Tension in my shoulder blade from flu
Question:
Hello, two weeks ago I had a mild flu with a cough etc. I didn't go to see a doctor and the symptoms have mostly gone although I still have a light cough and a feel pain along my shoulder blades. It is not too painful more like a mild tug.
I would be grateful for you advice.
Reply 08.04.2011:
Dear Mr.,
Probably your shoulder musculature is tense from the coughing.
An irritated nerve may also be then cause for your pain.
Anyhow I would suggest that you consult your GP. Your symptoms do not indicate an acute infection of the respiratory system; nonetheless I recommend that you have this confirmed.
Kind regards,
Schmidt, M.D.
Trekking tour with an injured intraarticular ligament
Question:
Hello,
I have injured knee during a mountain sporting activity 8 days ago. After an MRI a tear of my intraarticulatar ligament was diagnosed. I am supposed to wear a splint (donjon) for 4 weeks. I hardly feel any pain and I can almost fully bend and flex my knee, I don't need crutches.
5 months ago I completely tore the my anterior cruciate ligament during a skiing accident. So far this has been treated conservatively by physiotherapy. The treatment was successful and I have been back in the mountains exercising after. Also the latest injury is not related to any instability of my knee it was just bad luck (again).
I have a trekking tour booked to Nepal in 9 weeks (4 weeks of trekking for 3-4 hrs/ day).
How realistic is it that I can join this trip.
Thank you for your help, best wishes
Reply 08.04.2011:
Dear Mr…,
With a tear of the inner ligament it is important to know if the ligament/knee is steady.
With a stable ligament treatment should generally be successful. The injury should cure within 6 weeks.
With an unstable ligament the splint should be worn for another 6 weeks.
The tear of your anterior cruciate ligament seems to be compensated for well by your musculature.
Nonetheless the main stabilizer is your knee joint. Therefore the pressure on your not injured tendons and ligaments is stronger.
Therefore, after the 6-week therapy with your splint (Donjoy) you should continue wearing a light splint during your exercise and your Nepal tour to give your knee more stability and strengthen your leg musculature.
Kind regards,
C.Schmidt, M.D.
Definition post-surgical examination
Question:
Dear Professor,
I was operated by you on the … . So far everything has been fine. However, after speaking to the physiotherapist about the surgery I am a bit nervous and hope that the following is not a transmission error. You said that I am supposed to see you 6 months after the surgery for a check up examination. In the Internet it says that the stress is examined after 6 weeks.
Is this right? Thank you for a short reply!
Kind regards
Reply 08.04.2011:
Dear Mr H.,
6 weeks after the surgery the shoulder joint can be exerted to higher levels of stress. I recommend a check-up examination after 6 weeks, if there are any inconveniences then earlier. An examination to determine whether the level of stress exposed to the joint can be increased is not recommend. It is known that joints heal quite steadily in 6 weeks but the strength of the band cannot be measured.
Kind regards,
Prof. W.Plötz, M.D.
Treatment of restricted growth
Question:
My daughter is 15 years old and suffering from …disease. (Restricted growth 127cm). Is there a treatment for this in your clinic? How is it done.. what are the costs? Here in Slovenia they do not offer any treatments! Thank you for your help.
Reply 08.04.2011:
Dear Mr. A,
We are happy to consult you about your daughter’s condition. Please send detailed information and precise questions to our orthopaedic secretary.
Best wishes,
S. Schmidt, M.D
Surgical treatment of pain in my spine (L4, L5)
Question:
After having suffered from 20 years of ineffective treatment by physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors I am contemplating on trying surgery to get rid of the pain in my spine (L4, L5). Which methods would you recommend?
Reply 08.04.2011:
Dear Mr S.,
If all non-surgical procedures have been tried out and not shown any cure then we would also recommend surgery.
You will find an entire section on spinal diseases and surgical techniques in great detail on our webpage : www.spine-bb.de in the menu "range of services".
The surgical methods we use in our clinic are individually based on the medical history of the patient, the type of disease (e.g. the amount of wearout of the spine) and the physical condition of the patient.
From my own experience I can add:
If a spinal procedure can be done minimally invasive, the results will exceed traditional methods thus being more comfortable for the patient. Also, rehabilitation is much quicker.
