How do I treat what appears to be a rotator cuff injury

[Gene]

I recently injured my left arm. It is painful to raise the arm above my head or to move it as I would to make a backhand stroke in tennis. It has been a month now and it is a little better. I appear to have the classic symptoms of a rotator cuff injury.

I have no big desire for surgery and would welcome suggestions on how to improve range and motion while eliminating pain.

[Shamou]

See, "shoulder exercises" in this link... and, the very best of luck to you... (a little patience won't hurt either )

Ray...

.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Shamou

See, "shoulder exercises" in this link... and, the very best of luck to you... (a little patience won't hurt either )

Ray...

.

Thanks Shamou... I will be looking for your bill to arrive soon.

[Uplift]

Gidday Gene, I would advise getting a shoulder horn. A google search will find the website. In my experience they actually work, and are much, much more effective than the usual prescribed band style exercises. Also combine with dumbell rows on a bench (plenty of info available on that exercise), but focusing on the rear of your shoulder and area between the shoulder blades as well as the lats. Our modern lifestyle, and a lot of exercise regimes tend to favour front shoulder/chest (pushing), ignoring the rear, opposite muscles. The shoulder is a different style of ball and socket with a great deal of mobility. It's relatively soft, flexible nature requires good balanced development for support and lack of distortion. At the top of the rowing movement, as if it was a separate part of the exercise, focus on trying to touch your elbow around to the centre of the spine, and touching shoulder blades together, by contracting the rear of shoulder and area between shoulder blades. Hold the contraction for a couple of secs, and keep the same muscles under tension throughout the set (remembering to keep spine stationary, and flat, that is with its natural arch, no twisting, throughout the movement). 2 sets 8-10 reps each side. Each set 2 secs lifting, 2 secs contraction, 4 secs lowering, keep tension in area described and lats continually. At first you may find it hard to 'feel' anything, or to focus on the muscles described, and that has a lot to do with the injury and it's poor healing. I'll bet, like lots of people, you would find it much easier to 'feel' the muscles involved in pushing exercises. Soon you will develop a strong link to the pulling muscles, activating and developing them, improving blood supply, and balancing out the joint. Remember this also, keep some focus on keeping shoulders back, tension between shoulder blades when doing pressing movements. It soon becomes automatic. Also stay away from 'behind the neck style movements'. If you do shoulder presses, learn to do them properly. Have a look at how olympic lifters press, or 'jerk'. Finally, along similiar lines, heres a tip for anyone. If you find you love certain exercises or movements, and hate others, mostly do the ones you hate. Soon you'll like them too, and will develop balance.

[Uplift]

Gidday Gene, I would advise getting a shoulder horn. A google search will find the website. In my experience they actually work, and are much, much more effective than the usual prescribed band style exercises. Also combine with dumbell rows on a bench (plenty of info available on that exercise), but focusing on the rear of your shoulder and area between the shoulder blades as well as the lats. Our modern lifestyle, and a lot of exercise regimes tend to favour front shoulder/chest (pushing), ignoring the rear, opposite muscles. The shoulder is a different style of ball and socket with a great deal of mobility. It's relatively soft, flexible nature requires good balanced development for support and lack of distortion. At the top of the rowing movement, as if it was a separate part of the exercise, focus on trying to touch your elbow around to the centre of the spine, and touching shoulder blades together, by contracting the rear of shoulder and area between shoulder blades. Hold the contraction for a couple of secs, and keep the same muscles under tension throughout the set (remembering to keep spine stationary, and flat, that is with its natural arch, no twisting, throughout the movement). 2 sets 8-10 reps each side. Each set 2 secs lifting, 2 secs contraction, 4 secs lowering, keep tension in area described and lats continually. At first you may find it hard to 'feel' anything, or to focus on the muscles described, and that has a lot to do with the injury and it's poor healing. I'll bet, like lots of people, you would find it much easier to 'feel' the muscles involved in pushing exercises. Soon you will develop a strong link to the pulling muscles, activating and developing them, improving blood supply, and balancing out the joint. Remember this also, keep some focus on keeping shoulders back, tension between shoulder blades when doing pressing movements. It soon becomes automatic. Also stay away from 'behind the neck style movements'. If you do shoulder presses, learn to do them properly. Have a look at how olympic lifters press, or 'jerk'. Finally, along similiar lines, heres a tip for anyone. If you find you love certain exercises or movements, and hate others, mostly do the ones you hate. Soon you'll like them too, and will develop balance.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Gene

Thanks Shamou... I will be looking for your bill to arrive soon.

