DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have been told I have a frozen shoulder. I don't know how I got it, and I'm not clear about what I should do for it other than "exercise it." I need some specifics. I would be deeply grateful for any hints you can give me. -- R.K.
A: I'll give you a few specifics, but you need a doctor who will supervise a rehabilitation program for you or will turn you over to a physical therapist who can work with you on getting your shoulder moving again.
A frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is one that a person can barely move in any direction. Thick strands of scar tissue have formed in the shoulder joint and have anchored it in place. The joint has to regain elasticity, and the scar tissue has to be broken before you can move the shoulder normally.
Often an injury precedes a frozen shoulder. The injury makes a person voluntarily immobilize the joint to avoid pain. Immobility promotes the growth of scar tissue that, in time, becomes dense and locks the shoulder. Don't be discouraged. More than 90 percent of people with a frozen shoulder regain full range of motion, but that can take six to 18 months to accomplish.
Before exercising the joint, take a bath or warm shower so that the shoulder gets 10 to 15 minutes of heat. The weighted-pendulum exercise is a popular one for this condition. With a 5-pound weight held in the hand whose shoulder has frozen, make small circles with the arm dangling at your side. As the shoulder loosens, increase the diameter of the circles. This is a good exercise, but it's not enough. You must have supervised instructions for a comprehensive program.
Doctors can inject the joint with cortisone, and that often speeds the thawing process for a frozen shoulder. Are you seeing a rheumatologist or an orthopedic surgeon? You should be.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doctor has diagnosed me as having microcytic anemia. What is a microcytic anemia? What is the treatment? -- L.D.
A: Microcytes are small red blood cells. Doctors classify anemias -- deficiencies of red blood cells -- into small red blood cell size (microcytic), normal red blood cell size (normocytic) and large red blood cell size. The classification narrows the possible kinds of anemia a person might have. Microcytic anemias are found in iron-deficiency anemia, thalassemia and the anemia of kidney disease.
You probably have an iron-deficiency anemia. The doctor has to find out why you don't have enough iron. Often it's the result of undetected bleeding. The treatment is to stop the bleeding and to provide you with iron until your body's iron deficit is corrected.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am on Lopid to lower cholesterol. My friend takes Mevacor. We wonder if combining the two medicines would bring our numbers down faster and lower. Would it? -- J.A.
A: It is sometimes useful and necessary to combine different cholesterol medicines to get a stubborn cholesterol value to budge. However, the combination of Mevacor and Lopid is not a good one. Lopid can increase Mevacor's potential to injure muscle. That potential is quite small. However, increasing the chance of a side effect isn't a good idea when other solutions work. Send me your numbers. Both of you might be doing quite well with only the one drug you are currently taking.
The cholesterol booklet covers this subject in detail -- its significance and its treatment. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 201, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Can we digest corn? I see it in my stool after I eat it. -- B.W.
A: What you see is the bran part of corn. It's the indigestible part of all grains. It serves a useful purpose. It keeps us regular, and it keeps stools soft.
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.
c. North America Syndicate
