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jimn

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Posts posted by jimn

  1. Do a little bit of research. I have just had a fantastic experience at the private SamitiveJ hospital in ChonBuri only an hours drive. Fast professional booking of appointment, caring nurses, efficient doctor and great radiologists. Cost for an MRI, doctor consultation before and after MRI and 1 week medication. Cost 8,080 baht. You can't beat that.

     

  2. On 3/2/2025 at 2:06 PM, CharlieH said:

    Unfortunately there is unlikely to be any "quick fix" if this is nerve or soft tissue related, correct exercise/stretch  routine, and decent massage (not the soft happy ending type) should see improvement. The work is mostly on your part, with posture, flexibility exercise and strengthening supporting muscles.

     

    Why not go along to the suggested physiotherapy centre and get an assessment and go from there .

     

    I would try this before incurring possibly unnecessary expense of MRI etc, not saying rule it out, but if you are paying and not insurance I would explore other options before digging into the bank balance for specialist or imaging etc. 

    I thought I would update this thread as it may help anyone interested. I have been considering the advice by @CharlieH and @Sheryl. I have been following a number of sites online and tried to work out an exercise programme for myself, so far no better. I have also had 6 chiropractor sessions again no better. So I have bit the bullet and booked an MRI at SamitiveJ hospital in ChonBuri for a C Spine MRI without contrast, it's on promotion at 5,888 baht plus pre consultation fee of between 800 and 1500 baht. Depending how this goes I may visit a Spine specialist recommended by @Sheryl

     

    Thanks again 

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  3. On 3/5/2025 at 4:29 PM, johng said:

    Almost every time I try to use my UK card in Thailand it's flagged as fraudulent and blocked...resulting in long tedious phone calls to try unlocking it again....well at least till I learned my lesson  just use a Thai card or cash when in Thailand.

    Must be your bank then. I have a UK Mastercard and a UK visa card. Both are no fee and have an excellent exchange rate. I use them all the time and have done for 12 years. Never had an issue.

  4. 12 hours ago, Mark Nothing said:

    I had a similar shoulder pain for years and thought it was from over doing it repainting my whole condo. Just like you are attributing it to too much use of your crutches. 

     

    Did you consider another possibility? Have you been using your tablet or smart phone too much, holding your arms outstretched for long periods of time in a static way looking at your screen?

     

    One of my friends is a retired physical therapist and he said this type of should/arm pain is a very common problem now and gave me the following information. The human body is made for motion, not to be static.  Knots form in the shoulder leading to pain. I think he called it tendonitis. He gave me two shoulder rubdowns identifying the painful spots and rubbed the tissue vigourously, which was very painful.  This was to unfreeze the static knots.  Like a drinking straw that has collapsed onto itself and no fluid can move, leading to the painful discomfort.  The rubdown objective was to reopen the frozen knots in the tissue.

     

    So I quit using my tablet screen too much with outstretched static arms, kept a positive attitude each day that my shoulders would return to painfree and fully functional and it worked.  I even repainted my room a few years later with zero pain.

    Thanks for the positive reply. Yes I probably do use my mobile a lot but no more than I have always done. As per my original post I am having chiropractor sessions doing exactly as you described but so fat no joy, that is why I created this thread to get some ideas. Cheers.

  5. 12 hours ago, Mark Nothing said:

    I had a similar shoulder pain for years and thought it was from over doing it repainting my whole condo. Just like you are attributing it to too much use of your crutches. 

     

    Did you consider another possibility? Have you been using your tablet or smart phone too much, holding your arms outstretched for long periods of time in a static way looking at your screen?

     

    One of my friends is a retired physical therapist and he said this type of should/arm pain is a very common problem now and gave me the following information. The human body is made for motion, not to be static.  Knots form in the shoulder leading to pain. I think he called it tendonitis. He gave me two shoulder rubdowns identifying the painful spots and rubbed the tissue vigourously, which was very painful.  This was to unfreeze the static knots.  Like a drinking straw that has collapsed onto itself and no fluid can move, leading to the painful discomfort.  The rubdown objective was to reopen the frozen knots in the tissue.

     

    So I quit using my tablet screen too much with outstretched static arms, kept a positive attitude each day that my shoulders would return to painfree and fully functional and it worked.  I even repainted my room a few years later with zero pain.

    Thanks for the positive reply. Yes I probably do use my mobile a lot but no more than I have always done. As per my original post I am having chiropractor sessions doing exactly as you described but so fat no joy, that is why I created this thread to get some ideas. Cheers.

