Calcium Deposits

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SOFTEN YOUR CALCIUM DEPOSIT

There are good deposits and there are bad deposits.  A good deposit is the boss’s pay-cheque being put into your bank account instead of yours.  Another good deposit is the brownie points you get with your sweetheart because you bought her the Roots stuff instead of the electric nail gun for Christmas.  A bad deposit is that thing the neighbor’s kitty leaves underneath your bay window.  An even badder deposit is a calcium deposit in your shoulder rotator cuff tendon.

HARD TO BELIEVE?

If you are between thirty and fifty years of age, have not abused your shoulder trying to throw Big Unit fastballs to your cousin, did not get crushed into the wall at Thursday night ball hockey at the YMCA, but have insidiously developed a really bad toothache kind of pain in your shoulder that will simply not go away, you could have a calcium deposit.  Calcium deposits in the shoulder were noticed on x-rays way back at the turn of the last century, and, believe it or not, they are still around today.

HARD TO HANDLE?

Typically, a shoulder calcium deposit settles in on one of the rotator cuff tendons.  Why?  Only the Shadow knows what evil lurks near the armpits of men.  When that happens, it can rub against the tendon and other parts in your shoulder machine causing pain and inflammation.  So, if it does happen to show up, it can be sore enough for you to want to hold it with your good arm and it can really restrict how much you are able to use your shoulder.  Often, even a small movement like trying to scratch your nose can rub the calcium the wrong way and give you a hard, painful jolt which can radiate down your arm and up the side of your neck.  And forget about doing anything trying to reach overhead or lie or your sore shoulder at night.

HARD TO TREAT?

Traditional treatment for a shoulder calcium deposit is physical therapy and/or cortisone injections.  However, because the shoulder socket is more complicated that an Orange County bike frame, traditional treatment may not always clear up things up.   If your symptoms persist, you may want to consider Radial Shockwave Therapy.  This is a new treatment for calcific shoulder tendinitis and the clinical results to date appear to be very promising.  Talk to your physical therapist or doc about this non-surgical option so you can get back to being your usual self and definitely return to being a happy, “hard act” to follow.

Brent Kassian, BScPT, MCPA, MCPTA

Executive Director

Capilano Rehab Centre

phone:  466-1104

hit their hip website @ www. caprehab.com