THE DOC REPLIES

I TORE my rotator cuff recently and have been told I need surgery. What will this entail?

The rotator cuff is a term used for the various soft tissue structures around the shoulder. Trauma can result in damage to the lining of the joint, the muscles and the tendons. Sometimes this will improve with physiotherapy, medication, strapping and time. In severe cases, surgery can improve function, or help with pain management. I would expect you to be in hospital for one or two days, and have significant pain for two or three weeks. The outcome will vary depending on your surgery, your commitment to rehabilitation and your lifestyle. Depending on your employment I would expect you to be off for at least a few weeks – longer if your work is physical. You’re likely to need physiotherapy to help you make as good a recovery as possible. IS it normal to experience moles on the soles of your feet? Should I have them checked out?

We don’t have pigment or melanin on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet so it would seem unlikely that you have moles. You should go and see someone medical and get them checked out. supposed to reduce the symptoms slightly. I am personally not sure it is of any huge benefit. Make sure the sting has been removed from the skin. Reactions vary from one person to another. It will be sore immediately and the pain can last anything from a few minutes to an hour or so. WHY are some people allergic to precious metals like jewellery? Does it run in the family?

Perhaps the question should be why are people allergic to anything? We expose ourselves to a lot of unusual things in terms of what we eat and substances our skin comes into contact with. We all have a different allergic tendency and this is just a reaction to coming into contact with something unusual. There are some people who have more of an allergic tendency than others and we call them atopic. They could suffer from asthma, eczema, or hay fever, for example. Some people are indeed allergic to metals, such as nickel. Atopy runs in families, although otherwise I am not sure that allergies to specific things are hereditary.

I’VE recently started going to WHAT’S the best way to treat a the gym but sometimes get a bee sting? rash when I sit on the

The old wives’ tale is to put machines. bicarbonate on a bee sting. I can’t be certain but I This is an alkaline and is don’t think the rash is going to

Unfortunately The Doc can’t directly reply to individual letters. When in doubt speak to your GP