my shoulder hates me

[bmccasland]

A few months ago my shoulder was bugging me, so I mentioned it to my Doc when I was in for a check up. I first really noticed it when I was driving, backing up, and I braced my arm on the seat next to me to turn around to see when I'm going. It also hurts when I do the usual morning stretch - you know both arms up in the air, tense everything up, take a deep breath. My Doc did some range of motion tests and said it isn't the rotator cuff, take Motrin for pain, figure out what irritates it, and don't do that. Well that was a few months ago, and it still hurts. I'm tired of it.

I did see a masseuse, and she said my pecs were really tight. She worked on my neck and shoulder muscles to loosen things up, then gave me some exercises - reach out to the side, grab door frame, elbow down, and slllooowwwllly twist away. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Owie, owie, owie.

Well I've been doing that, and rubbing IcyHot on my shoulder to get some pain relief. But I'm tired of the constant annoying ache. Is this something that took time to tork and will take and equally long time to heal? or am I just falling apart? Welcome to middle age?

[Flybye]

Pain that just won't go away is the absolute pits.
My uncle had issues with the same shoulder as you and had incredible success at a physical therapist. He was able to get almost all of the range of motion back. The physical therapist showed him stretches and also worked out some of the scar tissue deep within the shoulder.
Just my $.02

[KnottedYet]

yeah, I'd recommend PT too. They can check the posture/position of your shoulder girdle and teach you strenthening and stretching to keep it out of a position where it can cause impingement.

[CycleTherapy]

It can be a fairly common affliction, especially in women....check out this link:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...lth&id=5834718

[KathiCville]

Oh, I "feel" for you!!!.......I've had bouts of debilitating neck, shoulder and arm problems on and off for ten years---caused mostly by terrible posture and habits at the computer. I was in agony, and often in tears, as I raced toward project deadlines..........

Nothing helped me until a great osteopath explained trigger points to me about three years ago. (Hard knots in muscles that keep the muscles somewhat contracted even when they should be relaxed. They feel like tiny marbles or pebbles.)

Trigger points can be tough to work on yourself (hard to reach), but a good massage therapist who understands trigger points can be a tremendous help. Basically you press down on or gently knead the knot non-stop until you feel it "release" or disappear under your fingers. The trick is to know where to go looking for the knots.

If you're curious, you might give this book on trigger points a look:
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/ It is apparently considered "the" definitive layperson's guide to understanding and treating trigger points on your own or with the help of a trained therapist.

My BF, fortunately for me, has training in massage therapy and he works on releasing my "knots" as often as he remembers or I remind him. His work on my neck, shoulders and arms has slowly but surely made a noticeable difference in my pain and my flexibility in the past year. In fact, until he worked on me on and off over a few months I could NOT imagine leaning on handlebars for more than a few minutes. Now I can do 90 minute rides with very little discomfort. Time at the computer is also a lot more pleasant......

When he finally gets rid of the worst of the trigger points (knots), then I plan to get back to regular yoga practice to maintain the flexibility gained by relaxing the muscles. (Until the trigger points are released, stretching actually tends to make the problem and the pain WORSE. So be a little wary of stretching exercises that leave you feeling worse a few hours later.)

One of the most important concepts I learned is referred pain----often where we hurt isn't where the actual problem is. Trigger points in tight neck muscles, for example, could be the actual culprit behind your shoulder dilemma.

Good luck getting to bottom of whatever is causing the pain! Pain for which there seems to be no basis or no cure is MISERABLE!!

[melissam]

BethMc --

I hope your shoulder's feeling better. I have struggled with neck & shoulder issues of my own; they were brought on by spending too many hours at a computer workstation with poor ergonomics (a job hazard when you're an engineer in the Silicon Valley.) Anyway, the symptoms of my latest bout were a numb left thumb and tingling in the left thumb & forefinger, along with a tightness in my left shoulder by the shoulder blade. Riding my road bike was impossible -- when I tilted my head up, it compressed the neck and brought on the tingling.

I tried massage (regular & deep tissue), chiropractic, ice, rest, icy-hot/tiger balm/arnica, etc. Nothing was really doing the trick.

In late September, I started seeing a new chiropractor who did a lot of soft tissue work as well as the standard chiropractic adjustments. He uses active release techniques, graston techniques (special set of tools that scrape your scar tissue), acupressure/myofacial trigger points, nerve entrapment, etc. Oh, and a Triton DTS machine that "tractions" my neck; the theory is that the pumping action gets fluid back into the discs. And, I do a series of stretches & strengthening exercises every day at home.

Kathi's link to the trigger point book is fascinating -- it reminds me of a lot of the acupressure work my chiropractor has been doing with me. One of my trigger points is in the left pec -- boy, those weren't fun days when we needed to work on that area. Another trigger point for me is in the front of my neck, slightly above the collar bone. Whew -- when we started working on that one, well, I had a hard time staying on the table.

It took a while for my symptoms to subside. As my chiropractor says, nerve tissue takes the longest to heal. After Thanksgiving, I started riding my road bike on the trainer -- that way I had some flexibility in how I positioned my neck & shoulder. Fortunately this hasn't caused the symptoms to return, so Saturday I got brave and actually rode on the road, and everything was FINE!

Not sure if this helps you. I guess you need to find out what the original cause of your pain was and not do that anymore. Then you might see if you can find someone who can do the trigger point work -- I've found it to be extremely helpful for me.

Take care!

