Shoulder(s) Pity Party

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MistressDarkArt -> Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 4:36:50 PM)
In early September, I overplayed my accordion and blew out my left shoulder. I literally sat there with the thing on my lap in the middle of a piece and could...not...continue. It was so excruciating I started to cry. Good thing I was only practicing and not in the middle of a gig. I went right for ice, my laser, acupuncture and massage of the area around it. 2 visits to PT determined it probably wasn't torn, and they put me in a sling to remind me not to use my arm during the acute phase. Other than that, nothing they did (which was pretty much everything I'd already done at home) seemed to bring significant relief and it cost $110 every time I walked in the door. Most of their exercises I couldn't do without pain, so I used what I know from years of yoga to try to move the bad juju through and left the professional care to the acupuncturist/massage lady since it cost less and felt better. Thank goodness for her; she's a miracle. I can't take nsaids and prefer to avoid opiates since they do a fine job masking the pain, then I re-stress the area because I feel better and pay the price for days. Yoga, swimming, dancing, rugged hiking using a stick, kayaking, riding my bicycle, playing ANY of my musical instruments were taken off the table. That's about 3/4 of my waking hours right there. I had to cancel all the band's gigs til the end of the year and can't schedule anything new until my situation improves. Other than walking, meditation, yoga nidra (mental yoga without body movement) I got nothing. Something's been gradually happening because that terrible, stabbing pain moved all over the place in the last few weeks, but now my shoulder, upper arm, and left side of neck have frozen stiff. I attempt the PT exercises after warming up in a hot shower but most days it is just too painful to do more than a watered-down 25% version of them. As if that's not enough, now the right shoulder is starting the same dastardly process. I upped Omega 3, use 'Mobility 2' chinese herbs recommended by my acu lady, focused on eating healthy stuff and drinking tons of water. I lost 8 lbs in the last 2 months; part of that is muscle tone gone from lack of vigorous exercise. I live generously basted in stinky liniment fortified with additional menthol/capsaicin and it brings a very fleeting, shallow relief that's better than nothing. Ice and the heating pad are my best friends. I get outside to walk every day, making sure I get at least an hour of sunshine. I am depressed over the restrictions. It's cut into my activities, social and work life. Chronic pain is no stranger; I made it through before with different stuff and know I will again but for now I just feel like whaaa whaaa whaaa, boo hoo hoo. I'm having trouble getting out of the hole. Anyone with a shoulder story care to share their experience? Misery loves company. How long did it take to resolve? What worked for relief? Any advice or tips to keep sane, upbeat and positive through this experience or any other prolonged physical misery? Thanks everyone! Wishing us ALL pain free lives! <------ETA: PS: yes, that's me in my SLING.

KYsissy -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 4:42:52 PM)
Well if this was a back pain story i could offer what worked for me. If heat helps, i would suggest trying Salon Pas patches. It is a thin sheet if self adhesive rubber infused with capcaisin. It worked for me which was muscle related, careful taking a shower, the hot water feels REALLY hot where the patch was, even if you pull it off.

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 4:59:21 PM)
^^^Thank you! I notice the same thing when I sweat and it 'reactivates' the capsaicin in the liniment. Salon Pas and Absorbine patches rock!!

theshytype -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 8:11:15 PM)
I'm sorry about your injury. I hope you get better soon! I'll join you in your pity party. I'd offer to bring chips but, due to a certain rehash of a certain thread, I'd rather not. I don't have a shoulder pain. Instead, neck pain for the past 6 months that won't go away. I've tried a few things (heat, stretching, massage) that help just for that moment. So, I have no advice for you :( But, I am going to look into those patches. Edited because I don't even know how I managed to sneak a smiley in such a random spot of the paragraph

Blonderfluff -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 8:33:13 PM)
MD I know heat feels better. But have you tried ice? I had a rotator cuff injury and although heat FELT great, it was 2 days of placing a bag of frozen peas. ( lol) where it hurt the most that took down a lot of the inflammation, and gave me some pain relief and restored some range of motion. Once I could move it more, constant stretching finally helped me get back to some semblance of normal. Shoulders injuries are tricky. Like knees, once they go, they are never quite the same. sending healing thoughts and energy!!!

