Shoulder Operation by Alex Ling
I've had two operations directly related to the weakening of various muscle groups caused by FSH.
The first operation I had was to fix my right shoulder in place. With FSH the muscles around the shoulder blade deteriorate and when you try to lift your arm all the movement is lost through the shoulder blade winging outwards. With it fixed in place the idea is to capture the muscle movement and strength and channel it into a lifting upward motion.
I had my shoulder fixed in July 1995, and was in a cast for 10 weeks. I have screws keeping the shoulder in position. In other cases a metal plate and wires might be used.
After I was out of plaster and had some physio there was a noticable difference. However in September/October on a holiday to Orlando Florida I managed to fracture my upper right arm! D'oh! And the benefits were lessened some. Now 10 years on, I cannot lift my arm very high at all, but having my shoulder fixed does give me some extra stability. I do only have the one fixed as there re some movements that I cannot do with the fixed shoulder, like reaching behind my back, but can do with my left side being unfixed.
The second operation I had was as a result of wrist drop, and my hand curling up into a ball. I had my right wrist operated on in July 1997. A tendon from the underside of my wrist was removed and grafted on to one on the top side of my wrist. The difference between my right and left hand, even 8 years on is still amazing and is probably the best outcome I could have hoped for.
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