January...must be time for Physical Therapy again! (long)

[OakLeaf]

Thanks for asking - it's a little bit sore but not like I was expecting (but tomorrow could go either way)! He went in stages - massage, acupuncture, added some needles, then took the needles out and did more massage. I can definitely feel where things are going back into alignment.

So glad yours is going well too! Yay for us! Yay for health care practitioners who know what they're doing!

[Catrin]

Just got re-assessed by my PT. While my shoulder rehab has been extended for at least another month, we are seeing improvement in both ROM and rotator cuff strength, and a few other things Now my OTHER shoulder is complaining, and THAT rotator cuff is weaker than it was a month ago...sigh. Excellent signs that conservative treatment is working though and for that I am quite thankful. Just more proof that I don't need to see anyone else for PT in the area, this guy is just plain great at what he does! That being said, my doctor isn't yet convinced that shoulder surgery won't be necessary - I am rooting for my PT

Oak - how is your journey going? I must admit the very idea of acupuncture makes me squeamish...but is it working?

[Catrin]

This feels like the never-ending-shoulder-saga...

My PT feels like he is getting closer to discovering everything that is contributing to my shoulder problems. My shoulder ROM is still restricted but much better. Rotator cuff strength is increasing, at least in a couple of directions. Scalene and first rib tightness on that side is a contributor. Since the number of my symptoms are decreasing, it becomes easier for him to tell what is going on, and today I started getting numb in certain areas that indicates ulnar nerve entrapment/thoracic outlet syndrome. He gave me yet more exercises - these are to "glide the nerve" - odd term that - which will hopefully help.

Interestingly, while the "nerve gliding" that he did this morning had some odd effects in my lower scapula - once he was done all ROM restrictions in that shoulder just plain disappeared! He also no longer considers the shoulder dysfunctional - it is now acting like a shoulder though not optimally (yet) I know that in some cases nerve entrapment requires surgery to address, I REALLY hope and pray that won't be necessary here.

[OakLeaf]

Care to share the nerve gliding exercises? Mine at this point (besides yoga anyway) mostly involve just taking the shoulder through its FULL range of motion with and without light resistance (stretchy bands with a door anchor for pulling motions, rolling a foam ball on the floor for pushing), rather than doing anything repetitive in a single plane the way most "exercises" work. (And I really feel the muscles at the inferior point of the scapula, too - have all along.)

Glad you're still making progress!

[Catrin]

2 steps forward, one step back. Part of me begins to wonder if I am expecting unreasonable results given my age and how long this shoulder has probably been like this...but I think that is just a little bit of depression talking. The extraordinary results after his hands on work for 40-45 minutes is a very positive sign that conservative methods are having an effect but he isn't sure if it will be enough to fix things and keep them fixed. I asked him this directly today and he wouldn't commit either way. I've 5 more PT sessions to go. We hope the nerve will be more mobile - if that is the correct term - when I see him Tuesday afternoon.

Here is a video of the first exercise he gave me today. The forum settings only allow one video per post so I will post the second one in a new post. He told me to do both 3 times a day (2 sets each time of 10 reps, hold each rep for 5 seconds)


"Ulnar Nerve Floss -B"

[Catrin]

This is the second of the two, and i found this one much more challenging to do:

"Ulnar Nerve - Mask"



Same directions noted in the first post.

[OakLeaf]

Oh. Wow. Those do provoke the numbness before they relieve it, don't they! Thanks, those are great to add to my arsenal and very different from anything anyone has had me do before.