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 9:19:02 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: theshytype I'm sorry about your injury. I hope you get better soon! I'll join you in your pity party. I'd offer to bring chips but, due to a certain rehash of a certain thread, I'd rather not. I don't have a shoulder pain. Instead, neck pain for the past 6 months that won't go away. I've tried a few things (heat, stretching, massage) that help just for that moment. So, I have no advice for you :( But, I am going to look into those patches. Edited because I don't even know how I managed to sneak a smiley in such a random spot of the paragraph Ah yes, the infamous 'chips/crisps' thread. [sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif][sm=rofl.gif] Re: neck pain: I can sympathize! 3 years of utter hell after a rafting accident (it fell on my head, all 400 lbs worth.) My neck felt like a dandelion stalk trying to hold up a fecking bowling ball. Western medicine techniques (injections, drugs) were worthless. Rest, time, gentle yoga and acupuncture worked much better. I wish I had started with those FIRST and NEVER used western; in my case they made it worse. Here's a technique for managing pain: if you can get relief in the moment, focus on pauses in the pain flow. Do this as often as possible throughout the day: find a comfortable, supported position. Use ice, heat, whatever it takes so you can be momentarily comfortable. Breathe out slowly, gently but deliberately constricting your throat so you can hear the air flowing through (yoga's ujjayi breath). Visualize the pain in whatever form it appears flowing out with your breath. When you get to the bottom, cease all effort, let your body go limp and stay in the out-breath a moment longer than usual, enjoying the comfort before breathing in again. In time, the pain pauses will last longer and longer. Also, I can recommend an awesome ~45 minute yoga nidra meditation that's marvelous for moving through both emotional and physical pain: http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/meditation/yoga-nidra---audio-practice with Armand Segrado. The website allows for a free trial and/or you can download the audio as an mp3 for just a couple bucks. Dang, the man's voice!! If he's not a Dom I don't know who is! I'd even switch for him! [8D] I'm doing this for my shoulders and it's helping. However, I'm often an impatient brat with myself so it's NOT HELPING FAST ENOUGH!! (thus my whiny OP) [8D]

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 9:29:14 PM)
Oh, and TST, a hot tip (pardon the pun) on the patches: Buck a piece at the Dollar Store. Why pay more? The 'cold' feeling patches use menthol and/or camphor, so you smell like Vicks. The hot ones use capsaicin (pepper extract) and/or methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil, so you smell like a Lifesaver). Some use both hot and cold-producing ingredients that in my experience kind of cancel each other out. Experiment with which one works best for you. There is also a patch that actually produces warmth (not just the sensation) through a chemical reaction. These are AWESOME. They last 8+ hours and can get you through a work day. Be pain free! Healing thoughts your way :-)

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 9:36:10 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Blonderfluff MD I know heat feels better. But have you tried ice? I had a rotator cuff injury and although heat FELT great, it was 2 days of placing a bag of frozen peas. ( lol) where it hurt the most that took down a lot of the inflammation, and gave me some pain relief and restored some range of motion. Once I could move it more, constant stretching finally helped me get back to some semblance of normal. Shoulders injuries are tricky. Like knees, once they go, they are never quite the same. sending healing thoughts and energy!!! Blonder, thank you for your wonderful thoughts and energy :-) I can feel them! Actually, even this far into it, ice is still my best friend. You're right; frozen bagged peas are awesome. They conform so nicely to body contours. The ultimate combo is an iced shoulder with blazing heating pad on my neck/back. Add a half dozen well-placed pillows under a fluffy down comforter and I can actually get some sleep. Oh man, please don't mention the knees. At the moment they are fine and I don't want to give them any ideas!

theshytype -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 9:52:28 PM)
Awesome advice MDA, thank you!!!! It has been printed and saved and I will try. I'm with you on Western medicine. A visit to the doctor is usually my last desperate attempt.

