usvi-on-line
Shoulder problems anybody?
Shoulder problems anybody?
I am really at the end of my rope with this right shoulder pain I have.
Three weeks ago I had a shoulder manipulation (which is very painful) for a impingement and frozen shoulder. I had it in my left shoulder 3 years ago and everything went fine.
I've gone to therapy 3 times a week for the last 3 weeks and it just gets worse. I can't remember the last time I've been able to have a good nights sleep.
Today, I've had enough. It feels like somebody is stabbing a hot knife into my shoulder and turning it.
I don't believe in pain pills. I think they mask the problem.
I've made a appointment with my doctor for tomorrow and I want to have the balls to tell him to either do something for me or I'm going to somebody else.
Does anybody have any ideas for me?
I've just had enough and I'm desperate at this point.
Three weeks ago I had a shoulder manipulation (which is very painful) for a impingement and frozen shoulder. I had it in my left shoulder 3 years ago and everything went fine.
I've gone to therapy 3 times a week for the last 3 weeks and it just gets worse. I can't remember the last time I've been able to have a good nights sleep.
Today, I've had enough. It feels like somebody is stabbing a hot knife into my shoulder and turning it.
I don't believe in pain pills. I think they mask the problem.
I've made a appointment with my doctor for tomorrow and I want to have the balls to tell him to either do something for me or I'm going to somebody else.
Does anybody have any ideas for me?
I've just had enough and I'm desperate at this point.
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
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California Girl
I had a similar problem about 5 yrs. ago and when my doctor dissed me and didn't even TRY to find the cause, just sent me for trigger point injections... I said, "Whoa! Trigger point injections for something you don't even know the cause of??" From there I went to an accupuncturist a chiropractor (neither of which helped) and finally an osteopath who nailed the problem! ALWAYS question your doctor and feel empowered to go to another and another until you get the answers you are looking for.
I am having the same pain! I just went to a chiropractor for a month and it really isn't better and my insurance ran out on that. Now I am going to try nothing for a week or 2 and then I will see my Dr I guess if it gets worse or does not get better. I thought I did something to it when I tried to lift some weights. Then I had a week of scuba diving where I thought I made it worse lifing equipment and having tanks on my back. I had a massage (short one) and I do think that helped some.
I don't want to take drugs or have surgery either.
Thanks for bringing this up. Sleeping is difficult. It is hard to find a comfortable position.
I don't want to take drugs or have surgery either.
Thanks for bringing this up. Sleeping is difficult. It is hard to find a comfortable position.
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
I injured my right rotator cuff kayaking years ago, and had periods of pain that lasted for months.
For sleep, sleep on your good side. Put a really full pillow against your belly and rest your bad arm on that. Your arm should be level with your body, not higher than or lower than your side, but completely neutral. That might buy you a few hours of sleep. I remember how awful that was!
I had steroid injections in my shoulder each episode (once I caught on), and they hurt like hell for a couple of days and then settled it down.
Good luck! Don't be afraid of a cortisone/steroid injection, if your doctor recommends one. They do hurt, but I had complete resolution of my pain when I've had it done.
For sleep, sleep on your good side. Put a really full pillow against your belly and rest your bad arm on that. Your arm should be level with your body, not higher than or lower than your side, but completely neutral. That might buy you a few hours of sleep. I remember how awful that was!
I had steroid injections in my shoulder each episode (once I caught on), and they hurt like hell for a couple of days and then settled it down.
Good luck! Don't be afraid of a cortisone/steroid injection, if your doctor recommends one. They do hurt, but I had complete resolution of my pain when I've had it done.
Since other people have this problem as well, I'll just post my answer here, Connie. Good luck.
In the fall of 2007, I over-used my shoulder during some sports and woke up with bad pain one day. The pain got worse and worse. It got to the point where I could hardly move my arm. I could not reach behind my back at all. I could only sleep on my back; otherwise I was in horrible pain. MRIs showed no functional problem, i.e. the diagnosis was “frozen shoulder.” Five months of physical therapy didn’t accomplish much. Cortisone injection did absolutely nothing. The shoulder specialist I finally saw at Mass General explained that they believe frozen shoulder is an immune problem whereby the body over-reacts to injury, thereby creating so much scar tissue that the joint cannot move freely. He said it often goes away, to a certain extent, on its own, after about a year or so, but that in his experience, no one ever gets 100 percent range of motion back. He scheduled me for shoulder surgery in June of 2008.
