Shoulder

You know Mark , In our line of work and play, you never really get to give that shoulder a time to rest.. I worked with a fella for three years who just transferred off the crew because of shoulder probs. To bad , he was the best trainee I ever had.

Nick is right about massage theropy, but I think it needs to go one step further and you need Ralphing (ralfing?) done. this was the only thing that would help my friend out, plus rest. I have had it done several times and oh boy! get ready for some pain.

I remember in 2002 when we did the Smithsonian shoot and I had to pulled up so much line it damadged my shoulders and I didnt compete that year. Man what a tough decision that was.But with message theropy and really watching how I climbed it took almost eight months before they healed up.I still get a tinge once in a while.

Good luck with that. Shoulder injuries are no fun.

Greg
 
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Nick is right about massage theropy, but I think it needs to go one step further and you need Ralphing (ralfing?) done.

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Rolfing!

This is what I was talking about when I said, "massage doesn't always "feel" good."

love
nick
 
I just found this thread...here is my 2 cents worth...well, more like $2 worth.

I have had various joint strains and injuries over the years and have done a good bit of research as a result.

Rest and ice come first...but you cannot rest things too long or the muscles atrophy. Proper muscle balance and strength around a joint is what protects the joint. When the muscles are too tired (or weak) to protect a joint, you get strains/ tears in the tendons and ligaments. Chronic pain is often from micro-tears that never get properly resolved. When a tear/strain heals properly one cannot distinguish the healed tissue from unharmed tissue. When it is not allowed to heal properly (proper rehab is part of healing so that new connective tissue “models” correctly) you get gnarly scar tissue that is prone to tear again and cause more pain...over and over and over.

The sports med doctor is your pass to the physical therapist...I really believe the PT’s are the ones who can often do the most for us (as long as we don’t need surgery....and the good PT can very often help avoid surgery).

I had a shoulder injury from martial arts in my 20's...the first Dr. I saw gave me anti-inflammatories for a month and when that didn’t help said thin people like me had these problems and to learn to live with it.

I went to a good sports med doc and he said I just needed good PT. That is when I started weight lifting, as part of my rehab regimen. The PT tweaked the program for me and within about 6 weeks I was about 80-90% better. The problem finally went away in a few months. I gained a LOT of respect for physical therapists at that point. I have done weight training/conditioning ever since...I consider that “paying my dues” so that I can keep doing the activities I enjoy.

I have been to physical therapists several times over the years and continue to be impressed with what a good PT can do.

Definitely get the shoulder evaluated by a good SM doc...I bet PT will make a big difference.

I, too, have used a Total Gym a lot in the past (since the mid 70's). I started free weights about 5 years ago...free weights work the small stabilizer muscles that machines don’t. But the Total Gym was developed to be a rehab piece of equipment and is very versatile.

The good news is that the shoulder joint is one of the most positively rehabbable (what a word!) joints according to the reading I have done.

And take glucosamine sulfate...it is good for connective tissue (lots of that in the shoulder).
 
I can't stress enough the call for stretching out [okay, there's a pun]. Not just a bouncy little set of exercises that one goes through-- a warm up so you can identify the tighter spots. Know 'em and work them out.

In high school we used to get the football team to come in and stretch with the gymnasts because they were getting a lot of practice injuries. It was gross. I hope everyone here adopts some sort of stretch regimine so they never get that "Oh oh, that doesn't feel normal." Not knowing OT/PT terminology, I stretch >through< where I get a little feedback, not just up until that point.

I know I need to sleep with my arms in only a few positions, sprawled out or stuck under pillows being the usual.

Persistent pain should be looked into. My former neighbor had to sell his Jaguar restoration business because he couldn't afford the 6-9 months down time he needed to heal after his surgery. Not too bad, I guess, since they moved to Antigua.
 
I'd try indoor rowing. Incredibly good aerobic exercise and easy on joints. Been great for me and I'm 49. It's not an overhead motion which is extremely tough on shoulders.
 
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Hey,Ive been sleeping on the floor down in Korea for nine nights noe and you know what, my shoulder doesnt hurt at all any more. My back though is a different story-----
Svein


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Is that like smacking your finger with a hammer so you don't notice your headache?

:)
 
I have to agree here that stretching has got to be one of the easiest ways to prevent injury, or aid it healing from a bad one.
My problem is that Im hyper mobile and to get a good stretch is almost impossible on some problem areas, that and my limbs move way past where they should.

Adam
 
Good luck with that Svein! I hope that it is a painless and successful event.

My shoulder(s) are probably not torn, but there may be some scar tissue inside from old injuries. That's my guess anyway. They usually hurt after intense climbing where I hang on one arm a lot during the day. They also hurt the day after I train chest or bi's & tri's in the gym. It's not too painful to work, but not a walk in the park either.
 
This isn't about shoulders but related.

Whenever I go on hikes in the mountains I start out the day taking three ibuprofen at the trail head. Then, at the summit I take three more. Since I've done this my knees don't throb at the end of the hike. I also started to use two hiking poles to take some of the load off my knees. Not applicable to climbing :)

When I know that I'll have a hard day of tree climbing I'll take a couple of Vitamin I in the morning and lunch too.

Be careful about using too much Vitamin I. High dosages for a long time can lead to kidney damage.
 
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Good luck with that Svein! I hope that it is a painless and successful event.

My shoulder(s) are probably not torn, but there may be some scar tissue inside from old injuries. That's my guess anyway. They usually hurt after intense climbing where I hang on one arm a lot during the day.

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Mark, if it is diagnosed as scar tissue, you may be a candidate for deep-tissue, cross-friction massage (and stretching)...I first came across this concept when researching an injury that I had. Dr. Cyriax has always stuck in my mind since then.

Here are two excerpts that explain a bit about his technique:

It is likely that James Henry Cyriax, M.D. (1904-1985) has had more of a longstanding influence on the other names on this list than any other individual. His influence on the field of orthopedics, physical therapy, chiropractics, and massage is profound.
Cyriax is generally considered to be the father of orthopedic medicine. He was a British orthopedist who developed one of the most commonly used systems for physical examination. He originated the concept of selective tension used to identify the specific tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament, etc.) causing an individual pain or dysfunctional movement.... and

He wrote extensively about his treatment methods which consisted of manipulation, massage, traction and injection. Cyriax's technique of cross-friction massage continues to be widely used today.

This page talks of Cyriax and his work (along with others).

http://www.influentialgiant.com/physicaltherapistlist.html
 
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This isn't about shoulders but related...

I also started to use two hiking poles to take some of the load off my knees.

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I agree with that technique. I always hike with a 6 foot bamboo staff. It not only takes a load off regular hiking...it is great to help get up when you take a break with your pack on...to balance while crossing streams and going up and down steep inclines...to pole vault across small gullies/streams.

We have used walking staffs to help Scouts get up after they fall down backpacking.

One guy we call "Turtle"...he was notorious for losing his balance, falling down and ending up on his back and unable to get up. We learned to put the staff through his shoulder straps, count to 3 and catapult him to a standing position...in all fairness, he is only 11 and his pack was as big as he was.

I also used a bamboo staff when I was part of the search team for the infamous "Runaway Bride" down here near Atlanta...good way to part the briars, probe water areas, point out the search direction to the team, etc.
 
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