Show Daily Health Service Stiff Shoulder May Mean MeanS S Torn Toni nJ Ruptured Tendon By DR MORRIS FISHBEIN The joint of your our shoulder has the greatest range of motion of all joints in n your bod body And it if is because of this his wide range of motion that the shoulder houlder is Injured most easU easily When the shoulder joint gets stiff and painful you may as well quit work for any further effort eort would make natters matters orse worse There are various vari varl ous Otis conditio conditions condition which bring about this trouble rouble According to scientific authorities the shoulder has evolved from a walking joint when mans man's sor or walked on four legs to a weight carrying joint Therefore the human human hu man shoulder has lost much of of C its previous stability strength and dura It seems likely that the condition called a stiff painful shoulder is due lue to rupture of one of the small tendons of the joint This rupture ruptures is 15 s associated with the existence of deposits of material in the tendon around it When the tendon was not found to tobe tobe toe be e torn the deposits sits were were not not usually present Apparently the way in which the rupture occurs is first a small br break ak or r tear of this tendon and second the he changes that take tak place in the tissue tissue tissue sue due to an insufficient blood supply supply supply sup sup- ply or the presence of ot infection Sometimes th the tho tendon tears due to toa a dislocation cation- cation ot of th the shoulder in other cases due to the n work of ot the individual In Ir one case the tendon tore following follow follow- I rig ing g an an attempt to toss a stone out of a trench rench in another when a worker tried to pull down on a chain hoist In Ina a third person the tendon tore when he le was tying a saddle girth and the strap trap suddenly broke A middle-aged middle woman slipped on an oiled no floor or and in trying to save her balance jalance threw her arm up so high that hat it tore the tendon In another case a man mart took a job in which he had tad to pass heavy weights upward for or long periods of ot time and finally ruptured this tendon When the tendon r ruptures the pain may not be severe however as the changes take place in the tissues fol- fol lowing owing the rupture the pain gradually gradual gradual- ly y becomes worse usually more so at night so 50 that it prevents prevent or interrupts inter sleep It thus be becomes comer obvious that Inmany in inmany inmany many instances stiff painful ders arc are due to damage to the tissues and that only the greatest of t care of this his damage can bring about relief Sometimes Sometime the application of heat or of splints will bring help Sometimes Sometimes' it is necessary to rule out diabetes gout and rheumatic disorders disorders dis dis- dis orders Finally it may be necessary to o open opeil the tissues to determine whether there is need for cleaning and repair S |