I would advise you to discuss your ideal individual treatment with your orthopaedist. This is based on a physical examination, evaluation of x-ray scans and CTs/MRTs and in consideration of possible previous treatments. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information.
Kind regards,
C.Schmidt, M.D.
Painful shoulder blade because of flu?
Question:
Hello, I have been suffering from a flu since one and half weeks, I have a strong cough and running nose, the cough is not dry though. I am not showing any signs of recovery so far, quite the opposite actually. Now I have been feeling strong pain in the upper left part of my back, approximately where the shoulder blade is. Is that possible? It hurts more or less when I cough, but not when I am doing any other normal movements. Thank you for your help, I am anxiously awaiting your reply.
Kind regards
Reply 08.04.2011:
Dear Mrs. S.,
For a start you should consult an otolaryngologist or lung specialist about the treatment of your flu and especially to exclude a possible lung infection.
The cough may cause a strain in the respiratory musculature; nonetheless a blockage of the lower cervical/ upper thoracic spine could be the cause for your radiating pains. You should consult an orthopaedist for this.
Kind regards,
C. Schmidt, M.D.
Outpatient consultation for complex complaints in my toe, loins, shoulder and wrist
Question:
Good day,
Is there a possibility for a consultation concerning several different complaints (e.g. strong pain in the joint of my big left toe; pain in my lumbar spine; strong tension in my neck; shoulder aches on the right side and in my right wrist)?
I am 66 years old and the complaints mentioned have started to affect my mobility.
Hoping for a positive reply!
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear Mr B.,
Of course this is possible. You are very welcome to make use of the spinal consultation hours in our clinic.
To make an appointment please call our secretary under 0049 89 1797 2504. If possible please bring any finding, x-rays, CAT scans or magnetic resonance images if they exist/ have been done in the past.
Kind regards,
C. Schmid, M.D.
What methods are applied in a hip replacement surgery?
Question:
Dear Sir or Madame,
I would like to inform myself which methods your clinic tends to use for a hip replacement surgery?
a) The conservative method
b) AMIS-Principle
How many hip replacements have been preformed by your doctors in 2009 and if applicable 2010?
Thank you for you information in advance.
Kind regards
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear …,
Thank you for your question.
In 2009 we preformed 1016 primary implantations of the hip with the MIS procedure, Prof. Plötz did 440 of these.
We would also like to call our qualification evaluation to your attention, which can be found on our homepage.
Furthermore, please feel free to contact us directly by phone or email (phone: 0049 89 / 17972502, ort@barmherzige-muenchen.de).
Kind regards,
C. Schmid, M.D.
Question:
Hello,
For a week I have been suffering from a cold, runny nose, coughing and a greenly sputum. Since today a backache has been added to my complaints whenever I cough. The pain stretches from the back to by belly. What could this be?
Kind regards
Reply 17.07.2011:
Good day,
You will already find the answers to your question in our previous FAQs.
We suggest that you discuss the topic flu accompanied by back pain with your GP. He may then redirect you to an orthopaedist if necessary.
Kind regards.
C. Schmid, M.D.
Suffering from cought, pain in shoulder
Question:
Good morning,
For a week I have been suffering from a cough, at first only sputum and chest pains. Since 2 days the sputum only appears in the mornings, hard and sparse and I have pain in my right (stronger) and left shoulder, below the shoulder blades.
I have rheumatoid arthritis and take 10 my MTX/week. Last week I forgot to take my folic acid. Is this a normal flu induced cough or could this be a MTX side effect?
Thank you for your reply,
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear Mrs/Miss,
Questions and answers concerning this matter can be found in previous FAQs.
Kind regards,
C. Schmid, M.D.
Gender specific knee surgery (knee joint for women)
Question:
Dear Sir and Madame,
Does the Barmherzige Brüder Hospital offer a special gender specific knee replacement surgery for women?
Thank you for your reply.
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear Mrs H.,
Indeed we do offer a "gender knee total endoprotheses” for women, which is much better fitted for a female knee and slim thighbone by its special design. The high qualitative features of the usual prostheses are preserved of course.
