Shoulder....Venting

[rebeccaC]

A few years ago I was looking for Tai Chi classes in Indy (a work colleague of mine had practiced it on Okinawa and raved about it and would do the classes with me) but found so few options. For awhile Beach Body sold a Tai Chi video program. I bought it, but didn't like it as much as I like in person classes. It did help me identify how I'm so much stronger in balancing on one side and helped me work on evening that out.

Catrin I’ll second Tai Chi!!! (thinking i may have before )....especially for your enjoyment of hiking. Learning/feeling the integration of form and balance without force will help with your body movement and in cultivating an internal awareness of your mental/physical connections. It can give your hiking a feeling of moving with calm intention rather than force, which can also give you more insight into the beauty around you .

[Catrin]

Catrin I’ll second Tai Chi!!! (thinking i may have before )....especially for your enjoyment of hiking. Learning/feeling the integration of form and balance without force will help with your body movement and in cultivating an internal awareness of your mental/physical connections. It can give your hiking a feeling of moving with calm intention rather than force, which can also give you more insight into the beauty around you .

Thanks for the note Rebecca. From what I've read it Tai Chi really does sound like an important addition to my activities. Yoga just has too much I can't, or shouldn't, do.

If I can't find a local class, can anyone recommend a good intro DVD? That isn't optimal but it may be the only option.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

[rebeccaC]

In talking to Alex about this tonight we’d recommended starting with Lam Kam Chuen’s book ‘Step by Step Tai Chi’ to get an introduction/understanding of the principles of Tai Chi and its movements before a class or video. Having that base of understanding would especially allow you to get more out of going to a first class. A good instructor can then offer customized feedback, support and make sure your form is correct and effective. Plus...perhaps you could also have positive interactions with and support from others in a class.

Alex found the (Irvington Wellness Center) in Indianapolis if that’s close to you or perhaps call them and ask about closer classes. Chris Pei’s ‘Tai Chi for Beginners’ is a good video but a second choice to a class. Hoping others can also give you some recommendations too.

and thanks for giving us a good conversation tonight

[Catrin]

Thanks so much Rebecca! I do know about the Irvington Wellness Center - they just don't seem to return calls... I've also asked a former TaiChi instructor who now does something else to see if she has suggestions.

I finally saw my MRI report today. The superspinitis tendon tear is a full-thickness tear, and somehow I've managed to wind up with a longtitudional split tear of the long head of the biceps tendon. How does one even DO that? Leave it to me So....I'm changing and headed to the back room to play with kettlebells. Carefully...

[Catrin]

Saw my DO PCP today for a talk and he mentioned something that helped to put things in context. It helped me and thought it might help others.

He said that osteoarthritis isn't a primary cause but the consequences of our body attempting to normalize an abnormality - such as a bone spur trying to close a gap left by torn soft tissue/tendon/whatever. Or my trashed bicep tendon that subluxes and THAT can only happen if a certain very small shoulder ligament that can't be seen in an MRI is torn.

It is a different way of looking at it and, well I've quite a lot OA, it helps to see it from this perspective. Everything happens for a reason and that includes this.

[Pax]

My DO told me something similar a few years ago. She let me know that my body is simply responding to what was/is being done to it. Living is hard on the body, no matter how careful we are... I was decidedly NOT careful when I was younger.

[Catrin]

Saw MRI report for OTHER shoulder. Well, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, yes?

[Catrin]

Thanks for the input here, it's been appreciated. I've decided, for now, to hold off on the tendon and rotator cuff surgery and explore alternatives. There is no real danger the tendon will rupture completely, barring some unforeseen circumstance. It isn't THAT painful, and so what if I can't lift overhead for now? I've had so many surgeries over the years - all of which were quite necessary. I am not convinced that this one is just yet. In the end the tendon may be so shredded that there are no other options, but it won't be this year.