The more I read about this very aggressive surgery, the more wary I became. At a time when patients with serious illness are kicked out of the hospital within hours, this procedure was going to keep me hospitalized for 3 nights! Plus I was going to require major drugs and round the clock physical therapy to make sure the shoulder didn’t “freeze up” again. Jeesh. PT would continue for months.
I decided to cancel it and explore other options first. Thank God I did. Three different techniques helped me, and now, a year later I can say I am 100 percent back to normal ROM:
1. My acupuncturist started performing “Gua Sha” on me. Gua Sha is an old Chinese technique where the practitioner scrapes at the area of stagnant blood and scar tissue from the outside. (Basically doing non-invasively what the surgeon would do). Afterward, you look like you’ve been beat up, or in a car wreck, but it’s very effective. It really worked. I did it about every two weeks, all summer. My range of movement started to slowly improve. (I’ve since used Gua Sha for other ailments; it’s painful but effective!)
2. In July, I was at a spa in Vermont. I had a Thai Massage because I heard it was good for injuries. (You wear clothes and the practioner sits on you, pushes at you, etc., and you take an active role in stretching yourself out). My massage therapist happened to also be a Bikram yoga teacher. At one point, she helped me into “bow pose.” I could barely hold on with the bad arm, but I could feel it giving me a shoulder stretch like I hadn’t felt in a long time. She urged me to practice yoga when I got home. I’ve been doing yoga regularly since last July and it’s made a great difference in my life, all-around, but my shoulder is now completely functional. (Also note that a friend’s ROM recovered super-fast from breast cancer surgery last summer by doing Thai massage and yoga).
3. I read about this neurological “mirror trick” for treating phantom limb problems. I thought it would help my problem and it did. It’s really weird/neat.
The author of the article explains:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/n ... trick.html
In the fall of 2007, I over-used my shoulder during some sports and woke up with bad pain one day. The pain got worse and worse. It got to the point where I could hardly move my arm. I could not reach behind my back at all. I could only sleep on my back; otherwise I was in horrible pain. MRIs showed no functional problem, i.e. the diagnosis was “frozen shoulder.” Five months of physical therapy didn’t accomplish much. Cortisone injection did absolutely nothing. The shoulder specialist I finally saw at Mass General explained that they believe frozen shoulder is an immune problem whereby the body over-reacts to injury, thereby creating so much scar tissue that the joint cannot move freely. He said it often goes away, to a certain extent, on its own, after about a year or so, but that in his experience, no one ever gets 100 percent range of motion back. He scheduled me for shoulder surgery in June of 2008.
The more I read about this very aggressive surgery, the more wary I became. At a time when patients with serious illness are kicked out of the hospital within hours, this procedure was going to keep me hospitalized for 3 nights! Plus I was going to require major drugs and round the clock physical therapy to make sure the shoulder didn’t “freeze up” again. Jeesh. PT would continue for months.
I decided to cancel it and explore other options first. Thank God I did. Three different techniques helped me, and now, a year later I can say I am 100 percent back to normal ROM:
1. My acupuncturist started performing “Gua Sha” on me. Gua Sha is an old Chinese technique where the practitioner scrapes at the area of stagnant blood and scar tissue from the outside. (Basically doing non-invasively what the surgeon would do). Afterward, you look like you’ve been beat up, or in a car wreck, but it’s very effective. It really worked. I did it about every two weeks, all summer. My range of movement started to slowly improve. (I’ve since used Gua Sha for other ailments; it’s painful but effective!)
2. In July, I was at a spa in Vermont. I had a Thai Massage because I heard it was good for injuries. (You wear clothes and the practioner sits on you, pushes at you, etc., and you take an active role in stretching yourself out). My massage therapist happened to also be a Bikram yoga teacher. At one point, she helped me into “bow pose.” I could barely hold on with the bad arm, but I could feel it giving me a shoulder stretch like I hadn’t felt in a long time. She urged me to practice yoga when I got home. I’ve been doing yoga regularly since last July and it’s made a great difference in my life, all-around, but my shoulder is now completely functional. (Also note that a friend’s ROM recovered super-fast from breast cancer surgery last summer by doing Thai massage and yoga).