You are welcome... and if you need any other info... don't hesitate... it will be my pleasure...

PS.- The bill is in the mail... I sent it to Steve...

.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Uplift

Gidday Gene, I would advise getting a shoulder horn.

The shoulder horn looks interesting. Thanks for the pointer.

[mattsonn]

My mom got a shoulder cuff injury and couldn't lift her arm. After several months of resting/stretching and a lot of physical therapy sessions, she made a full recovery. But it really does take that long.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Shamou

See, "shoulder exercises" in this link... and, the very best of luck to you... (a little patience won't hurt either )

Ray...

.

How long should I anticipate the rehabilitation process to take, assuming of course nothing is damaged so badly that it requires more than time and exercise?

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Gene

How long should I anticipate the rehabilitation process to take, assuming of course nothing is damaged so badly that it requires more than time and exercise?

That is a tough one to answer... I don't even know how old you are... or how extensive the damage is... but assuming that it is an average case, I would estimate from six weeks to three months...

And, if I were you, I would also take some Advil (ibuprofen) which is an anti-inflammatory... if there are no counter indication for you to take it... it could certainly help...

.

[Uplift]

Gene its true, you don't even really know whats wrong with your shoulder, and it's impossible to properly assess you without knowing a thing about you. Everything counts, the extent of your injury, attitude, fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, age, individual structure, etc. However the sooner you start the healing process, the better. Making sure you don't re-aggravate it in the first few weeks is really important, so obviously tennis is out. I've dealt with heaps of clients, friends, etc shoulder problems, ranging from symptoms similiar to yours (which often aren't actually rotator cuff), bungled operations, overuse, weakness, etc. A lot of paralysed people that have use of their arms have shoulder trouble, due to the constant pushing (wheelchairs) and lifting, combined with no, or limited support and use of back and core muscles, which in turn severely restricts pulling actions. The muscle, joint imbalance is really highlighted by these cases, and it takes some real innovation to address the issue, and strenghthen the whole shoulder, in balance. Only then will the problem really be fixed. Unless your injury was caused by actual physical trauma or excessive use, something in your physical make up needs addressing. I've seen and dealt with heaps of them. Bluntly Gene, the people that actually reallyget better, get fitter, stronger, more balanced and more flexible. Think of your injury as a little wake up call. I see heaps of people running around getting and forking out for 'adjustments' and 'treatments' from a multitude of 'therapies', hoping that the stretchy rubber band exercises will 'save' them, wearing braces and supports and strapping, whilst simultaneously gulping anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Anything, anything, rather than actually biting the bullet and properly exercising and strengthening their shoulders, or 'even worse' improving and changing their lifestyles. They carry the injuries, and the associated restrictions, to the grave. Even if you need an operation, you need proper rehab, and strengthening, for it to be usefull. When your shoulders are different than they were before they displayed symptoms, then you will honestly be fixed. And the deluxe news is, that is so achievable, IF YOU WANT TO DO IT, if you actually, truly, get sick of the injury. It's amazing how many people don't.

[Uplift]

Gene its true, you don't even really know whats wrong with your shoulder, and it's impossible to properly assess you without knowing a thing about you. Everything counts, the extent of your injury, attitude, fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, age, individual structure, etc. However the sooner you start the healing process, the better. Making sure you don't re-aggravate it in the first few weeks is really important, so obviously tennis is out. I've dealt with heaps of clients, friends, etc shoulder problems, ranging from symptoms similiar to yours (which often aren't actually rotator cuff), bungled operations, overuse, weakness, etc. A lot of paralysed people that have use of their arms have shoulder trouble, due to the constant pushing (wheelchairs) and lifting, combined with no, or limited support and use of back and core muscles, which in turn severely restricts pulling actions. The muscle, joint imbalance is really highlighted by these cases, and it takes some real innovation to address the issue, and strenghthen the whole shoulder, in balance. Only then will the problem really be fixed. Unless your injury was caused by actual physical trauma or excessive use, something in your physical make up needs addressing. I've seen and dealt with heaps of them. Bluntly Gene, the people that actually reallyget better, get fitter, stronger, more balanced and more flexible. Think of your injury as a little wake up call. I see heaps of people running around getting and forking out for 'adjustments' and 'treatments' from a multitude of 'therapies', hoping that the stretchy rubber band exercises will 'save' them, wearing braces and supports and strapping, whilst simultaneously gulping anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Anything, anything, rather than actually biting the bullet and properly exercising and strengthening their shoulders, or 'even worse' improving and changing their lifestyles. They carry the injuries, and the associated restrictions, to the grave. Even if you need an operation, you need proper rehab, and strengthening, for it to be usefull. When your shoulders are different than they were before they displayed symptoms, then you will honestly be fixed. And the deluxe news is, that is so achievable, IF YOU WANT TO DO IT, if you actually, truly, get sick of the injury. It's amazing how many people don't.