The left shoulder? It's just an arthritic hot mess with all kinds of stuff going on - even the shoulder ortho saw no real point to even cleaning it out, just wait to do something when it's time to replace it. Hopefully it will never reach THAT point

My enforced lack of exercise for almost 2 weeks has been difficult (combo of weather + strained forearm muscle), but am very thankful that I can still hike, do 2-handed KB swings, and elevated/wall pushups

[Pax]

So glad you're waiting. I keep thinking about the millennia of people who figured out how to work through this sort of thing, and kept on. We all jump at surgery no matter the cost or outcome, and sometimes, I truly think, it would be better to wait and see what our bodies really need.

[Catrin]

So glad you're waiting. I keep thinking about the millennia of people who figured out how to work through this sort of thing, and kept on. We all jump at surgery no matter the cost or outcome, and sometimes, I truly think, it would be better to wait and see what our bodies really need.

Agreed Pax. I did find it interesting that the Ortho didn't consider it worthwhile to clean out my other shoulder - it has large pieces of cartilage floating around, cysts, tendinopathy in all tendons, and other things. There was a time they would have been encouraging that as well - but it is degenerative so it would simply return. So something may be changing out there.

[Catrin]

Back in vent mode....had a flare in my severely arthritic left shoulder and relented - allowed an injection today to calm it. My ortho has convinced me that even kettlebell swings are bad for me - not just overhead work. Guess I need to find another form of cardio work but right now I don't know what that might be.

Then again, my body is so accustomed to the KB swings that hiking gets my heart rate up much higher than even swinging heavier weight, so perhaps mixing speed walking in with hiking and, of course, continue the Tai Chi. I just thought about adding in speed walking - as long as I've the right shoes where my arthritic feet and knees don't overly complain...

Anyone want to buy a set of kettlebells? Oh, and by "speed walking", I just mean walking fast. A friend told me that real speed walking is something different that my body probably wouldn't like.

[Catrin]

I don't think they have been replacing shoulders for all that long. It's a much more complex joint than knee or hip, or so I've been told. Beyond that I can only speculate that it may be about the perceived life of the replacement and that increased activity shortens it? Hopefully that will change.

[Catrin]

I found the following summary information on WebMD (I added the bold for higlighting):

"Some doctors will recommend other types of surgery if possible for younger people and especially for those who do strenuous work. A younger or more active person is more likely than an older or less active person to have an artificial shoulder joint wear out.

Doctors usually do not recommend shoulder replacement surgery for people who have very high expectations for how much they will be able to do with the artificial joint (for example, people who expect to be able to play competitive tennis, paint ceilings, or do other activities that stress the shoulder joint). The artificial shoulder allows a person to do ordinary daily activities with less pain. It does not restore the same level of function that the person had before the damage to the shoulder joint began...

The younger you are when you have the surgery, and the more stress you put on the joint, the more likely it is that you will eventually need a second surgery to replace the first artificial joint." (this makes sense)

From what I've read, it does seem a more complex replacement, mechanically speaking. Apparently there is a new method called "reverse shoulder replacement" that has promise for some with major arthritic damage.. So one is guaranteed to have significantly decreased use of the shoulder, but able to do daily tasks with less pain... Obviously one doesn't take this option to regain function! May I never have to go there...

[Catrin]

I saw my Ortho yesterday to discuss another cortisone injection in my torn shoulder (I decided to put that off awhile longer as it's a balance between pain relief and risking damage to the non-arthritic shoulder joint ), and I asked if my understanding on shoulder replacement was correct. It was...he said that while my other shoulder certainly has enough arthritic changes to justify a full replacement, I am too young and too active to even consider. Apparently there is some return of function, but not much. Basically meant for pain relief and to stop further loss of function.

With my previous assumptions I thought it would be helpful to post what I learned in case there are others reading this with the same situation. I know this site has far more readers than formal members and posters.

[Pax]

Catrin - so glad your doc was forthcoming! Wish more of them were about what is expected from these life altering surgeries.