-- Melissa

[bmccasland]

Thanks everyone for the information. I have an appointment with my masseuse tomorrow afternoon, and we'll see what she says. Despite the fact that I have insurance, I hate going to my Doc for just an ache. Unless it's my head, and then I whine with the best of them. I HATE exercising for the sake of exercising, so doing stretching at home, or the yoga-for-cyclists DVD doesn't happen as often as it should. But I willl join you for a bike ride at the drop of a helmet (except prehaps in the sleet, then I'll try to get you to join me on couch eating bonbons ).

I've had bad care from a chiropracter in the past, so I'm very leary unless I get a recommendation for one particular doc. But, because Louisiana is considered underserved medically, insurance does cover "alternative" medicine. I can go to a massage therapist / PT clinic if my GP will write a prescription/order for it. Not sure if I'm there yet. I can afford the out-of-pocket expense right now for the occasional visit.

[LBTC]

Beth, sending butterflies to help you and your medical practitioners to find the problem and the solution!

The ideas here are all valid. My vote is to see a PT. I had intermittent shoulder weakness and pain in my right shoulder in my late teens and early twenties. Seems it was caused by a childhood injury. I never really knew how to deal with it until I was in my 30's and broke my humerus, dislocating the shoulder. The physio I had to do to get over the frozen shoulder from having 4 weeks of pins in, taught me a LOT about how shoulders work.

One thing I have learned: mine will still bother me a little if I do not exercise it enough. Weights, yoga, kickboxing all work(ed)

So, once you get the underlying issue figured out, work with your physio to find exercises that you will enjoy - perhaps a new way of lifting those bon bons? - that will keep the mobility working. She used to say...."use it or lose it"

I hope the butterflies help,

Hugs,
~T~

[bmccasland]

So I saw my massage therapist today... and once she had my neck muscles better and moved to my shoulder things went down hill. There I am lying on her table with my arm in the "about to throw a ball" position, with my humerous (and it isn't) slightly lifted on her knee, suddenly moved to tears. So she very carefully put my arm back into a neutral position, and started feeling around, and carefully trying to ease the ache. And I was trying to breathe. She told me to make an appointment with my doc, as she's pretty sure I have tendonitis in the posterior deltoid parts. Ice packs 2 to 3 X per day, take motrin, and REST. Stay off the computer too. Considering it's my right shoulder and I'm right handed, the resting part is going to be tough.

So I have an appointment next thursday with my doc. Will be a good girl and do the ice pack thing. And I moved my computer mouse over to my left hand. Which will slow me down...

My arm is still NOT happy with me. I'll try to be good. Not wanting pain is a pretty good motivator.

So how was your day?

[KnottedYet]

Please, please, please go to a PT or DO and ask about impingment at the gleno-humeral joint. Your massage therapist sounds like a fabulous chickie! I wish I could send my patients to her.

It will be ok, honest. Your shoulder is telling you about a problem well before it becomes a serious issue. And you have an excellent LMT to help you figure things out.

It sounds like you are in good hands. Have faith. *You* are getting the best info about your situation (YOU feel the symptoms, and nerves rarely lie) so don't be afraid to tell docs and PTs and such when you think they may be wrong. They will explain things, and if it makes sense and your shoulder does what they predict, then it's ok.

You will manage this!

[melissam]

Beth,

I'm so sorry to hear about this latest development. Hopefully the ice and rest are keeping the pain at bay and the docs will figure out what's going on and how to make it all better soon.

Take care of yourself!

-- Melissa

[OakLeaf]

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Hope it gets better soon. Thanks for the update, but... stay off the computer eh!

[KathiCville]

You'll get used to the left-hand position of the mouse in no time---that's one of the first changes I made when my shoulder problems kicked in.........

Also, consider swapping out your mouse for a touchpad. You don't grip a touchpad, the way you do a mouse. Instead, you just slide your finger lightly across the surface. So much of the pain of using a mouse comes from contracting your hands and fingers constantly......The touchpad immediately made a huge difference for me. In fact, I recently housesat for friends and within ten minutes of using their standard-issue mouse, my arm and shoulder were begging for a rest. Made me appreciate my touchpad all the more.........My touchpad is called the Easy Cat by Adesso. I think it cost me about $30-40 on eBay. Takes up no more room than a mouse, and doesn't have to be rolled or moved around..........Good luck!

[arielle]

A few months ago my shoulder was bugging me, so I mentioned it to my Doc when I was in for a check up. I first really noticed it when I was driving, backing up, and I braced my arm on the seat next to me to turn around to see when I'm going. It also hurts when I do the usual morning stretch - you know both arms up in the air, tense everything up, take a deep breath. My Doc did some range of motion tests and said it isn't the rotator cuff, take Motrin for pain, figure out what irritates it, and don't do that. Well that was a few months ago, and it still hurts. I'm tired of it.

I did see a masseuse, and she said my pecs were really tight. She worked on my neck and shoulder muscles to loosen things up, then gave me some exercises - reach out to the side, grab door frame, elbow down, and slllooowwwllly twist away. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Owie, owie, owie.

Well I've been doing that, and rubbing IcyHot on my shoulder to get some pain relief. But I'm tired of the constant annoying ache. Is this something that took time to tork and will take and equally long time to heal? or am I just falling apart? Welcome to middle age?

Ouch!.It must've hurt. Hmm, have you been carrying too much load on your shoulders for the past few days?.Because if you do so then that would be one cause for the pain. Why not try to go for a check-up and see what really causes this. It may be a symptom for an even worse illness.

[bmccasland]

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Hope it gets better soon. Thanks for the update, but... stay off the computer eh!

Off the computer? ... yeah, right. But the touch pad idea that Kathi posted sounds vewy interesting. I do have to run errands today, and an office box store is next to PetsMart... Of course this is after I do the morning ice pack therapy.