Rotator cuff tear

[Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.]

I'd like to ask a question based on clinical experience out there....

The person I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, with the shoulder injury, has now been diagnosed with a severe rotator cuff tear, which normally requires surgical intervention because it's considered too large to heal itself.

While she's waiting for the surgery to be scheduled (probably another 4-6 weeks), it makes sense for her to keep using homeopathic treatment. Bryonia has helped enormously in reducing the pain, which is good. But mobility is poor because of the torn muscle and ligaments.

I know that Ruta is indicated for this type of injury. I also know that in fractures, one should not give, for instance, Symphytum, until the bone is set, to avoid it healing in the wrong position. Would this risk also apply to pre-surgical use of Ruta in a severe separation of muscle and tendon from bone?

I'd love to hear an opinion from someone with clinical experience with such injuries. It's unfortunate that the surgery can't take place sooner, of course -- unless Ruta or a similar remedy actually could help healing to progress in a positive manner.

Rosemary

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Dr. Joe Rozencwajg, NMD]

I had one elderly patient with this problem, treated him with acupuncture
and Silica.
The aim was to reduce the pain as he did not want surgery, and he
repertorised Silica also as a constitutional.
To our common surprise, after a few weeks of daily LMs and 5 acupuncture
sessions, he got full mobility of his shoulder with no pain.
But that is only one case.....
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

[Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.]

Thanks, Dr. R.

Where there's one case there may be others. I thank you for sharing this
one.

Warm regards, Rosemary

[Simon King LCPH MARH]

I have treated a a lot of martial artists ( amongst others) with a
wide range of injuries and the one thing I can tell you is not to
believe the allopathic prognosis!

I would also suggest in addition to the Hom Rx to get the Px to an
osteopath
Any misalignment can slow healing, as well as having contributed in
the first place
Simon King,
http://www.Homeopathy-Help.net

[Joy Lucas]

Dear Rosemary, off the top of my head I would say that I have had more
cases where I have chased remedies for these types of circumstances by
giving routinely Arnica, Ruta, Symphytum when actually what has cured
has been the client's known simillimum (what some might call the
constitutional rx).

If it is tendons that are mostly involved then outside of the usual rx
one might think of there is Causticum and Conium, the latter having
straining and over stretching from injuries to tendons. Causticum of
course has the paralysis of single parts with contracture of fibrous
tissue. If Bryonia is helping but not curing you do at last have some
time to re-work the case but I would aim as you have been doing with
Bryonia and encompass the whole totality of the case.

How to they actually repair the tear surgically? Best wishes, Joy

http://www.homeopathicmateriamedica.com
http://www.homeopathicmateriamedica.blogspot.com
http://homepage.mac.com/joylucas/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/provings
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jennifer Ruby]

Hi Rosemary!

I've had experience with several muscular and bone type injuries, which they
said would require surgery, that in fact healed fairly fast using a
combination herbal tincture that John Christopher put together called "bone,
flesh & carteledge" or BCF, which a company called "Good Herbs" has their
own liquid version of called BFC tincture. I've personally had good success
with this tincture being used both internally, AND externally topically With
a few drops of DMSO as a penetrating agent on the torn muscle and around it,
and this has worked well.

A waiter that waits on me had a ripped something in his shoulder, and they
said it would require surgery, and in 6 weeks, it was healed. He was
ecstatic!

Hope this is helpful.

Health, Hope, Joy & Healing :
May you Prosper, even as your Soul Prospers 3John 2

Jennifer Ruby

Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment.

http://www.rubysemporium.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SymphonicHealth
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Therapeutic-Laser_Therapy
http://www.lazrpulsr.com
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| On 19 Mar 2006, at 05:06, Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D. wrote:
|
| > I'd like to ask a question based on clinical experience out there....
| >
| > The person I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, with the shoulder
| > injury, has now been diagnosed with a severe rotator cuff tear,
| > which normally requires surgical intervention because it's
| > considered too large to heal itself.
| >
| > While she's waiting for the surgery to be scheduled (probably
| > another 4-6 weeks), it makes sense for her to keep using
| > homeopathic treatment. Bryonia has helped enormously in reducing
| > the pain, which is good. But mobility is poor because of the torn
| > muscle and ligaments.
| >
| > I know that Ruta is indicated for this type of injury. I also know
| > that in fractures, one should not give, for instance, Symphytum,
| > until the bone is set, to avoid it healing in the wrong position.
| > Would this risk also apply to pre-surgical use of Ruta in a severe
| > separation of muscle and tendon from bone?
| >
| > I'd love to hear an opinion from someone with clinical experience
| > with such injuries. It's unfortunate that the surgery can't take
| > place sooner, of course -- unless Ruta or a similar remedy actually
| > could help healing to progress in a positive manner.
| >
| > Rosemary