CynthiaWVirginia -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/14/2013 10:44:07 PM)
quote: but now my shoulder, upper arm, and left side of neck have frozen stiff Only time took care of my left shoulder problems (I fell on a patch of ice while having my arm up in the air, getting my trunk lid up, toward the car, arm still up on the lid...and if I were a cartoon character it would have broken my arm clean off, lol). I had it in a sling and it just hung there for several months, very painful but it didn't cause me any muscle spasms. My son and I have a lot of experience with what you described that's in the above quote box. My son got punched hard in the upper back by some bully in school and within a few weeks, his shoulder and neck were tight 24/7 and the shoulder was being drawn up toward his ear. With myself, this has happened too many times to count. From the time of an old babysitter's car accident, when I was in the back of her station wagon and we were rear ended, I would get flareups and my parents wouldn't take me to the doctor until my shoulder was almost to my ear for weeks at a time. The doctor would give me a muscle relaxant and a neck brace. This happened for more than half a dozen years, 1-3 times per year. We didn't really know why this happened, as I hadn't felt bad at the time of the car accident. Also, I had several injuries from sports that might have caused some annoying damage (figure skating was one). Anyway, this was my recurring nightmare and nothing would stop it from happening. Ice and heat didn't help, neither did counter irritants or Tylenol or aspirin. The muscle relaxants made me sleepy and very out of it, what helped the most was the support of the brace. Then...I grew up and was all spazzed up, whining about pain on one of California's city busses...and someone told me about chiropractic care. They also told me that I could get treatment for very low cost if I went to a chiropractic school for my treatment. Turns out that my neck bones had been "straight as a pogo stick" and just two sessions fixed that. My upper back area had pinched nerves that had been causing the spasms in my shoulder and neck. Over the years I've had different injuries (I'm good at falling downstairs, slip and falls, and just...movements that go wrong, where I hear a thunk in my upper spine that's not a good thunk, lol) that bring back the stiff neck and shoulder problem. The chiropractor has fixed it for me each time (I have relief after the first or second visit, whereas traditional medical care would take about two more months to set things right). I've gone a good dozen years without this happening anymore. Sometimes I sleep on my neck wrong, or push with my head on the pillow to help move my body (big mistake) and I hear a neck thunk, and wake up later with a mildly stiff neck for several days...but my shoulder is not involved. This is nothing like having my neck and shoulder muscles HARD as a rock all day long, 24/7, for months at a time. I didn't see chiropractic care on your list and thought I'd just toss that out as a possibility. Sorry to hear that you're in this much pain, and that your music playing and sports have to be put on the back burner for such a long time.

LadyPact -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 12:31:23 AM)
Sorry to hear it. MP has had the rotator cuff surgery multiple times so I really do feel for you. (Last time was in your neck of the woods.) I went and read your post twice to specifically make sure you said you "didn't" have a tear. While I didn't feel his physical pain, I do know it was just what you are describing for the other effects. Take a person who is used to doing so many things and then tell them they can't for an extended period of time. It's frustrating. It bums you out. It's probably really bad for you because of your music. [:(] I forget whether it was the warm or the ice that he hated so much. Physical therapy isn't generally fun, so I really feel bad for you there.

ChatteParfaitt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 12:54:07 AM)
I do not have a shoulder issue, but I do have back issues due to a car accident about 12 years ago. Frankly, my back wasn't great before the accident, and I also have arthritis in my back, so I'll share what I've learned. First, you have to go to a good PT and do what they say. Yes, it hurts, and yes, the exercises are excruciating. It's a crucial part of the treatment. Heat and cold: Heat feels good but increases inflammation, cold generally doesn't feel as good but eases inflammation. Do not use your heating pad for periods longer than 15 minutes, or you're adding to the already existing inflammation. If I go into a minor muscle spasm, I alternate heat for 15 minutes and then cold for 15 minutes. (I use frozen french green beans, they conform to my back better.) I know you don't like meds, I don't like them either, but this may very well be a time you have to use them. I'm not your doctor, so I don't know if muscles relaxers and anti-inflammatories will help. (I suspect they would help tremendously.) If they've been prescribed, take them -- you may be able to taper off within a few days. I know you don't like the above advice, I don't like having to give it. Meds are always my last resort and I've been incredibly stubborn about it. But from your post I sense you're at the point you need something. You're NOT sleeping. You won't heal if you don't sleep. As for pain meds, you might want to ask for Tramadol. I take it daily as I have some other accompanying issues I won't bore the group with. Tramadol is NOT a narcotic or opiate. Unfortunately, I know about pain. And with the type of injury you have you can dig yourself a huge hole with pain, which is where I think you are now. If you let pain get out of hand, it will take even more meds to push it back. You may very well need to take meds for a week or two to help you get out of the huge pain hole you dug. After that you can seriously lower the dosage to use them to take the edge off and to sleep. Also, if you're going to PT and doing the exercises, this will cause MORE pain. And if you don't do your PT exercises, you won't get better. I have learned all this the hard way. The good news is you have an extremely active lifestyle and once you're on the read to recovery, you will mend well. Best, CP

