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From: osmigo1@ut-ngp.UUCP (Ron Morgan)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Calcium deposits (question)
Message-ID: <4271@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 8-Nov-86 01:31:16 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.4271
Posted: Sat Nov  8 01:31:16 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Nov-86 04:04:40 EST
References: <3573@columbia.UUCP>
Reply-To: osmigo1@ngp.UUCP (Ron Morgan)
Organization: Speech Communication UT Austin
Lines: 53

In article <3573@columbia.UUCP> leland@snowmass.columbia.edu (Lee Woodbury) writes:
>A friend who is a manic exerciser (swimming, running, aerobics, weights,
>etc.) began experiencing pain in her shoulder about a month ago which
>has continued and become sharper.  The pain inhibits some movement of
>her arm; e.g., she can't bring it up all the way over her head or touch
>the middle of her back.  An osteopath, whom she has seen for other
>reasons and whom she trusts, first thought it was tendonitis and treated
>her with acupuncture.
>
>Anyway, the osteopath now believes it's a calcium deposit, and is
>discussing treatment first with anti-inflammatory medicine and, if that
>doesn't work, with cortisone shots.
>
>My questions are, what's a calcium deposit, what causes it, why does it
>hurt, and what makes it go away?  Can anyone out there provide
>
>Lee Woodbury

I had a very similar case a year or so back, when I was lifting weights and
playing a LOT of tennis and swimming. It was tendonitis. There are four
tendons attached to the tip of your shoulder that run down and over the
outer shoulder. When one of these gets stressed in some way, tendonitis can
easily result. Your friend is putting a HEAVY load on those tendons. 

Let me say first off that I am VERY picky about who I let work on my joints.
Injections, etc. are made into the sac enclosing the joint, and the slightest
infection can result in *amputating* the limb. I've seen it happen. If I saw
the *slightest* indication of less-than-perfect competence on the part of my
osteopath, I'm getting out of there FAST. I don't know exactly what your
friend's osteopath told her, but I find it pretty scary.

First of all, "-itis" means inflammation. Bursitis, appendicitis, et. al. 
Such an affliction should be easily visible with X-rays, and the logical
treatment would be anti-inflammatory injection, not "sticking needles in
you." 

A calcium deposit is just that. A deposit of calcium (bones are made of 
calcium) on a bone surface. If there's a "lump" of calcium in a joint, it
will naturally create painful binding or friction when the joint is moved
a certain way. Don't ask me why he is going to "try" anti-inflammatory
treatment for this. Again, a simple X-ray should disclose something like
this. 

I'd tell your friend to find another osteopath before she ends up losing her
arm.

R.A. Morgan

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