Cross My Heart

What I'm reading: Research study: 99% of 41-76 year old participants had shoulder issue on MRI

Finnish researchers performed imaging scans on both shoulders of 602 adults aged 41-76. They found 99% of the participants had at least one rotator cuff issue. Issues include tears, tendon swelling, or thickening. Of these participants only 18% said they had any shoulder pain. Even when the researchers compared people with symptoms to those who were asymptomatic, abnormalities were nearly identical. Ninety-six percent of pain-free participants had shoulder issues while 98% of the participants in pain showed issues.

What do I conclude from this information? These results makes me question the ability for an MRI to properly diagnose what is causing shoulder pain. Since 99% had abnormalities, but ony 16% had pain, it may not explain to me why the patient is in pain. To confound the issue, shoulder sugery has a fairly high success rate in reducing shoulder pain. I saw two studies, one suggested post-surgerical shoulder pain was reduced by 82%, the other studies found a 92% reduction in pain. It was also reported that post-surgical retear rates range from 15-21%. These results make me curious to delve deeper into why someone's shoulder hurts, but does it matter if shoulder sugery reduces pain with such great success?

Testimonial I'm loving: Referrals

The past two weeks I have been getting referrals from people I saw a month ago to and from people I saw a decade ago. It's been wonderful to hear the stories of how acupuncture helped my patients feel better and that they wanted to share my information with someone else. One returning patient saw me ten years ago for back pain and hasn't had any pain since. He was coming in for an unrelated elbow issue.

Quote I'm contemplating:

"The sun didn't just touch my skin—it touched my heart, reminding me that even after the harshest seasons, life blooms again." - Unknown

Product I'm trying: Le Creuset Ceramic Coated Cast Iron Pot

I was stopped by a neighbor while heading down the street with a huge bowl of popcorn. My neighbor's invited me over to hang out and I brought a snack. The neighbor that stopped me snacked a little too and told me I needed to try making popcorn in a cast iron pot. She assured me I would notice a huge improvement in taste. I bought it today. Shoot me a text if you want to know how it turned out and if it truly is better than my regular pot.

Song I'm enjoying: Cross My Heart by Everything But The Girl

Everything But The Girl is my favorite group of all time. They are the perfect mix of angst, tenderness, and love. They recently released a new album after 24 years. Ben and Tracy still sound incredible. I couldn't pick just one song to post of theirs. I picked Cross My Heart first because it shows off her silky voice. Give these a listen, too. I've been obesessed since the 80s. Don't miss Run a Red Light, Troubled Mind, Get Me, Wrong, and Single,  I love all of them and will have it playing on repeat in the background for hours.

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