SPRINT® PNS; Shoulder Pain
As an Army medic, Logan has to be in top physical shape. Her role could require her to drag a soldier, often much larger than she is, off the field. So, when her shoulder began to hurt a few years ago, she was concerned.
The pain started after Logan competed in a two-day “Soldier of the Year” competition, where men and women, sorted by Army rank, compete in swimming, physical training tests, an obstacle course, warrior tasks, and more. But after the second day, her shoulder began to hurt.
“It felt bruised, but I couldn’t pinpoint what activity caused the pain,” Logan recalls. “I figured it would go away, but it got progressively worse.”
At first, she adjusted her workouts, hoping that backing off slightly would ease the pain. But the pain persisted. She visited her doctor, who prescribed physical therapy exercises. “I did the exercises every single day, trying to strengthen the muscles in my rotator cuff [the group of muscles and tendons that help move and stabilize the shoulder], to combat the pain, but it wasn’t working.”
More than a bruise
Eventually, Logan had an MRI, and the results were far more serious than she had anticipated: splitting in her rotator cuff muscles, a tear in her upper shoulder blade, and fluid buildup in her bone marrow, likely caused by inflammation. Unfortunately, the only treatment available was rest.
Around this time, Logan had moved from the field to pre-operative work at the base hospital. While the new job was less physically demanding, her injury still affected her daily life. “There were times when I couldn’t even lift my arm. If someone accidentally touched or bumped my shoulder, I’d wince in pain.” Even swinging her arm while walking hurt, and she often found herself cradling it like a sling.
Desperate for relief, Logan saw an orthopedist, who recommended steroid injections. But they did nothing for her pain. Even an ultrasound-guided injection that delivered the steroid directly to the affected tissue didn’t make an impact.
She began to feel hopeless.
Seeking more options
At Logan’s new job, she met her pain specialist. When she found out his expertise; she asked him if he could fix her shoulder. He told her he would certainly try.
Her pain specialist began injecting platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into her injured shoulder. PRP is a treatment that uses the patient’s own blood that’s been concentrated into platelets and then reinjected into the injured area. The plasma can trigger new cell growth, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. Unfortunately, the treatment did nothing for Logan’s pain.
Logan, who relied on working out to manage stress, began feeling depressed. By then it had been two years since her injury, and she was seeing her fitness level decline and her weight creep up. “I'd gotten to the point that I couldn't even hold a barbell. I was nervous about an upcoming physical training (PT) test, which I'd managed to continue taking until that point. I was going from high scores before the injury to barely passing it.”
After the PRP treatment didn’t work, the pain specialist handed Logan a brochure for the SPR® SPRINT® PNS System a 60-day treatment proposed to help retrain the nervous system and reduce chronic pain. He told her the decision was hers. But Logan, desperate for relief, told her pain specialist she was willing to try anything.
A game changer
Once the SPRINT leads was inserted, Logan wasn’t certain if it was working because she still felt pain. She told her pain specialist, who determined the leads were inserted a bit too high. Once the leads' location was adjusted, the pain went away. After the leads were removed, she was astonished. “I took my PT test the day after the leads were removed and was nearly back to where I used to be. Being able to go from barely passing to actually being able to hold things and throw a ball, was a game changer.”
Today, Logan is back to her workouts, and to her delight, she can do handstand holds again. “I went from not being able to lift my arm above my head to being able to completely extend my arm and put all of my body weight on it,” she says. "I had almost lost hope that I was ever going to be able to do what I did before. It’s so nice having my life back!”