Shoulder pain patients

67 year old golfer
SK is a 67 year old corporate pilot who had bilateral shoulder pain. When flying, he has to reach in many different directions to reach controls and various switches. This repetitive motion led to pain in both shoulders. The pain started 2 years ago and was made worse with movements overhead or overextending to reach things. Stephen also enjoyed lifting weights but noticed difficulty lifting weights overhead. The shoulder pain was worse in the left shoulder. He was also an avid golfer but had been unable to play due to the pain.

On examination, SK had tenderness at his left anterior shoulder and posterior deltoid. There was also crepitus. He rated his pain as 7 out of 10 with ROM, especially abduction. We started prolotherapy on SK by injecting his left GH joint, subdeltoid bursa, and teres attachment on the humerus with a solution consisting of 50% Dextrose/ 50% Lidocaine.

After the 1st injection, he noticed significant improvement in his ROM. He no longer had tenderness in his anterior shoulder. He had residual tenderness near the teres attachment on the humerus. After the 2nd injection, Mr. Kuehle felt a 60% improvement overall. The ultimate test for him was during his long flights across the country. On his flights, he noticed improved ROM which allowed him to reach the controls without pain and he had his first pain free flight. With each injection, he felt improvement and now feels he is 90% better overall. He is gradually resuming his weight training and getting back into golf. As a pilot, he no longer has any restrictions in his performance and no pain when he flies.

54 year-old-female
VP is a 54 year old female suffering from right shoulder pain since April 2006. Her pain has been worsening for the past 3 months. She started boxing and weight lifting recently and the activities have made the pain worse. She would like to continue these activities but feels limited due to her shoulder.

MRI of her right shoulder showed severe supraspinatus tendinosis with a small tear and partial tear of the distal subscapularis tendon. On examination, VP had tenderness on the right levator scapula and subscapularis area. She had FROM and 5/5 in power.

We started prolotherapy on her right shoulder with a solution of 50%Dextrose and 50% Lidocaine. The injections were on the right side in her subdeltoid bursa, levator scapula, subscapularis, and proximal humerus. She noticed considerable improvement in her ROM and strength after her 4th series of prolotherapy injections. With two additional treatments, she was almost pain free. Victoria was able to paint her house and do gardening as well. These activities gave her little or no discomfort. Previously, she was unable to perform either task.