ShaharThorne -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 1:33:16 AM)
I recommend Tramadol as well. It is not addictive and when I get a fibromyalgia flare up (like this morning), I take 2 and lay back down for a couple of hours.

angelikaJ -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 6:52:48 AM)
FR: Tramadol is considered to be an opioid. It can be addictive to some people.

DesFIP -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 8:55:56 AM)
Have you seen a good chiropractor, one who specializes in sports injuries? Because the one we use has fixed adhesions from things healing wrong, frozen joints and even eased the neuromas and out of place bursa in my foot from where the horse stomped on me. As well as giving us a sheet of exercises to do at home. The second horse had a frozen shoulder and the animal chiropractor fixed that after a couple of visits.

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 5:42:49 PM)
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences/suggestions/good wishes. Next stop is a chiropractor. Fortunately, a band-mate has a good one she sees regularly, and he's worked on my cat as a 'thank you' for the band playing his annual drum party so we're familiar with each other. Re: drugs: hmmm, I love drugs for temporary, effortless relief. I have a veritable pharmacy in the med cabinet. All the usual favorite Rx pain meds plus muscle relaxers. But having gone down that road in the past, I must use them sparingly and with great introspection before opening the bottle. Special occasions only!! I don't have an addictive personality so stopping them was no great problem, but no great picnic either. They REWIRE your brain chemistry after regular use, and the change BACK upon stopping took 2 months to feel myself again. ESPECIALLY with tramadol, since it acts as a mild SSRI as part of its pain relieving modality. But yes, Rx drugs are certainly part of my plan to get through this. Within reason, better living through chemistry is my motto. The next part of this gets into psychological woo-woo so skip if you like. I know I keep mentioning yoga nidra (especially the above linked meditation) but I have to share something that happened last night while I was doing it. Through the visualizations produced, I came to realize I mentally hold onto physical pain for some unknown reason. I kept using the affirmation "I am pain free" and continuing to have pain. I couldn't really put my whole heart and soul into the affirmation without wondering if I should modify it to allow just 'some' pain because I was more fortunate than others in worse shape and 'they' needed healing more than me. Once I realized I was holding on to pain out of misguided guilt that others would suffer less if I suffered SOME, the light came on. I finally accepted there is infinite healing available in the universe; enough for everyone, including me and I deserved it as fully as anyone else. I changed the affirmation to 'I let go of pain' and finished the exercise, slept well, and woke up this morning already feeling more comfortable. Every time something would hurt...anywhere...I would think, "I let go of pain." I would focus on the body part, send pain out with my breath as described in another post, and it would dissipate. It's been the hardest thing in the world for me who's defined myself through physical activity to accept it's past time to integrate more brain and soul work for balance. The only one I'm fighting here is myself, so OK, I get it. I surrender. Thanks again everyone. I'll keep you posted how well my 'new' insight is working, and I wish all of you good health (and NO PAIN <except the kind you like>[8D])

DesFIP -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/15/2013 10:05:19 PM)
It makes sense that holding on to emotional pain makes you tense, which then means you hold onto physical pain as well. Feel better.

