I’ve read, as have we all, that McCain’s injuries from his time as a prisoner of war make it impossible for him to raise his arms above his head. I’m looking for details, if anyone has them. Is it because it’s just too painful to raise them, ie he could do it on some serious painkillers, or because his arms literally cannot be raised that high, or because there’s something with his joints or muscles that prevents him from raising them but someone else could raise them for him, if you follow me?
What is the nature of the injury that still prevents him to raise his arms?
He had to have intense physical therapy when he came home. This, among other things, enabled him to bend his knees again. Same question there: too painful or somehow blocked?
Restrictions in range of motion are usually actual restrictions, rather than things you don’t do because it hurts. IOW, if you took his hand and raised it into the air, it probably wouldn’t cause much discomfort, but he wouldn’t be able to hold it there.
We’re talking about soft tissue damage, mostly, likely to the rotator cuff (a cup made up of muscle tissue and tendons which cradles the top of the upper arm bone), although it appears as though his humerus (upper arm bone) was broken during his captivity. Specific information about his medical condition(s) is quite difficult to come by, which is not surprising.
He also has age-related degeneration in his upper extremities and knee joints.