Injection Therapy

Let me start with the most common misconception: Rotator cuff tears are very common, they aren’t always what’s causing the pain, and they don’t always require surgery. I wrote this for anyone whose shoulder hurts, who can’t lift their arm, or who’s been told after an exam that “your rotator cuff is torn” or “you have calcification in your shoulder.” What exactly is the rotator cuff? The bones in your shoulder are shaped a lot like a golf ball sitting on a tee: the ball is large, and the tee is shallow. ...

Let me start with the most common misunderstanding: De Quervain’s is not “weak wrists,” nor is it “sore muscles from holding a baby too long." Instead, it’s about two tendons at the base of your thumb. The tunnel they share gets narrow and thick, and the tendons can’t glide through. So resting makes it hurt less, but as soon as you go back to the original movement, the pain comes right back. It won’t resolve itself just because you sleep a few more days. ...

Let’s start with the most common misunderstanding: the place that hurts is usually not the place that’s broken. Almost everyone with a trigger finger points to their middle knuckle and says, “It gets stuck here.” But the real problem is at the base of the palm, that ring where the finger meets the palm. This is why the doctor presses your palm, not the spot you’re pointing at. This is written for those whose fingers get stuck in the morning, who feel pain when gripping things, or who have already been told they need an injection. ...