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Primary osteoarthritis of the shoulder is a degenerative joint disease that develops for many of us above the age of fifty. The exact cause is uncertain, but women are more likely to be affected by it than men. Your shoulder system is a complicated structure with 17 muscles, several ligaments and four joint systems that can be degenerated by osteoarthritis. Synovitis, which is one of the primary drivers of OA, can develop wherever bone meets ligament. The ligaments begin to weaken, and the joint structures loosen.
Secondary osteoarthritis is a degenerative process that is initiated by a previous injury to a joint. You may slightly stress that old lacrosse or swimming injury and reactivate the body’s healing process. Our body mistakenly provides the stressed area with too many histamines that slowly begin to degrade bone and ligaments over time, leading to joint instability and pain. Both primary and secondary osteoarthritis sneak up on us. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease and will progress unless treated, so if some of the symptoms below apply to you today, contact Dr. Scott Greenberg for an examination.
- Ache at the top or back of the shoulder
- Ache near the shoulder blade
- Pain in the shoulder while resting
- Pain at night
- Grinding (crepitus)
- Hard to lift arm
- Poor range of motion
- Swelling
The long term success of Dr. Greenberg’s patients is attributed to a specialized approach to the examination process. Deemed “The Greenberg Method,” this diagnostic approach not only looks into the area of damage and pain, but also evaluates the mechanics and structure of the bone and joints related to the area of the pain. For instance, abnormal scapular positioning and movement will put excessive strain across the shoulder joint leading to accelerated wear and tear of the joint. Additionally, this abnormal positioning will cause the acromion to press down on the rotator cuff which can cause or contribute to damage in the subscapularis. When this muscle’s tendon weakens, the joint becomes more unstable and accelerates the wear on the joint. In executing The Greenberg Method, Dr. Greenberg often discovers that conditions experienced in one area of the body are often rooted in a different area that hasn’t been treated before. While an isolated joint treatment ignores physiology and the evaluation of movement, The Greenberg Method’s full-body examination produces a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan. In return, the patient experiences a greater reduction in pain and improvement in function, which helps them get back on their feet to resume their daily routines, pain free.
Dr. Greenberg’s team will first perform The Greenberg Method including a review of your most recent radiographs. They will carefully examine and palpate your neck, back, shoulders and shoulder blades to gain a comprehensive understanding of the extent of your osteoarthritis and assess the kinetic integrity of the entire shoulder region.
If you are an appropriate candidate for The Greenberg Method, Dr. Greenberg will treat your OA by halting the progress of the disease and regenerating the joint systems of the shoulder joint. For osteoarthritis, he will administer a healing and synergistic cascade of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Treatments. PRP and stem cell treatments provide chondrocytes to rebuild cartilage, osteoblasts to restore bone, anti-arthritic factors, plus several other beneficial growth factors.
A typical treatment course may call for several injections performed every 3 weeks depending on the patient’s response. The treatments initiate natural healing processes that strengthen and renew sinews, ligaments, and tendons to stabilize the shoulder, improve joint mobility and reduce pain as the shoulder becomes more stable. If we find additional areas that may be causing pain, we will try to fix those too.
TGM’s PRP and Stem Cell treatments bring the therapeutic power of your body’s own biological factors and cells to the forefront of natural regeneration while surgery only corrects one component of a very diverse joint structure. In fact, it makes more sense to fight a degenerative joint disease by enabling your body’s natural healing factors to regenerate all of the components of the joint to strengthen it and reduce pain from instability. TGM treatments improve functionality without steroids, opioids, infection risks and protracted recovery times of four to six months.
If a surgery such as shoulder joint replacement is proposed to correct your OA, step back and ask yourself what makes sense to you? TGM’s PRP and Stem Cell treatments bring the therapeutic power of your body’s own biological factors and cells to the forefront of natural joint regeneration. Surgery for a shoulder replacement is major surgery, and it corrects only one component of the structure. Plus, surgery provides no pathway for natural regeneration. It also places tremendous stress on all adjacent structures, increases your risk for infection and requires a protracted recovery period from 6 to 9-months. So consider the TGM alternatives and ask us about opioid-free regenerative strategies.
If you or a loved one is looking for a new strategy to treat chronic aches and pains, fill out the form on this page to schedule an appointment or call Dr. Greenberg’s office today at 833-440-4325.