Chronic Numbness At Left Arm

For about 1 year, the patient - a 56 year old lady - had a problem when lifting her left arm upwards. She felt no pain but tightness at her L-ball joint area. She also experienced  numbness at her whole left upper and lower arm, at all times of the day.


GENERAL SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED BY PATIENT:

Prior to the start of Sonotron therapy, the patient complained of tightness and not pain in her L-shoulder joint whenever she lifted her arm. She also complained of constant numbness in her upper and lower L-arm. She reported a tightness score of 10 out of 10 when lifting and a numbness score of 5 out of 10.


RESULT AFTER 1ST THERAPY SESSION ON MAY 16, 1995.

Before the Sonotron treatment, with the help and observation of her daughter, a physiotherapist of the hospital, the patient was asked to locate, by herself, the most tight spot in her L-shoulder. She located it by lifting her own arm when she reported a tightness score of 10 out of 10.

Immediately after the treatment, she reported a slight drop in tightness to a score of 8 out of 10 when lifting. She also reported no more numbness in her upper and lower L-arm. Her numbness score was reported then at 0 out of 10.


RESULT AFTER 2ND THERAPY SESSION ON MAY 17, 1995.

The patient felt a sudden attack of numbness at about 1:00 am in the morning of the next day at her upper and lower L-arm. She had to rub her arm to relieve the numbness. She reported a numbness score of 8 out of 10 during the sudden attack.

Before the 2nd Sonotron therapy session, the patient was asked to assess her difficulty. She reported a numbness score of around 8 out of 10 at her upper and lower L-arm. The ROM (range of motion) of her L-arm was measured with an equipment. The same physiotherapist and the operator measured the degree of maximum upward extension of her L-arm  to be 95 degrees but her R-arm was able to lift up to a maximum of 130 degrees.

Immediately after treatment, she registered a score of 0 out of 10 for her numbness. The ROM was measured again and the degree of maximum upward extension was found to be 105 degrees. A 10 degrees increase in ROM was registered. 


RESULT AFTER 3RD THERAPY SESSION ON MAY 18, 1995.

After treatment, the patient's numbness came back at about 1:00 am in the morning at her upper and lower L-arm but less than the morning of the day before. She reported a numbness score of 5 out of 10 at that moment.

Before the 3rd therapy session started, she reported a numbness score of only 3 out of 10 at her upper and lower L-arm. The angle of maximum upward extension of her L-arm improved to 100 degrees instead of 95 degrees, as reported a day before, thus giving a 5 degrees difference.

After therapy, she reported no more numbness in her L-arm. The degree of maximum upward extension was increased to 110 degrees, making a difference of 10 degrees for that day itself. The Physiotherapist was happy with the improvement in the patient's ROM. The patient and the physiotherapist evaluated the treatment for the ROM to be "good" and the treatment of her numbness to be "excellent".


RESULT AFTER 4TH THERAPY SESSION ON MAY 19, 1995.

However, the patient's numbness came back at about 2:00 am in the morning only at her upper L-arm but at a very much reduced level than the morning of a day before. She experienced no more numbness at her lower L-arm.

Before the 4th therapy session, she reported a numbness score of only 1 out of 10 on her upper L-arm. The degree of maximum ROM was determined to be 110 degrees, which was the same as the day before.

After the therapy, she experienced no more numbness in her L-arm and the degree of ROM was increased to 115 degrees. She and the physiotherapist evaluated the treatment for numbness to be "excellent" and the improvement in ROM to be "good".