Kind regards,
C. Schmid
Surgical method to level shortened leg
Question:
Dear Sir or Madame,
I have been a long run disc prolapse patient; and over the course of my illness my left leg has shortened - is there a surgical method to balance the length of my legs out again?
Thank you for your information!
Kind regards
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear … ,
Generally shortened leg can be levelled out during a hip surgery. However, primarily the course for the shortened leg should be verified by a thorough examination.
This can be done by your orthopaedic or by making an appointment for one of our consultation hours under phone: 0049 89 1797 2502.
Kind regards,
C. Schmid, M.D.
Question:
Dear Sir or Madame,
My mother (80 years old) has already got an artificial knee and an artificial hip. For a long time she has been experiencing pain in her other hip and a couple of years ago a cyst was diagnosed, which "might" be the cause for her pain.
The pain has become so bad that I have managed to convince her to at least consider hip surgery.
At the cause of an angina pectoris we had scheduled an appointment at the Clinic "Rechts der Isar" at the end of September to lay a catheter. However, there they stated that due to her current situation she was not operable. Instead she was given stents (as an alternative to a bypass which she refused).
Because of the medication she has got to take (blood thinning etc.) we were told that surgery wouldn't be possible for the next 1-2 years. Surgery would be possible at "Rechts der Isar" if a cardiologist were present?! Or possibly pain therapy?!
Unfortunately the pain has only been increasing so far (shaking, loss of all quality of life..) and I would be most grateful for your opinion and recommendation. You can contact me under 177/6558736 or 089/5121-8550 or email under nora.hilbert@generali.de
Thank you and best wishes,
Reply 17.07.2011:
Der Mrs H,
Due to this more and more frequently occurring constellation we now offer a surgery to fulfilling these particular demands.
It is absolutely necessary to consult the treating cardiologist about the earliest possible date to pause the intake of the blood thinning medications (especially Plavix). The intake of aspirin does not have to be paused. Of course our cardiologists are always consulted in these situations.
If surgery is not preformed in the next 6 months you should consider an additional infiltration to accompany the pain therapy in form of pills.
Kind regards,
C. Schmid, M.D
Arthroscopy at damaged inner meniscus
Question:
In the summer I injured my knee and my inner meniscus is likely to be damaged (this could not be proven by an MRT), the anterior cruciate ligament has been torn for a while and I had a Baker-cyste in the hollow of my knee. Thanks to physiotherapy I have been able to continue doing sports and dancing as well as all my daily activities up to 98% without being distracted by my knee. My orthopaedist recommended that I do an arthroscopy. I have no complaints with my knee at the minute however I do not want to overlook anything that I might regret later on. Could you advise me?
Kind regards,
P.B.
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear Mr. B.,
Your complaints may be case of secondary failures.
It is important to undergo a thorough clinical examination, especially to determine whether there is an insufficiency of the anterior cruciate ligament and if there is an actual fissure of your inner meniscus.
Generally if there is a tear in your meniscus it is vital to treat it as soon as possible to avoid complications in the future.
The arthroscopy is a safe and minimally invasive procedure of the inner interior of the joint. It has the great advantage that if a fissure is found it can immediately be fixed with surgery. Exposed parts of the meniscus are removed so that the adjacent cartilage can't be damaged. The arthroscopy is a gentle procedure that is able to preserve as much meniscus tissue as possible.
We are happy to offer you and appointment to one of your consultation hours to discuss and examine your particular complaints. To make an appointment please get in touch with us under 089/1797-2332.
Kind regards,
C. Schmid, M.D.
Retro patellar pain syndrome in right knee
Question:
DEAR SIR OR MADAME I HAVE RETROPATELLAR PAIN SYNDROME IN MY RIGHT KNEE. WHEN I CLASP MY KNEE SOMETIMES I ALMOST FALL OVER. CAN YOU HELP ME, I AM A PANEL PATIENT.
KIND REGARDS U Z
Reply 17.07.2011:
Dear Mr. Z,
We are happy to consult you about your complaints. Please schedule an appointment with us in one of our consultation hours. You can reach us under the telephone number 089/1797-2332. A transfer will not be necessary.
Kind regards,
S. Stremme, M.D.