Need help from the Elite Experts

[nautica]

Got a friend who is 46 years old (natural). Has always been very active - lifting, baskeball, running, ect...

The last 6 months his shoulders and arms have became extremely week. Almost to the point of not even being able to lift a towel at times. One doc even said carpel tunnel, but later test and other docs said no. No MS or anyother condidtions.

He has went to every doc in the book. Blood test, MRI's ect.... Everything came back fine.

Any ideas on what could be causing this??? He wants me to help him with a workout routine and nutrition, but should he seek out opinions for other docs???

Also, I remember seeing some threads about people with injures doing something (it was not accupuncture) but I can not remember what it was or even if it would help him.

Thanks
Nautica

 

[Nathan]

Could it be tendon or ligament problems? Maybe a joint weakness? Arthritis? Hell, I think the only people who could answer this are sports docs. Has he tried somoeone who specializes in sports injuries?

 

[Zyglamail]

When you say he cant lift sometimes, is it accompanied with pain or is it simple weakness? If there is sharp pain to the point of almost dropping the weight he is lifting it sounds like tendon/ligiments to me. I had prolotherapy (more info at prolotherapy.com) done for severe tendonitis. I couldnt even curl 20lbs once due to the pain and would almost drop the dumbell it hurt so bad. It affected all my lifts, pressing more than pulling but it screwed them all. % prolo treatments and I would say im at 99%, no throbbing pain after workouts, little to no discomfort during, it was the best $$$ I ever spent.

 

[nautica]

prolotherapy.

that is what I was looking for.

Seems to be joint problems - from what I can tell. But like I said he has been to several docs and they do not have a clue.

thanks
nautica

 

[RADAR]

He may have damaged a nerve. I injured myself once and tore some muscle/nerves there was no pain but my strength & motor skills went from 100% to less than 10. RADAR

 

[monkeyballs]

Not able to pick up a towel?
That doesn't sound like any form of tendonitis that I've ever heard of. I just had a chunk of my quadracep tendon excised and holes drilled in my knee cap to relieve chronic tendonitis (this is the surgical version of prolotherapy). The pain in my knee was bad prior to the surgery, but the loss of strength was never that dramatic. Most of the time the strength loss was due to the fact that I couldn't handle the pain while lifting/training. If he is generally able bodied and is unable to pick up a towel at times then there is something other than tendonitis at work. I think that the culprit is probably neuro-muscular.

Is his inability to preform tasks due to severe pain, or actual muscular weakness?

If it's due to muscular weakness, I think that a visit to a neurologist probably a good idea.

Is one of the doctors that you have seen a neurologist?

 

[el cubano]

I don't know how much this helps, but, prior to my last shoulder surgery the MRI picked up a tear in my rotator cuff and that's it. When they went in and probed, they found MUCH more damage than what showed up on the MRI. So, to make a dumb story short, MRI's aren't gospel. If they didn't do this the first time, he should go have it done next time. There's an MRI you can get where they inject a dye into your shoulder first. It makes it much easier to pick up things which were missed the first time, like minor disguised tears and inflamation.

 

[nautica]

He is awaiting MRI results now.

As far as nuero-muscular. That is my feeling also. b/c it is from weakness not pain. But he went to a nuero surgeon who said everything was fine but he might have carpol tunnel. Then went to another specialist who says he did not.

Thinking maybe he needs to go to a different nuero-surgeon.

Thanks Guys
nautica

 

[BigGuns2]

Hope your friend will be ok. I've never heard of a problem like his before. He may have some strange neurological syndrome.