The power of human body adaption.

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My patient L said "I have treated my body poorly in the past. Now I want you to fix it."  After an MRI of the shoulder, she was diagnosed with 3 of the 4 rotator cuff muscles of the right shoulder, labrum tear. She had a very limited active range of motion and could not tolerate sleeping on the right side and overhead motions in the kitchen or laundry.

The key information is that she waited and ignored her shoulder symptoms for so long. All the connective tissues inside the joints had been torn to a certain level. This is a sad story because it could be treated in time with less pain and avoid the trouble in the long term.

After 6 weeks of treatment, her pain of the shoulder was much less with a better overhead motion of the right shoulder at about 90-110 degrees. She was able to do housework with cooking and laundry with lightweight without pain. I am surprised about her recovery with the evidence of the 3 out of the 4 rotator cuff muscles/tendons ruptured.

That's the power of human body adaptation. The imaging only tells us very limited information about the actual functional ability of the body parts. Statistically, the imaging only matches 75% of the time. So you have up to 25% of the chance to be much better regardless of your imaging results.

My point is: Don't be limited by an imaging report. Your body might surprise you.
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