A London clinic’s revolutionary treatment techniques are luckily providing badly needed succour to Indian chronic sufferers of excruciating shoulder pain, accentuated by the Covid-enforced inactivity. With the radical new approach and relevant exercises pioneered by Jeremy Lewis’s London Shoulder Clinic (UK), not only can all types of shoulder problems be managed, but more importantly, the need for surgery can be reduced by up to 75 percent.
Prevalence of shoulder pain ranges from 1-66 percent. Of this, adhesive capsulitis is the commonest and after that come rotator cuff related abnormalities which account for 9.7-62 percent cases. A rotator cuff injury can cause a dull ache in the shoulder, worsening with the use of the arm away from the body and disturbed sleep which is accompanied by the weakness of the arm, according to Dr Veenu Kumar, head, Physiotherapy Department, Aashlok Hospital, Delhi, and founder, Solace Physiotherapy Centre.
Post-surgery rehabilitation of shoulder rotator cuff repair helps regain its range of motion, and the strength and confidence to use the operated shoulder in an optimal function. According to Dr Abhishek Kumar Mishra, leading orthopaedic surgeon, physiotherapy and rehabilitation play a major role in bringing about the functional outcome in patients.
Dr Ashwani Chopra, a well-known doctor and Director of Aashlok Hospital, believes that a supervised treatment plan under an expert makes you stronger and helps you recover faster from your injuries. A 72-year-old woman who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair for her right shoulder was on pain medication and advised to wear a shoulder immobiliser throughout.
She was referred to Dr Kumar by Dr Mishra. Dr Kumar introduced Lewis’s shoulder approach to her. She was able to attain full range of motion and the functional status on her operated shoulder within the fifth week of treatment. She could perform her basic activities and no longer used the immobiliser.