3. I read about this neurological “mirror trick” for treating phantom limb problems. I thought it would help my problem and it did. It’s really weird/neat.
The author of the article explains:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/n ... trick.html
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
Over the past couple years I have become a big believer in the NUCCA chiropractic technique. I have been treated with several other types of chiropractic and I truly believe that the NUCCA technique is different and special and better.
With NUCCA only your atlas bone is adjusted and it is done so very delicately and very precisely. The idea is that as long as that bone is perfectly situated your central nervous system will be able to function properly and thus everything else will eventually fall into place.
NUCCA care has helped me in ways I can't even describe...my chronic headaches are gone, no more sore neck and shoulders, no more sore back.
Looks like there's a NUCCA doctor in the Philly burbs:
http://www.nucca.org/find_doctor.php
I talked Cypressgirl into trying NUCCA and she's doing a lot better with her back pain
NUCCA has also been shown to lower blood pressure...the (prestigious) University of Chicago did a study about it:
http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2007/20 ... atlas.html
The chiropractor in the above study (Dr. Dickholtz) is my chiropractor's chiropractor.
With NUCCA only your atlas bone is adjusted and it is done so very delicately and very precisely. The idea is that as long as that bone is perfectly situated your central nervous system will be able to function properly and thus everything else will eventually fall into place.
NUCCA care has helped me in ways I can't even describe...my chronic headaches are gone, no more sore neck and shoulders, no more sore back.
Looks like there's a NUCCA doctor in the Philly burbs:
http://www.nucca.org/find_doctor.php
I talked Cypressgirl into trying NUCCA and she's doing a lot better with her back pain
NUCCA has also been shown to lower blood pressure...the (prestigious) University of Chicago did a study about it:
http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2007/20 ... atlas.html
The chiropractor in the above study (Dr. Dickholtz) is my chiropractor's chiropractor.
Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
I can tell you to avoid surgery if at all possible when it comes to the shoulders. SO had rotator cuff surgery the week before Thanksgiving and is STILL recovering from it. Still doesn't have full range of motion and still has trouble getting comfortable while he is sleeping.
He has done all of the physical therapy and everything else.
I have seen him go through four different surgeries from major to minor in the last 3 and a half years and none have been this bad. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Try everything else first.
He has done all of the physical therapy and everything else.
I have seen him go through four different surgeries from major to minor in the last 3 and a half years and none have been this bad. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Try everything else first.
"Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" - Dave Matthews Band
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cypressgirl
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:42 pm
- Location: houston
Teresa_Rae is right about how my NUCCA Dr. has done wonders with my back in only a month. I had been in chronic neck, and lower back pain for years. I'm talking want to end it all kind of pain. I am starting to feel almost human again. It's a very painless procedure and totally non invasive. It's nothing like the traditional chiropractor that does all the "popping" of the bones. I was skeptical, but no more. The results have made a believer out of me.Teresa_Rae wrote:Over the past couple years I have become a big believer in the NUCCA chiropractic technique. I have been treated with several other types of chiropractic and I truly believe that the NUCCA technique is different and special and better.
With NUCCA only your atlas bone is adjusted and it is done so very delicately and very precisely. The idea is that as long as that bone is perfectly situated your central nervous system will be able to function properly and thus everything else will eventually fall into place.
NUCCA care has helped me in ways I can't even describe...my chronic headaches are gone, no more sore neck and shoulders, no more sore back.
Looks like there's a NUCCA doctor in the Philly burbs:
http://www.nucca.org/find_doctor.php
I talked Cypressgirl into trying NUCCA and she's doing a lot better with her back pain
NUCCA has also been shown to lower blood pressure...the (prestigious) University of Chicago did a study about it:
http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2007/20 ... atlas.html
The chiropractor in the above study (Dr. Dickholtz) is my chiropractor's chiropractor.
Good luck!
I had a NUCCA chiropracter for a while... his technique was so successful that we all hardly ever had to go to him; he ended up realizing he couldn't generate the number of constant new patients he needed and went into another business. The last I looked, the closest NUCCA practioner was miles from here, unfortunately. The three years I went to him, my back never went 'out.'
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Xislandgirl
- Posts: 4163
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
- Location: Slightly left of center
I have frozen shoulder and have suffered with pain for over 2 years, I went to numerous traditional doctors with no help at all.
