Frozen Shoulder And Impingement
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There is no way to tell how much pain a person has. No test can measure
pain intensity, no imaging device can show pain, and no instrument can locate
pain precisely. Sometimes, as in headaches, physicians find that the best aid
to diagnosis is the patient's description
of the pain's type,
duration, and location. Defining pain as sharp or dull, constant or
intermittent, burning, or aching may give the best clues to the cause of pain.
These descriptions are part of the physician's pain history
during the preliminary examination of a patient with a problem.
Physicians, however, do have several technologies they use to find the
cause of pain. Primarily these include:
. Electrodiagnostic
procedures include electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies, and evoked
potential (EP) studies. Information from EMG can help physicians tell precisely
which muscles or nerves are affected by weakness or pain. Thin needles are
inserted in muscles. A physician can see or listen to electrical signals
displayed on an EMG machine. With nerve conduction studies, the doctor uses two
sets of electrodes (similar to those used during an electrocardiogram) placed
on the skin over the muscles. The first set gives the patient a mild shock that
stimulates the nerve that runs to that muscle. The second set of electrodes is
used to record the nerve's electrical
signals. From this information, the doctor can determine if there is nerve
damage. EP tests also involve two sets of electrodes - one set for stimulating
a nerve (these electrodes are attached to a limb) and another set on the scalp
for recording the speed of nerve signal transmission to the brain.
. Imaging,
especially magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, provides physicians with pictures
of the body's structures
and tissues. MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to differentiate between
healthy and diseased tissue.
. A neurological
examination in which the physician tests movement, reflexes, sensation,
balance, and coordination.
. X-rays produce
pictures of the body's structures,
such as bones and joints.
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