[qiflow]

My advice to you is to go see a good orthapaedic doctor/surgeon, especially a shoulder specialist. Until you know what the exact injury is, it is hard to say what you need to do. Some need surgery, some don't depending on degree. I had to go to a specialist before I actually got a correct diagnosis, which in my case was a frayed labrum (they had to inject dye and do an MRI to see what kind of tissue damage had been done). Thankfully, it was still basically intact, so I was prescribed physical therapy to strengthen the whole shoulder without redamaging it.

I encourage you to go see someone who knows what they are doing to get a proper diagnosis. To help yourself, I can highly recommend qigong/reiki, relaxation techniques (I like autogenics), and mindfulness meditation as useful adjuncts that will help you deal with the pain, and help your body to heal faster. Good luck!

[Gene]

Originally Posted by qiflow

My advice to you is to go see a good orthapaedic doctor/surgeon, especially a shoulder specialist. Until you know what the exact injury is, it is hard to say what you need to do. Some need surgery, some don't depending on degree.

I encourage you to go see someone who knows what they are doing to get a proper diagnosis.

As much as I would like to avoid the visit to the doctor your post makes sense to me. I am concerned about making things worse by trying do it myself rehabilitation.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Gene

As much as I would like to avoid the visit to the doctor your post makes sense to me. I am concerned about making things worse by trying do it myself rehabilitation.

How long have you had the injury...??? How intense is the pain...??? and, does it hurt all the time or only when you put stress on the shoulder...???

.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Shamou

How long have you had the injury...??? How intense is the pain...??? and, does it hurt all the time or only when you put stress on the shoulder...???

.

I've had the injury a little more than four weeks now. For the first week or two I could not put my pull over shirt on without intense pain. It hurt all the time. It kept me awake at night. It has been getting better but very slowly. It hurts when I sit sometimes and often when I move it. It hurts fairly intensely if I am not very careful how and what I do with it.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Gene

I've had the injury a little more than four weeks now. For the first week or two I could not put my pull over shirt on without intense pain. It hurt all the time. It kept me awake at night. It has been getting better but very slowly. It hurts when I sit sometimes and often when I move it. It hurts fairly intensely if I am not very careful how and what I do with it.

If it is still that bad after four weeks... I would consult.... however, if for any reason it is not possible... it would not put any strain on the joint... only mild movements to keep the mobility...

And, I certainly would take some Advil (ibuprofen) before going to bed to assure the best possible amount of sleep...

Good luck and keep us posted...

.

[Uplift]

Yeh Gene, a month is long time for it not to be responding much. For your own peace of mind, and to help you actually begin the process of taking action, follow qiflow's advice and get it properly diagnosed. It's preferable, if possible, to get a few opinions, unless you or an aquaintance already knows and trusts someone, or can vouch for them. Doctors, physio's and specialists are like any field, there's good ones and bad ones. Time to act Gene.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Uplift

Yeh Gene, a month is long time for it not to be responding much. For your own peace of mind, and to help you actually begin the process of taking action, follow qiflow's advice and get it properly diagnosed. It's preferable, if possible, to get a few opinions, unless you or an aquaintance already knows and trusts someone, or can vouch for them. Doctors, physio's and specialists are like any field, there's good ones and bad ones. Time to act Gene.

.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Gene

I recently injured my left arm. It is painful to raise the arm above my head or to move it as I would to make a backhand stroke in tennis. It has been a month now and it is a little better. I appear to have the classic symptoms of a rotator cuff injury.

I have no big desire for surgery and would welcome suggestions on how to improve range and motion while eliminating pain.

I was seen by a physician this past Monday. He decided to inject cortisone to treat the injury. I agreed but did not expect much relief as a result of the injection.

I am happy to report that I experienced an amazing relief of pain within 48 hours and now on Saturday morning I have no real pain when I move . I am quite pleased with the outcome.

I am committed to doing the rehabilitation exercises to prevent a recurance of this injury.

Thanks to all of you who listened and commented while I was going through the process.

[Uplift]

Awesome Gene, all the best, keep it going!

[Shamou]

Very happy to hear that Gene...

.