referred to an orthopaedic surgeon (def.), who took a conservative route to treating her shoulder problem. "I received a cortisone shot that helped a lot with the inflammation. I also went to a physical therapist — 2-3 times weekly, for about 5 weeks." Treatment also included icing the affected shoulder, and ultrasound (high frequency sound waves that travel deep into tissues.)

Jennifer started to see an improvement: less pain and more strength in her shoulder. "I was encouraged. But after the PT stopped, my shoulder became uncomfortable again. There was no way I could do the things I wanted to do in life."

She discussed her options with her surgeon, and found that she was a candidate for arthroscopic surgery, minimally invasive surgery that can speed recovery and minimize scarring.

"I'd given up so much — the things I loved and the things I needed to do. I finally asked myself: What was I missing and what was important to me?" This helped her make an important decision. She wanted to be active now — and hopefully into the future. And she also understood that putting off treatment could mean that any later repair could be more difficult.

Jennifer decided to have arthroscopic surgery to repair her shoulder.

Following through

Once she made the decision, she treated the surgical preparation like any other challenge. She practiced using one hand to get dressed and put on makeup. And she talked to others who had the surgery, asking them what the recovery was like.

On Valentine's Day, Jennifer's orthopaedic surgeon performed arthroscopic surgery. "Once inside my shoulder, they discovered I didn't have an actual tear. There was a bone spur (def.) on my acromion (def.). My rotator cuff tendon was pinched between the humeral head (def.) and the undersurface of the acromion." To treat the pinched (impinged) rotator cuff, subacromial decompression was performed to remove the bone spur. The surgical team also worked on her bursitis and arthritis. "They cleaned me out!" she said.

Within a few days Jennifer started physical therapy, which continued for several weeks. Pain medications also helped. She was able to get back to work within a week. "The surgeon did a great job and was very supportive before and after the surgery. He only did what he needed to do during the procedure. I was so happy he could do what he needed to do arthroscopically."

Jennifer also is delighted that her scars are so minimal. "I had two tiny incisions — and one is almost invisible now," she said.

Reaching out

The months of pain and immobility — followed by surgery — helped bring a new perspective. "I came to the realization that the whole process involved listening to my body and taking care of it," said Jennifer.

"That's what I would tell others who are having shoulder problems. What are you giving up today? Why wait to see your doctor? You can get back to normalcy. You can enjoy your life fully again."