[Sheri Nakken]

At 09:06 PM 3/18/2006 -0800, you wrote:
has now been diagnosed with a severe rotator cuff tear, which normally
requires surgical intervention because it's considered too large to heal
itself.
weeks), it makes sense for her to keep using homeopathic treatment.
Bryonia has helped enormously in reducing the pain, which is good. But
mobility is poor because of the torn muscle and ligaments.
in fractures, one should not give, for instance, Symphytum, until the bone
is set, to avoid it healing in the wrong position. Would this risk also
apply to pre-surgical use of Ruta in a severe separation of muscle and
tendon from bone?
such injuries. It's unfortunate that the surgery can't take place sooner,
of course -- unless Ruta or a similar remedy actually could help healing to
progress in a positive manner.

Hi Rosemary
My father recovered with homeopathic treatment from me (Rhus tox in his
case) and did not need surgery at all.

Sheri
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Well Within & Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours (worldwide)
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[Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.]

Thanks, Joy.

The exact diagnosis here is that there is a very large tear at the head of
the bicep (this can be palpated), and that this muscle and its associated
tendons have been torn off the bone. So in more common terms it amounts to a
serious sprain along with an enormous avulsion fracture. They have yet to
do the MRI, etc..., that will say exactly how many bone chips may be
floating around in there. We've seen one chip immediately under the skin
(The remedy Dr. R used, Sil, is an interesting remedy to think of in this
context...)

As is often the case with such tears, there's a history of lesser tears
happening repeatedly over the last 6-12 months, with the rotator cuff
becoming more and more fragile as its connections have become more and more
frayed. At the time of the injuries, Ruta has been helpful -- obviously,
however, not sufficiently strengthening the attachments, tendons, ligaments,
etc... Most often, there are also bone spurs that contribute to repeated
injuries of the attachments. The tendons and ligaments become calcified
over time, with repeated injury, and are therefore both less elastic and
need more space to move through the shoulder joint itself.

Repair surgery is quite complex. They shave the bone down, remove any bone
spurs, increase the size of the joint opening for the tendons to pass
through, drill holes in the bone, and then sew the detached muscles and
tendons back to the bone through the holes they've drilled (it's pretty
primitive, when you think of it). They also commonly reinforce the sewn
reattachment with metal anchor bolts.

For the surgery to work (which it may not), the quality of bone and tendon
have to be sufficient for the re-anchoring to "take" and persist. With an
older patient, they don't know how well it can be repaired until they
actually open up the shoulder and see the conditions.

In any case, from the patient's viewpoint relative to invasion and recovery,
it's pretty demanding surgery in terms of the number of manipulations and
the subsequent pain, prolonged immobilization, and required recovery time.
It's not terribly complicated surgery from the surgeon's viewpoint and, of
course, it's external to the inner core of the body, which makes it less
deeply disturbing to the vital force than say lung or liver surgery.

The two indications for surgery are extreme pain, and really limited
mobility in a domminant arm. In this case, the patient's other arm is
paralyzed from birth, so it's not only the dominant arm, it's the only arm
(which after 75 years suffers from overuse syndrome, needless to say).

The Bryonia seemed indicated both by the patient's reaction to the injury
and by the extreme inflammation and pain on any motion. It has helped in
these areas, quite dramatically.

A moderate improvement in mobility along with continued abatement of the
pain would probably be sufficient for the patient to decide not to risk the
surgery.

As I said before, this patient has also been in homeostasis with a diagnosis
of advanced cancer, so the shock of the injury was one potential problem and
the shock of the surgery may well be another. But the biggest shock and
stress is the quasi-complete helplessness that comes from suddenly being
able to move her one functioning arm only slightly -- so if that continues,
the stress differential probably will somewhat favor having the surgery
done.

Obviously, it's a very difficult set of choices, and I deeply appreciate the
therapeutic experiences that various Minutus members are sharing. It
doesn't sound so far as though I should worry about promoting healing now
making surgery later more complicated, which was my original question.

Rosemary

[Jean Doherty]

Could it be that the pathology really is in the bone that it is not
strong enough to hold the attachment of the tendons. I am aware of
an instance of radiation nesrosis of jaw bone following
radiotherapy. Just a thought, Jean

[Dr. Joe Rozencwajg, NMD]

Repairing the tear depends on what you find and when you operate: if it is
pretty fresh you just approximate the extremities, put the arm at rest for a
few weeks, then start reeducation.
In old fibrotic situations you might use tendons transplants from other
muscles in the area, gracilis tendon transplant or even synthetic fibers....
....it has been years since I left surgery but I think the same techniques
are still actual.
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".