Shoulder Injury

[inforn43]

I wonder if anyone else has had a similar problem. I keep injuring my shoulder when I lift patients. Over the last four years everytime I get a job that requires lifting I end up deveveloping severe pain and a frozen shoulder, recently I had an MRI and they said my acromions are severely sloped. I have been lifting patients for over twenty years. So, I believe this is due to repetitive use and not congeital.

If you have had a similar probem please respond. I need to know if I will ever be able to lift patients again or if I should plan on only working in jobs that don't require lifting.

By the way I cringe when I see obese people I have had to lift so many overweight patients over the years and I think about it when ever I see an obese person.

[dianah, ASN]

"i need to know if i will ever be able to lift patients again or if i should plan on only working in jobs that don't require lifting."

these are concerns that must be taken to your pcp or orthopedic specialist.

per the terms of service, no one here may give medical or legal advice.

i hope you can get some good information from your pcp.

[Natys]

I had worn out cartilage in my left shoulder with osteo arthritis. I really didn't do anything about it. My husband has Parkinson's disease w dementia recently diagnosed when I got the info about my shoulder. 4 years later I ended up with a total shoulder repair, couldn't deal with the pain any more. (6/19/2012) sx now on longterm disability from work (thank god i got it) and studying care management online.Lessons learned. 1. Get short term and long term disability ASAP. 2. Start taking a course in something that does not involve lifting. Utilization review, care management, medical coding, or transfer into something like dialysis.Good luck.

[inforn43]

Thank you for your reply this is helpful. I applied for disability but was turned down. My plan is to move to a bigger city where there will be more jobs. I have already worked doing case management and so as soon as I get moved I will try to find a job doing that. Problem is I also need shoulder surgery. I filed a workers comp claim but the doctors that I have seen all have a different explanation of what is wrong. One said my acromions are sloped and its congenital, my regular PA that I always see knows its work related because I saw her immediately after it happened. Then the orthopedic surgeon I just saw said it was idiopathic and laughed about the acromions being sloped. None of this is helping me. It would be great if i could just get short term disability until i can get this fixed.

[lockheart678]

I've dealt with very similar issues with my shoulders. My dominant side would flare up for a week at a time every few months, but then I injured my other shoulder lifting a patient. After two months of recovering and overcompensation, my dominant shoulder flared up so badly, I couldn't work anymore. I ended up having a subacromial decompression (that will shave off the slope on the acromion, giving more space, which can take away the impingement) on my dominant shoulder, and it was a lot to recover from (it took 2 1/2 months), but I've not had one issue lifting patients since I returned to work more than a year ago. If you can find a good surgeon to operate on you and you really focus on doing your physical therapy afterward, then maybe you won't have to give up a job that requires lifting patients. Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

You should be able to get short term disability so you have some time to get some treatment. Situations like this just upset me b/c here you are working all these years taking care of patients and you cannot get what you need. I had to make an appt with a psychiatrist and go out on stress disability once That is what I had to do to take care of some medical problems b/c I was not going to take NO for an answer and I never looked back b/c I truly needed it and was in a lot of pain.