INFO - Cervical spine complications in rheumatoid arthritis patients

[Guest guest]

,

great article. I have an old 3 level cervical fusion; my rheumie

referred me to an orthopod to check me out as I was having neck @

shoulder pain consistently. He thought the adjoining vertebrae and

muscles were trying to " compensate " for the fused areas. It was a

comfort to know that my rheumie was on top of things enough to have

this checked out. A lot of my pre-op symptoms are covered in this

article- it's so good to be informed on a topic that can be very

serious if not properly addressed. My " former " ortho doc treated me

as a rotator cuff injury for 2 months. My physical therapist finally

insisted on neck xrays, as she said it just didn't look like a

shoulder injury. (which the doc did, but with a very pissy attitude)

I don't know how long I would have gone with a ruptured disc near my

spinal cord. He sure changed his tune after the xrays came out. I

never set foot back in his office again.

Jane

> Postgraduate Medicine

> January 2000

>

> " Cervical spine complications in rheumatoid arthritis patients " :

>

> http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2000/01_00/alberstone.htm

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>

> I'll tell you where to go!

>

> Mayo Clinic in Rochester

> http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

>

> s Hopkins Medicine

> http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[Guest guest]

Postgraduate Medicine

January 2000

" Cervical spine complications in rheumatoid arthritis patients " :

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2000/01_00/alberstone.htm

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org