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Bone spur and calcium deposits in elbows restricting motion cause extreme pain!

A

adkmuscle

VIP Member
Apr 17, 2012
30
2
Anyone have similar issues,doctors asking if I use.can any "products contribute or cause this to happen"
 
B

Bigwhite

MuscleHead
Mar 20, 2013
2,107
272
Too bad no one else chimed in on this. I'm going to the Doc in a couple weeks for the same thing. My right elbow has gotten to the point of 40% range of motion and sever pain. Was told years ago it was arthritis and I had to deal with it but no x-rays were taken….
 
ketsugo

ketsugo

MuscleHead
Sep 10, 2011
2,652
486
Always get second even 3rd opinion . Nagging unjuries need Orthopeadic sports doc - it sucks but in long run you. Get back faster
 
A

adkmuscle

VIP Member
Apr 17, 2012
30
2
I had x-rays m.r.i. And multiple elbow bursa sac drainage done to get them to consider surgery.
 
dr jim

dr jim

MuscleHead
Apr 7, 2014
785
168
Anyone have similar issues,doctors asking if I use.can any "products contribute or cause this to happen"

"Bone spurs" typically occur at sites of ligament or tendon attachments and as such are only rarely the sole cause for someone discomfort. That's because BS are almost always EXTRA-ARTICULAR (outside of the joint) where tendons and the large majority of ligaments make their insertion.

Were X-rays performed to make the diagnosis?

A bone spur that STOPS ROM is usually caused by a loose INTRA-ARTICULAR foreign body!

So there are a few things one needs to determine.

First and foremost; is the "BS" within the substance of the joint?
Second; is your restricted ROM the consequence of PAIN or because the joint contains a "locking" foreign body?

In most instances PLAIN X-rays are of little benefit since the pictures obtained can NOT be "remodeled" into a 3-D image.
Consequently CT is typically the most revealing BONY imaging modality. (MRI is the best modality IF soft tissue structures such as; cartilage, ligaments or tendons are believed to be causative)

Finally the best means of determining if your limited ROM is the result of PAIN or a loose foreign body is to inject the involved joint with a numbing agent such as Lidocaine.

When this is done the joint itself becomes numb which should enable PASSIVE ROM to determine an "abnormal end point", if a FB is present.

Regs
Jim
 
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B

Bigwhite

MuscleHead
Mar 20, 2013
2,107
272
Mine is defiantly a foreign body. Will not go straight no mater what i do or what i pick up. Bean dealing with it for years but has got to the point its very noticeable and any use causes sever pain. Seeing an orthopedic surgeon next week..
 
dr jim

dr jim

MuscleHead
Apr 7, 2014
785
168
I had x-rays m.r.i. And multiple elbow bursa sac drainage done to get them to consider surgery.

Damn I love exceptions to medical rules because there always is one.

So yep even though your BS is EXTRA-ARTICULAR when they are juxtaposed to or within the substance of a bursal sac they can become a major reason for disability.

To answer your earlier question what may be causative? Chronic irritation especially if within a bursal sac may result in hypertrophic bone formation. Often this process is referred to as a "reactive inflammatory reaction" and occurs in specific areas because of unusual or prolonged compression.

Examples; roofers acquire knee bursitis because they work on their knees, olecronon bursitis is more common in those folks performing "desk work" which is best conducted with the elbows on the table, etc,

Typical sites for this to occur is the posterior surface of the elbow about the Olecronon (olecronon bursitis), the patella (pre-patellar bursitis), hip (trochanteric bursitis).

I will warn you fella surgery is NOT necessarily curative in this instance and I would suggest other measures are attempted FIRST such as a corticosteroid injection.

Is there any way you could post an X-Ray image of this BS mate.

What procedure does the Ortho have in mind?

Will it be performed using arthroscopy or an "open" technique?

Is this Ortho Sports medicine trained?
 
dr jim

dr jim

MuscleHead
Apr 7, 2014
785
168
Mine is defiantly a foreign body. Will not go straight no mater what i do or what i pick up. Bean dealing with it for years but has got to the point its very noticeable and any use causes sever pain. Seeing an orthopedic surgeon next week..


Arthritis seems unlikely in your case, but a loose FB can create havoc with intact cartilage and most certainly can cause ARTHRITIS if left untreated!

Get that fixed mate ASAP.
Regs
Jim
 
P

pepino

Senior Member
Jul 1, 2013
132
8
As you well know Doc, corticosteroid injections are just temporary. The pain is eventually going to come back.

This I know all too well because I saw my father (an x-boxer) go through this.

AND to top if off the corticosteroid injections in the long run "ate" up his bone matter.

What do think about blood palate injections?
 
dr jim

dr jim

MuscleHead
Apr 7, 2014
785
168
As you well know Doc, corticosteroid injections are just temporary. The pain is eventually going to come back.

This I know all too well because I saw my father (an x-boxer) go through this.

AND to top if off the corticosteroid injections in the long run "ate" up his bone matter.

What do think about blood palate injections?


First realize although CS do soften cartilage when used as INTRA-ARTICULAR injections, they do NOT damage soft tissue structures per say. Fact is if used judiciously CS are quite effective in relieving the pain and suffering many patients have endured for years. So what is it that causes the "joint destruction" your describing?

The underling disease process itself!

That being said, your problem is EXTRA-ARTICULAR and CS are not associated with untoward morbidity in that instance. Understand there is considerable dogma in the lay press regarding CS therapy and a lot of it is not specifically qualified as it should be.

(For example do CS cause "tendon damage" when used for tendinitis?
They most certainly do NOT! HOWEVER if that Dr does NOT know what they are doing and inject the TENDON itself, rather than around the tendon, TENDON RUPTURE may occur!) Do blogs or the lay press mention this very important distinction? Not even close IME!

Your query on FFP (blood) and Platelet therapy is excellent however. Several studies have shown impressive results with minimal complications. How it works is unknown to date but speculation ranges from the infusion of blood borne fibroblasts, growth factors or both. (Both are likely responsible IMO)

However it's important to realize this therapy is not effective for treating your presumed UNDERLYING CONDITION, namely bone spurs.
(It most certainly is effective in diminishing the secondary "reactive inflammatory" damage however)

Importantly since it's your own "blood" the infectious disease risk is, or should be, ZIPPO!

Unfortunately since LOCAL FFP/Platelet infusions have yet to be accepted as "standard therapy", many insurance companies will not fund it!

(Occasionally some patients are granted reimbursement after being "referred to a specialist" for a "second opinion". Of course that process only increases cost to insurance companies, so go figure!)

Nonetheless since the risk is minimal and the benefit considerable, I would highly recommend you give that a go, especially if the only other option is surgery.

Best
Jim
 
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