Physiotherapy

I've had trouble with my right shoulder since the radiation treatment and it's steadily gotten worse since then. Two weeks ago I flew to Copenhagen and was patted down by security at the airport. When I "assumed the position" I realised that I couldn't hold my right arm out sideways for more than a few seconds!

I'd asked for physio before Christmas and it finally started last week.

When I saw the physiotherapist (by sheer coincidence it turned out that I know her husband) she examined me and told me that my right shoulder has moved forward in its socket. There's a skeleton in the department and she showed me the ball and socket on the skeleton. The socket is very shallow, turns out this is one of the reasons we have so much movement in the shoulder, but it's also the reason the socket doesn't grip the ball very well and so the shoulder gets out of 'true' very easily.

The treatment is simple but prolonged - move the shoulder back into place. I've started with some simple movements and some (very) painful stretches. Then it's back there every other week or so to check progress and get more work. The good news is that it's completely fixable, my fear was that I had nerve damage and I'd have this painful shoulder forever but that's not going to be the case.