The thing that helped me the most was switching doctors.
I started seeing a Osteopath. He recommended some nutritional suplements (Fish Oil and MSM) and I started seeing his ART therapist. I had no idea what they heck it was but in 3 weeks, I got back more range of motion than I did in 5 months of traditional PT.
Here is the blurb from the website about it:
Active Release Techniques - ART is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they often result from injury to over-used muscles.
Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.
These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.
The thing that helped me the most was switching doctors.
I started seeing a Osteopath. He recommended some nutritional suplements (Fish Oil and MSM) and I started seeing his ART therapist. I had no idea what they heck it was but in 3 weeks, I got back more range of motion than I did in 5 months of traditional PT.
Here is the blurb from the website about it:
Active Release Techniques - ART is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they often result from injury to over-used muscles.
Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.
These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.
Thanks all for your ideas. I guess I should stay away from surgery if possible. I will see the doctor today.
I should have known this right shoulder was going to be tough on me. When I woke up in recovery I was screaming and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. My blood pressure shot up and they were pumping me with pain killers. I really thought he broke my arm, which can happen when you get a manipulation done.
The worse parts of this shoulder is gardening is out for me and this is "my" time of the year. I love it, but the pain that comes with it is unbearable.
This is so depressing for me. It's something that I feel 24/7, unless my mind is really concentrating on something else.
I should have known this right shoulder was going to be tough on me. When I woke up in recovery I was screaming and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. My blood pressure shot up and they were pumping me with pain killers. I really thought he broke my arm, which can happen when you get a manipulation done.
The worse parts of this shoulder is gardening is out for me and this is "my" time of the year. I love it, but the pain that comes with it is unbearable.
This is so depressing for me. It's something that I feel 24/7, unless my mind is really concentrating on something else.
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
Steriod and Cortisone injections mask the pain and do not solve the problem. They will allow you to get into a PT regimen, or other homeopathic program, without a lot of pain. If it is a rotator cuff problem, go to a good othopedic surgeon and get an MRI. If the bursa is inflamed, the acromium process will impinge on the bursa and this generates lots of pain. The acromium is about the size of your little fingernail. To test this, hold a water pitcher in front of you and pour water into the sink. There is a minimal procedure called acromial decompression where the process (bone) is ground off. There is a 4-month recovery period. Everything requires physical therapy.
After years of tennis and squash, and injections and PT, the ligament in my rotator cuff was torn and barely hanging on. The surgeon inserted plastic screws into my upper arm - the top was like the eye of a needle. The ligaments were stitched down. Within one year the 1 1/2" scar was gone and I have 100% ROM. Complete recovery took 9 months.
After years of tennis and squash, and injections and PT, the ligament in my rotator cuff was torn and barely hanging on. The surgeon inserted plastic screws into my upper arm - the top was like the eye of a needle. The ligaments were stitched down. Within one year the 1 1/2" scar was gone and I have 100% ROM. Complete recovery took 9 months.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
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designbyroe
- Posts: 1348
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:27 pm
- Location: Chilaxin on White Bay at least in my mind
I totally agree with NO surgery and NO cortizone.
I have been rearended twice in the last yr.
I teach pilates so I am constantly moving
They found impingment in my shoulder, herniation in C6-C7 and now in my low back they have found L4-l5 with herniation.
The only time I really have pain is when I walk for a long time.
I have an osteopath and an acupunturist.
I also (to keep the inflammnation down)
eat pineapple,cherries and Omega 3.
Sometimes the shouldr since it is such an unstable joint will not wear as well.
The rotator cuff can be tricky.
You want to see what you ROM is (range of motion) and functional strength.
I have been rearended twice in the last yr.
I teach pilates so I am constantly moving
They found impingment in my shoulder, herniation in C6-C7 and now in my low back they have found L4-l5 with herniation.
The only time I really have pain is when I walk for a long time.
I have an osteopath and an acupunturist.
I also (to keep the inflammnation down)
eat pineapple,cherries and Omega 3.
Sometimes the shouldr since it is such an unstable joint will not wear as well.
The rotator cuff can be tricky.
You want to see what you ROM is (range of motion) and functional strength.
There's no $ sign on a peace of mind, this I've come to know