Joe A Shaw PA-C - 4/4/2008

Question
I'm 56 yrs old and had CMC Arthroplasty last December.  I wore a cast and splint for 5 weeks. During that time my shoulder became more and more painful. My doctor is aware of this and we agreed not to address the shoulder until my wrist was further along in the ROM and strength. Do you think that this shoulder pain is related to the awkwardness of wearing a cast/splint for so long? How common do shoulder problems arise in post wrist surgery? Thank you in advance.

Answer
Bonnie,
Yes I do think that is what it's from. I do see it from time to time. The arm is being protected or held in different positions also while sleeping it can be aggravating. You do need to be aware of something called frozen shoulder syndrome, more so if you are a diabetic, but the shoulder jt can get stiff and painful from not using it enough, your Dr should have talked to you about it I think...so you may want to do some pendulum shoulder exercises etc.. you can google these terms for more info.