I was recently diagnosed as have os acromiale in both shoulders. Should I have surgery to repair them?

Question

I began having shoulder pain late 2005, early 2006. Originally, I thought that I had slept on my shoulders wrong, but when the pain did not go away I sought help. I now believe working out on a punching bag triggered the pain. After having x-rays and a MRI done, I was diagnosed as having os acromiale in both shoulders. I have seen 2 orthopaedist, received several cortisone shots. The 1st said that the surgery was risky and that the odds of fixing the problem or damaging the shoulders more were 50/50. He advised against having the surgery. A 2nd orthopaedist advised that I have acromioplasty surgery. My right shoulder hurts more than the left. Apparently, my condition is worst in the right arm. He advised starting with the left, and then doing the right, because the space in the left shoulder is easier to reach (it's at the top / versus the middle), and less of a risk. The right shoulder would require pins. Does anyone have any knowledge or personal experience with os acromiale?

Answer 1

Os acromiale is an uncommon cause of shoulder pain with symptoms often resulting from an unstable meso-acromion. The associated pain may be due to impingement from the unfused fragment, a concomitant rotator cuff tear, or gross motion at the os acromiale site. Currently, initial treatment includes physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, and subacromial corticosteroid injections. Surgical intervention is reserved for patients who do not respond to nonoperative treatment.

If all of the above treatments have failed you may have to get this surgery. I would recommend you do one arm at a time and start with the worst. There's been a great deal of improvement in surgeries for this condition. Talk this over with your doctor and only do the surgery if you feel it's right for you.

Best wishes,
Billie

Answer 2

Os Acromiale

Answer 3

Using the methods in the book at the bottom will give you a 75% success rate by itself. Combine it with a chiropractor and a massage therapist who understand it also and you are looking at about 95%.
My mother-in-law had a physical therapist working on her shoulder and they caused damage.

Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas (natural muscle relaxers) daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, (if this does not do it you probably need a chiropractor as well) you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 4

Wow talk about unlucky and injury prone! I've never been a big fan of Ted's but I hope he makes it out alive and healthy and gets back into the game as soon as possible! Hopefully he'll have a good match at WM 29!

Answer 5

Acromiale

Answer 6

1