Dreamless -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/16/2013 3:24:03 AM)
If you can't take NSAIDs as an anti-inflammatory, I highly recommend seeking out a natural alternative called bromelian. It's sold in health food stores as a digestive aid and it does help with digestive issues, but the reality is, it's a highly potent natural anti-inflammatory. It all of cured my asthma (I went from taking steroids a few times a day to maybe once a week if I know I'll be either doing something physically intensive or exposed to allergens the next day, and went from not being able to walk down the stairs without needing a relief inhaler at my side to exercising intensively until I collapsed into a sweaty, sore heap... without needing an inhaler as a 'preventive' shot or afterwards... my body determined my limits, not me!) and when I recommended it to my mom who has joint problems, it did her more good than any of the stuff she'd been taking before. It's not that I don't think prescription medication is useless. I certainly don't. I'd be dead without it. But I do think having a good anti-inflammatory in the personal drug collection is invaluable, and it seems to me that one might help you a bit now. My second suggestion would be a chiropractor. You seem to have come to that conclusion as well, so I hope you can find a good one. It's possible the pain might not be stemming from your shoulder but from a misalignment caused by your body's change in posture to deal with the initial injury, and that's just causing the chronic pain, referring it to your shoulder area. It's well worth looking into. I know I'm looking to find a good one. I have shoulder issues right now but they're entirely stress tension and too large of breasts + ill fitted bra caused. I need a bra that fits right and a massage and then I'll probably be all right. A friend of mine's done some amazing work and got them from hurting simply to touch the skin on the shoulder to only hurting when I'm tense from other reasons. I used to think it was normal that if you touched your shoulders they hurt, they were that tense all of the time! Anyway, even though my pain's nowhere near as chronic I certainly know that having a shoulder that hurts can screw your life right up, because it impacts pain to so many movements. I hope the yoga works for you and the chiropractor too. Also, man, that belief that "I deserve to hurt a little bit because there are people that hurt way more than me." That's one I have so much trouble with. It's been strongly implanted too by my old coworkers. We'd mention say, depression problems, or our back hurting and they'd go right in with, "you have nothing to worry about, it's stupid that you feel like you're anxious, look at all the things that IIIII have to be anxious about you have NONE of that so your problems don't matter comparatively." They'd rag on the coworker who got taken off of work for a month by her doctor because she had chronic pain and he put her in a cast to correct her walk. "She's in exactly the same amount of pain as we are, she just needs to suck it up and stop complaining!" they'd say. There are people out there who really DO want you to suffer so that they suffer less, or they think they suffer less. There really are people out there who think that because your problems are really insignificant compared to x y and z problems, you shouldn't do anything about them. In retrospect, I've realized this is -Dumb and -They were assholes. aaaaaaaaaand -We live in a country where we have millions of opportunities to correct our problems. Why shouldn't I eat good food just because someone in Africa is starving? Yes, it's horrible and I agree, we should be aware of it but if we are suffering we're in no place to help someone else out of their pit. Anyway, people who encourage you to suffer because their suffering is so much worse are assholes. One of the last things I said to some of 'em was, "if you're in that kind of pain why don't you go to your doctor about it and stop making yourself suffer. You don't deserve to suffer anymore than she does." And ragging on her behind her back about how she shouldn't have gone to the doctor about it and just sucked it up and suffered because you're in pain, won't make you feel better. So. Don't let that mentality drag you down. There's enough healing for everyone and only once you've found your way up can you really help someone else. Kay, I'm done ranting now. I hope you find what you need. Feel better, and let go of pain. (Except for the kinds you like.)

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/16/2013 12:55:16 PM)
Dreamless, that was an absolutely awesome post. So much positive there. It is comforting to realize that other people thought the way I did, even if misguided. Makes me wonder where that 'I should suffer so someone else doesn't have to' mentality comes from. Well, I let that go as well. It serves no purpose for the highest good. I will check out bromelain. Do you have a recommendation for how much/when to take? I'm delighted to hear it has made such a positive impact on your health. Thank you so much.

MistressDarkArt -> RE: Shoulder(s) Pity Party (11/16/2013 1:05:48 PM)
Folks, I wanted to share what the goop I've been using is that feels so good: Sombra Warm Therapy (even though it mostly feels very cold.) The acupuncturist uses it during my massages and it feels fabulous for a little while. It has that typical strong menthol smell that makes your eyes water, but also orange essential oil so you get a little aromatherapy out of it too, in an aloe vera base that leaves your skin very soft. There is capsaicin, but very little so the pepper part is not overwhelming. I fortified it with additional menthol crystals because I like a very strong cooling sensation. Amazon and ebay both carry it. I found the best deal here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/32-oz-Pump-of-Sombras-Original-Warm-Therapy-Pain-Gel-32-oz-Pump-FREE-SHIPPING-/251037002951?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a72f8acc7 Smaller sizes are available. Good stuff.

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