Frozen Shoulder Syndrome
June 2011
I suffered from frozen shoulder for over 4 years. It was one of those things that I thought would go away on its own. In May of 2010 I decided to finally have it looked at by an orthopedist. After several x-rays and an MRI they indeed diagnosed it as frozen shoulder and I was scheduled for surgery to manually manipulate my arm under anesthesia as well as break up some scar tissue by scoping it.
At the time my diabetes was uncontrolled so I couldn't have surgery until it was under control. This was a blessing in disguise as it gave me time to do some research on surgery as a fix for frozen shoulder. I found that it statistically had a very low success rate.
As I got my diabetes under control over the next several months, I manually stretched my shoulder probably gaining 70% of it's mobility back when a friend recommended Dr. D'Amico.
I checked out Dr. D'Amico's website and the frozen shoulder website he links to and was fascinated by some of the testimonials and an ACTUAL reason as to what causes frozen shoulder. Every other doctor I spoke with said, "It's something that just happens to diabetics". I decided to give it a try and scheduled an appointment.
After the first visit I had that last 30% of mobility over my head. One pop to the neck and presto. My only regret is not going 4 years ago as not to let all the tendons in my right shoulder shorten requiring physical rehab, but you cannot have everything. So here I am a year plus with an A1C going from 11.8 to 6.6 and a right shoulder that actually works again.
So my recommendation for ANYONE with a frozen shoulder is not to wait and get it fixed by someone who can actually tell you what causes the problem in the first place.
J.S.
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome
June 2011
I am a 56 year old female that was diagnosed with frozen shoulder syndrome about November of 2010. For about a month I had severe pain in my shoulder when reaching over my head or across my body. I thought I tore my rotator cuff. I started babying it because I didn't want to damage it further. It progressively got worse so that I was in constant pain. I couldn't even sleep at night. I went to an orthopedic doctor who put me in therapy. which did nothing. He also put me on pain medication. After 2 weeks of therapy he surgically manipulated my shoulder & I continued therapy immediately to regain movement. I was in so much pain it was unbearable. The therapy inflamed my arm so bad that I started having muscle spasms in my arm in addition to the shoulder pain.
Someone suggested I try Dr. D'Amico at Chippewa Chiropractic Clinic. I was told he specialized in the Frozen Shoulder Syndrome. I was afraid to go because I had never been to a chiropractor before and I couldn't figure out how "cracking my bones" was going to help my shoulder. I was in so much pain and not sleeping that I decided to try. Dr. D'Amico was very patient and understanding with me. I learned more about Frozen Shoulder Syndrome in 1 day than the entire time I had been suffering with it. He made me feel at ease with my fears and was not overly aggressive in his treatment. After 1 session I could raise my arm significantly more. I started feeling more at ease with each session and he was able to do more each time. My progress has been remarkable. He also put me on a therapy regime with Sue, the therapist in his practice. She was very knowledgable and thorough in her explanations on the therapy.
I no longer take pain medication, I can sleep at night and my shoulder rotation is almost back to normal. I know it sounds silly but I feel like it is a miracle. I never thought I would be this far along in such a short time. I wish I would have taken this route sooner and would not have suffered so long.
I encourage and highly recommend you try Dr. D'Amico's program if you are suffering from this syndrome.
JM
Rochester, PA
Active Release Technique & Cold Laser
June 2010
On March 25th I sustained an injury to my left rib cage. X-rays showed that I hadn't broken any ribs; however, they were much bruised. The doctor told me that a bruised bone could take as long to heal as a broken one. A couple days later, I developed a pain in my left flank area (around the kidney). I returned to my Primary Care Physician and was prescribed Percocet for pain, a urine test and an order for a KUB (x-ray to see if I had a kidney stone). Test results came back negative for a kindey stone and kidneys were functioning normal. The following day, the pain in my left flank area elevated to a point that even with pain medication, I was very uncomfortable and went to an urgent care office (since the doctor's office was closed). They too thought it was a kidney stone and I was given a shot of Torradol for pain. Now with Percocet and Torradol in my system, the pain was reduced but not gone (3 on a scale of 1 to 10), their tests results came back negative too for a kidney stone and blood test showed that everything was functioning normal.
