Ow! Ow! Ow!

[gja1000]

Thanks so much for all the encouragement and suggestions!

Diana, that is exactly what the doc has me doing , stretching exercises. I did go to PT for the problem with a sports med doc, but I don't think the exercises PT had me do were the correct exercises for this problem.

Yes, the chiro has a massage theraptist and in fact she worked on me yesterday and my next two appts are with the massage therapist, not the chiro.

They said it will be a process of stretching out the contracted muscles, strenghtening the correct muscles so that the problem doens't come back. Part of the problem is staying "hunched over" the computer!!! I'm not sure how I'm going to "stop" that!!!

[DianaB]

I was just going to say that my problem was holding my shoulders hunched up. It made the other muscles work differently than they were suppose to and that's what caused my problem. I hurt clear up into the base of my head. I kept asking the chiropractor if he couldn't adjust it way up there but he couldn't. I had pains in my shoulders too. Keep me posted on how it's going and if you need me to I'll hunt up my stretches and send them to you to try. They were just very simple stretches and nothing that hurt to do. Just learning to relax your shoulders when you're doing stuff will help the most but you also need to strengthen those muscles too. Good luck!

[gja1000]

Yes, I'd love for you to describe your stretches. Right now, I've started with the pectoralis stretch - holding on to a door jam and leaning forward (or stepping forward) till I have a stretch on the pectoral muscles in the front of my shoulder. My problem in hunching my shoulders forward so the pec muscles in the front of my shoulder have shortened and are pulling the rotator cuff in an odd way so that it is being impinged at the socket.

[Gina]

Gayle all I can add is that I hope whatever exercises you do as you go along you feel much better. Pain is such a horrible thing to live with. Feel better soon.

[Janet]

I sure hope besides the exercises you're doing that Diana will have some good ones for you to try also. She'll get you to be pain free in no time!! Go Doctor Di!!!!

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by gja1000

Yes, I'd love for you to describe your stretches. Right now, I've started with the pectoralis stretch - holding on to a door jam and leaning forward (or stepping forward) till I have a stretch on the pectoral muscles in the front of my shoulder. My problem in hunching my shoulders forward so the pec muscles in the front of my shoulder have shortened and are pulling the rotator cuff in an odd way so that it is being impinged at the socket.

That pretty much sounds like the exercise that I did except I did it against a wall.

I also had to take a broom stick and put it behind my back with one hand holding the stick near my lower back and the other holding the stick near my neck. Then I would pull the stick up, pulling the lower hand as far up as it would go, stretching the muscles in my shoulders. I did 3 sets of 10 reps. Then you reverse hands. I was suppose to do this several times a day with only 10 reps each time. Make sure that your shoulders aren't hunched up but relaxed.

I also did a push up from the wall. Get about 15" from a wall, legs and feet together. Place hands on wall at shoulder height and do 3 sets of 10 reps of push ups, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Make sure that your arms are relaxed and not hunched up when you do this. Nothing should hurt on these stretches.

The most important part is to remember NOT to hunch your shoulders because that's what you're trying to correct. It's hard but you'll get it. Sometimes you have to make a concious effort to relax your shoulders and in the next minute you'll have to do it again.

I don't know how bad my problem was and it's been years and years ago since I had it. I do remember that once I started the stretching exercises I could tell a BIG difference in how I felt. I hope that you find some relief in the exercises.

[gja1000]

Went back to the doctor today - actually only saw the massage therapist for DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE. YOWSER!!!!! It hurt like he!!, but the arm has much better range of motion with less pain now.

Why is it they have to make pain, to get rid of pain!!!

[Marilyn]

Gayle, so hope your pain ends very, very soon!!! Chronic pain can be so draining.