  6. 2 hours ago, Presnock said:

    great reply! as usual with varied suggestions.  Pillow can be a big problem, especially if your sleep position doesn't match the pillow and mattress.  Best of luck.

    Thank you. I find it painful in my neck to sleep on my left side and yes my pillow is soft and probably too low. I will look for an alternative.

  7. 40 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

    6 months is a long time, longer than would be expected if the problem were just muscle related. 

     

    The likely differential is between cervical spine issue compressing the nerves and a bilateral shoulder injury. I would start by ruling out the first. You will need to come to Bangkok to see a spine specialist. Get an MRI of cervical spine first and bring with you on DVD.  Xray of cervical spine will also be needed. Xray is not expensive but the best price you can get on MRI is 9k at an imaging center:

     

    https://mrithailand.com/

     

    Ask for MRI of cervical spine without contrast. There is a branch in Bang Na which is convenient when coming from Pattaya. Do not worry about waiting for report, spine specialist will disregard anyway and read the scan themself. Just bring it on DVD which you can get right after the scan.

     

    In  terms of doctors, I suggest one of these 2:

     

    https://www.bnhhospital.com/search-doctor/entry/4093/

     

     

    https://www.bch.in.th/find-doctor/52

     

    Consultation plus Xrays will be around 4-5 k. 

     

    Get recommendations in writing in case you want to go elsewhere for actual treatment. 

    Thanks for the advice Sheryl 

  8. 31 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

    Unfortunately there is unlikely to be any "quick fix" if this is nerve or soft tissue related, correct exercise/stretch  routine, and decent massage (not the soft happy ending type) should see improvement. The work is mostly on your part, with posture, flexibility exercise and strengthening supporting muscles.

     

    Why not go along to the suggested physiotherapy centre and get an assessment and go from there .

     

    I would try this before incurring possibly unnecessary expense of MRI etc, not saying rule it out, but if you are paying and not insurance I would explore other options before digging into the bank balance for specialist or imaging etc. 

    Thanks for the advice Charlie

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  9. 1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

     

    Uneven weight distribution: Using crutches shifts weight to the upper body, especially the shoulders, neck, and arms.

    Forward-leaning posture: Crutch use often causes a forward head posture, straining the cervical spine (C5/C6 area).

    Overuse of upper body muscles: The deltoids, trapezius, and rotator cuff work harder, leading to muscle tightness and potential nerve comp

    Thank you that's my theory on why this started. My worry is, what is the treatment. It's been a while now with no improvement.

  10. 30 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

    To be clear, when you say "both shoulders and arms" do you mean pain is on both the right and left sides? Or just that both the arm and shoulder of one side are affected? 

    Thank you. Both shoulders and both arms are affected. The swelling in my neck is on my left side between the shoulder and neck just above the collar bone. The pain is sharp in upper arm when I use my arms to stand up applying pressure. I can raise my arms but in a circular movement I get pain in upper arm, this is both sides. Back of the neck around the highest point of my spine is sore. Some pain at the lower part of left thumb above the wrist. Thing is I can still go to the gym and do cardio treadmill and bike but no weights or lifting. I am 69 years old by the way 

  11. 18 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

    C5 Nerve Root (C4-C5 Disc Level):

    Can cause pain in the shoulder, lateral upper arm (deltoid region), and down to the elbow.

    May also lead to weakness in the deltoid and biceps muscles.

    Commonly affected by cervical disc herniation or foraminal stenosis.


    C6 Nerve Root (C5-C6 Disc Level):

    Pain can radiate from the neck to the shoulder, outer upper arm, down to the thumb and index finger.

    Weakness may occur in the biceps and wrist extensor muscles.

    Can be affected by degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, or cervical spondylosis.

    Thanks Charlie. It's both arms/shoulders that's the problem. I had no previous problems with my shoulders until as I said about 6 weeks after my right hip replacement. I am considering an xray as a first step but am unsure if it will show what is the problem. MRI would obviously be the ultimate test but for shoulder's and neck both sides it will be expensive.

     

  12. I had a hip replacement in the UK last August which went very well and I was soon back in the gym  My problem is that about 6 weeks after my op I started to get severe shoulder and arm pain,  which also radiates down to my left thumb. I also have a slight swelling in the neck above the left collar bone. I don't know if this is due to the use of crutches etc. Now 6 months later this is no better. I have been going to a Chriopractor for 5 sessions, he says I have pinched/trapped nerves. But after 5 weeks it is no better. Any ideas advice for diagnosis and treatment @SherylThanks. I am based in Pattaya.

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