The following morning, still very much in pain, I called Chippewa Chiropractic and told them of my situation. I was told to bring in my x-rays and Dr. Lou would examine me to see if there was anything he could do for me. After a thorough examination, Dr. Lou diagnosed me with a muscle spasm between my free floating ribs. After some A.R.T. therapy and cold laser treatment on both my flank and bruised ribs, I walked out of the office feeling 50% better. This meant I didn't have to take any more pain medication. After 3 treatments, I was completely healed of the pain in my flank area and my bruised ribs were 80% healed due to having the cold laser treatment. Dr. Lou fixed the problem, not medicate the symptom. I had instantaneous results without medication; this allowed me to return to work faster. I am very appreciative of the care and treatment that I received at Chippewa Chiropractic; I would highly recommend them to everyone.
Sincerely
Dan Chidester
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome
October 2009
I am a 79 year old woman diagnosed with Frozen Shoulder Syndrome. When I went to see Dr. D'Amico, I could not raise my right arm above my waist because of the pain in my shoulder. I had been in some pain since July that kept getting worse as time went by. After the first treatment and before I left the office (Chippewa Chiropractic Clinic), I could raise my arm above my head. I couldn't believe it - What a great surprise!! And no pain. I would recommend Dr. D'Amico to anyone.
M.W.
Comprehensive Metabolic Profile
I have spent the last 10 to 15 years on a roller coaster when it comes to the way I feel each day. Getting up in the morning was always a chore. For several years I just stayed in bed and my husband got up, got his own breakfast, and went to work. I would finally get up at 10 a.m. and feel miserable the rest of the day. In the year 2000, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and prescribed a C-pap machine. I improved to the point that I could get up with my husband each morning, but I still just didn't "feel good" during the day.
I tried dieting and walking. I was successful in losing 30lbs and was so proud of myself, however, it didn't last. Before long I was right back where I had started...feeling tired and miserable and gaining weight. My legs ached all the time and I had an "I don't care attitude". Usually, if I did manage to get out of my robe and slippers and work in the yard or even in the house, I would pay the next day with muscle pain and stiffness.
About 18 months ago, I had one of my frequent episodes of lower back pain and a friend suggested I see Dr. Lou D'Amico at Chippewa Chiropractic Clinic. As I was being treated for my back pain, Doc could see that I had other problems. (I guess it was pretty obvious, since I actually cried on the treatment table). But through all this, he seemed genuinely interested in how I was feeling and actually believed there could be a physical cause for my symptoms.
At that point, early Feb. 2008, I began to learn about a tool known as a metabolic profile. I had majored in Biology in college and even though it was over 40 yrs ago, I understood the basics of the doctor's explanation of how it works. I knew that for one's body to operate efficiently that things have to happen on a cellular level. Energy (of which I had very little) comes from chemical reactions in the body, as does detoxification, hormonal balance, neural responses, etc. Successful metabolism keeps all these reactions in perfect balance. When out of balance, health problems often arise.
A metabolic profile is a test done on blood and urine samples to measure the efficiency of how our bodies utilize the nutrients we take in through the food we eat. My profile showed significant problems with energy production caused by vitamin B insufficiency, problems with detoxification and bacterial imbalance in the intestines.
There are specific dietary supplements, which, when taken in the proper doses can help greatly to enhance the metabolic processes. My life has significantly improved since I began taking supplements recommended by the study. I have been working a lot more in our family business as well as working out regularly at a local wellness center. My mood has greatly improved and I've lost a few pounds just from being more active. My food cravings have also decreased which is helping stabilize my weight gain. I am very thankful for my discovery!!
S. W.
Chippewa Twp.
