one huge possibility here depending upon just "where" that crane actually 'hit" on your body would also possibly include a c spine level injury as well? when you think of the forces involved in your particular mechanism of the shoulder injury and significant damage too, anything would be a possible that close to your c spine where the actual nerves that innervate that arm and hand start at? have they EVER done an MRI ON your c spine thru all this ongoing nightmare of your rotator/shoulder hell? you certainly DID end up with some very heavy and major damage there in that shoulder for you to have to even undergo that huge level of repairs. believe me here, i DO feel for you. i only snapped my top tendon and that was more than enough real solid pain for me, i cannot even imagine what YOU have had to go thru and just 'feel" here too?
one possible here too just considering what needed to be done on that shoulder at all is the possibility of real impingement of certain hand/finger nerves(up in that rotator cuff area?). that pain in the elbow most likely is stemming from what is called your "ulnar' nerve, which up in the c spine is called the c 8 nerve too? thats the one most people would truely 'feel" if there is pain in that elbow area? this particular nerve, once it leaves that elbow area and travels down to the hand and fingers WOULD innervate with the sensory part for sure, that last two fingers on the hand, so one side at least of that ring finger(closest to that pinkie side) and the entire pinkie too? the median nerve actually sensory innervates the middle one. the motor or fine motor(our fingers dexterity) actually runs a bit differently than what the sensory nerves do. its just the strange way our c spine nerves innervate both sensory and motor to the fingers. the sensory actually follows what are called "dermatomes'? look thsoe up and you can kind of tell just by what fingers and areas of your hand you are having the sensory losses in, and compare that to the derm chart, just what leads to what within that c spine itself?
there is also a test,esp when you just DO have a pretty constant form of some type of real sensory loss almost constantly, that can show true level of flow velocity to any given nerve? its called an EMG/NCV test? it is a teeny bit painful only becasue it does involve having to place some needles into the skin(i have had this many times sionce my cord injury and totally survived, lol), but believe me, the solid real info that can actually come from this ONE test when in a situation like yours is well worth it(and it does NOT actually take that long to do either). this truely IS the best way to show actual impingement of any nerve as it would show a reduced flow to it and also and more importantly, they can tell exactly WHERE that real impingment is at from either the wrist on up to that c spine level too.
the spasms you are having could be from many different sources just considering the overall in depth nature of your surgery and injury too. but this just also could be a motor nerve issue too that is firing off signals to muscles in there becasue of actual c spine level damage to the motor innervation parts of the c spine nerves as well? i just would very highly recommend getting that c spine level MRI done and alkso with using the contrasting agent they can use doing MRI as well? the contrast just really does help in seeing certain findings that do not always show up as well without it? its just realistically NEEDED for what you are needing to find out in that c spine. then having that EMG done really would help as an adjunct test to either confirm or deny certain areas of more severe impact.
just exactly what in the heck do they really 'do" as far as what an actual 'shoulder replecement' surgery goes?? just curoius as to what actually even GETS repleced there? i have never heard of this level of actual repiar being done on an actual shoulder level joint before,so this IS a new one on me. i am just sorry you have had to go thru all you have already.
just an FYI here for ya. always always obtain every single copy of ANY types of real testing that is ever actually done on you for your OWN medical files you can keep at home too? it wouldn't hurt either at this point to also obtain every single record from every single doc and the hospitals where you have had the surgerys done and also the very day of that accident too. you just need all of this since this just IS a huge medical issue that you need to have all documantation of for your own best healthcare down the road and to be able to read thru everything done on you too? like specifically request ALL op notes from every surgery done? every surgeon has to by law make what is kind of a transcript of any surgery they do and they are called the 'op notes"? this all should be in your central medical file at the treating or surgical hospitals?
just being able to actually read thru all docs clinic visit notes, test results and anything else within your med files really does help YOU to just know that every concern you have has been covered by any doc and more importantly that you are simply actually being TOLD everything you should also know too? been doing this for me and my son who also has had wayy too many medical nightmares in his shorter life for years. it helps alot in many ways to just have this stuff or i would not be telling you to even do this sean.
but DO see about getting that c spine MRIed with contrast and about just having that nerve flow checked as well? 'something' is most definitely impacting or impinging what are the c spine nerves and just where they start from? but right now, you really NEED to know just exactly 'where' that real true level of impairment/impact actually is located? either in that shoulder where they also run along that arm from that surgery, or actually IN that c spine level really are the ONLY two real possibles here. i do hope they can find the reason/source of this crap for you soon. please do keep me posted sean. and DO also obtain your own copy of this MRI too. this is simply a badly needed MRI that has to be done just to narrow down where your radulopathic symptoms are stemming from. AND your doc already KNOWS this too, trust me there. good luck, FB
