How Therapies Treated My Musculoskeletal Injuries from Rare Disease

Due to short bowel syndrome (SBS), I've endured years of malnutrition, and even the years I've been well-nourished, I still have nutrient deficiencies that have significantly impacted my musculoskeletal system. Because of these nutrient deficiencies, I've experienced bouts of tendonitis and a bulging disc in my neck. Physical and occupational therapy have made a difference in managing pain.

A bulging disc in my neck

In 2014, I developed a bulging disc in my neck due to my weakened bones from malnutrition. The pain was something I had never experienced before; I could barely turn my head without extreme pain. Since my bones had weakened, I underwent an entire month of testing to determine it was a bulging disc.

Then, I participated in 6 months of physical therapy to strengthen my neck muscles to keep my disc in place. We would try a new set of exercises that would show improvement in my pain for a few days but then significantly increase my pain level after those few days.

This cycle repeated itself for several months, but with trial and error, we got there. I have a limited range of motion with neck and chronic pain because of the bulging disc, but for the most part, I'm able to control the pain, and I have an exercise routine for when I do enter another pain flare.

Tendonitis

I also developed tendonitis in both of my wrists after using an old-fashioned reel lawn mower for too long. It started in one wrist, but with overcompensation of my better wrist, it soon developed in both wrists. It also required several months of occupational therapy to heal the tendonitis. I also have an exercise routine for when I have a tendonitis pain flare. In addition to occupational therapy, I wore a wrist brace 24/7 for 6 weeks and then only at night.

This year, I developed tendonitis in my elbow and am currently receiving occupational therapy for it. I will no doubt have an exercise routine to use should it flare again.

Dealing with nerve pain

The pain I've experienced in all three of these scenarios has been a different pain than I'm used to with my other conditions. They've all been sharp, shooting, burning nerve pain. Turning my head for too long or even holding a glass has caused excruciating pain.

I must remain vigilant of my movements when completing tasks or even sitting to reduce the strain and repetitive movements on my musculoskeletal system. Otherwise, I can easily trigger a pain flare in any of these three injured areas and must resume the specialized exercise regimen to calm the affected nerves and inflammation.

New medical techniques in treating my pain

It's been interesting to experience the developments in medical understanding as new techniques have been used during each episode. In my elbow therapy, I tried dry needling, cupping, and blood flow restriction in addition to the exercises with my occupational therapist.

Dry needling

Dry needling uses acupuncture-like needles inserted into trigger points within the connective tissues surrounding and supporting muscles. In current research findings, dry needling may be effective for short-term pain relief, but more research must be done to determine long-term effectiveness.¹

Cupping

Cupping is an alternative, complementary therapy for pain-related conditions. It's a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice that involves applying cups to the skin, creating negative pressure to increase blood flow to the areas. Cupping decreases pain and improves blood flow to the affected area with low adverse effects.²

Blood flow restriction

Blood flow restriction therapy involves wearing a blood restriction cuff on the upper arm (or other limbs) calibrated to a percentage according to your body to increase oxygenation to the muscles during strengthening exercises.³

My experiences with these therapies

I've been fortunate that every time I've needed physical or occupational therapy, I've experienced successful outcomes that help me manage my pain and health conditions better. I've become a strong advocate for therapy, even when I didn't think therapy would be helpful. I was proven wrong.