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Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 7:38:35 AM

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...How does one overcome issues with a torn rotator cuff? And I have a very specific reason behind this. The other night, I decided to sign up for a munch in my neck of the woods, and it got me to thinking to myself, 'Self, at some point you're gonna be going to a play party, and at some point, you're gonna have to prove you know how to do some of this stuff'.

Specifically, I took out Indy (my ancient brown whip), set up some cans and proceeded to practice. At least attempt to practice, anyway. It was abysmal, whenever I tried to 'cock the gun', as I call it, my shoulder locked and the falls went everywhere else but the target. After less than ten tries I gave up, and I can still feel it burning. I iced it and put on some numbing goo, but it's done. So's the other one, a legacy of years spent moving drunken, stupid people larger than myself out of bars and taverns, loading trucks, and general rough service.

I've looked for solutions online, but it all seems to boil down to having surgery, and that's not an option now. Any suggestions/recommendations/snarky comments?

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 7:49:20 AM

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I have a rotator cuff that flares up from time to time (don't know if it's actually torn or not). The one thing that keeps my arm moving is massage. The man I see is actually a muscle therapist, not a massage therapist, as he only does therapeutic, no relaxation or erotic......it hurts like a bitch, but the massage brings red blood cells and oxygen to the area, which promotes healing. It can take time tho......last flares up I saw him 30 minutes once a week for over two months.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 7:50:18 AM

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Sorry to hear that MC.
I have a dual rotator cuff injury on both of my shoulders and it fucking hurts like blazes.

I had some jabs into the joints (cortizone I think) and a bit of physio - but that didn't help much.
So my options are -
1) Live with it and respect that your injury can be alleviated a little with pain killers.
I find that I can't reach when my elbows need to go above my shoulders without significant pain.
2) Risk the surgery. Not an option I wanted to take.
In essence, I was told it might work and you'll regain most of your movement back.
If it fails, you end up with useless limbs hanging lifeless at your sides.
The two consultants I had my chat with both said it's a 50/50 chance of success.
At those odds, I decided not to opt for the surgery and live with pain killers and accept restricted movements.

Dunno if that helps you much.

ETA: I did mine in May 2009 and it's never gotten any better.

< Message edited by freedomdwarf1 -- 2/6/2014 7:51:58 AM >

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 7:53:41 AM

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So, for the sake of clarity, why is surgery not an option?

Insurance issues?

http://www.disabled-world.com/health/orthopedics/rotator-cuff.php

Maybe that will help?

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 10:22:45 AM

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I know a couple people who had the surgery and all is better, although it took a while and loads,LOADS of physical therapy after.

Since they are torn, PT isn't going to help. The pain can be minimized (to some degree) with cortisone shots and anti-inflammatories. But for what you are hoping to be able to do, I don't think you can get there without the surgery and a year of healing. Sorry. I know how much it sucks to have injuries that keep you from doing what you want to do.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 10:28:16 AM

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Additionally, switch from whips that require active shoulder involvement to things like electrical toys that don't.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 10:42:06 AM

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mine screwed up my flogging abilities, i have both torn, and altho they are mostly healed now, i keep pulling it and suffer for a few days, I could florentine before, I now have neuropathy in my left ulnar nerve, so I can barely lift one and swivel it, let alone give someone a good flogging.
I have whips but I love flogging and im trying to do it with my right hand, I am finding that the pommel headed floggers (palm ) floggers are a better fit for my hand.
its an ongoing issue, but luckily not something I use daily.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 11:29:56 AM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

So, for the sake of clarity, why is surgery not an option?

Insurance issues?

http://www.disabled-world.com/health/orthopedics/rotator-cuff.php

Maybe that will help?

Insurance is part of it, but mainly because I don't want to spend the time healing up. They still work well enough as it is, and I honestly hate going under the knife.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 2:39:24 PM

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Switch to canes - great effect with little effort, especially when compared to floggers.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 3:06:00 PM

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You do have some options:

Cortisone shot in the affected area. That can help for 1 week up to 6 months depending on the severity of your rotator cuff. You will need to see your Orthopedic doc for that.

Anti-inflammatory medication. Ibuprofen or Naproxen sodium are typically prescribed. Talk with your Orthopedic doc on what is best for you and the dosage amount

Over the counter joint supplements like glucosamine chondroitin. Its does help some at least on my bad knee. But it has been well documented for helping joint mobility.

Exercise to strengthen the muscles supporting the rotator cuff. But this will take time.

Other than that.....not sure how to help

< Message edited by mummyman321 -- 2/6/2014 3:58:40 PM >

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/6/2014 4:08:44 PM

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Had rotator cuff pain for about 9 months and found an exercise book on Amazon that solved the problem. Found I wasn't giving it enough time to recover.

Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff

Critics of that book claim info is already on Internet/YouTube, so might be worth look there.

In Amazon search "Rotator + Cuff" I note the first 4 books are about 4.5 star ratings with numerous users so it would seem folks are getting results with that venue.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/7/2014 8:03:03 AM

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I'm definitely looking into that, ekaienoae. Mummyman, I've done pretty much everything you've described there, but I have to watch my intake of anti-inflammatories, because they're destroying my liver.

kiwisub, ironically, despite my handle, I don't like and have never been good with canes. No matter how careful I was, I always broke skin when I used them.

I'm going to try them all, because once upon a time I could do some neat tricks with Indy (corny, I know), and I want to either get a new one or make one before I get more active in my local community.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/7/2014 9:17:19 AM

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I did see a system advertised that combined cryotherapy with electro-stimulation: the goal is to greatly increase bloodflow to the area.

edit: typo

< Message edited by angelikaJ -- 2/7/2014 9:35:53 AM >

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/7/2014 12:08:30 PM

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When I hurt my cuff, I went through physical therapy in order to avoid surgery. Tens unit, heat pads, pulley, stair master and hand cycle. No problems now and believe me, that area was bruised from the fall (I still avoid that damned sewing machine).

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/7/2014 12:17:57 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

I'm definitely looking into that, ekaienoae. Mummyman, I've done pretty much everything you've described there, but I have to watch my intake of anti-inflammatories, because they're destroying my liver.

kiwisub, ironically, despite my handle, I don't like and have never been good with canes. No matter how careful I was, I always broke skin when I used them.

I'm going to try them all, because once upon a time I could do some neat tricks with Indy (corny, I know), and I want to either get a new one or make one before I get more active in my local community.

hope it helps:(

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/7/2014 9:13:45 PM

MistressDarkArt

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Oh man, MC...I'm smack dab in the middle of this right now. You have my deepest sympathies, my friend.

I decided to give it a year to see how well I'd recover before I'd consider surgery. After 7+ months it's about 60% better, so either way I'd have to recover and surgery would only add more trauma. I went to PT twice at $180 a pop and decided I got more relief from acupuncture/massage at 1/3 the cost.

If you still have some use, maybe see what you can do on your own. Adjust to things being different every day until you find some equilibrium. The physical modes: massage, acupuncture, electro, ice, heat, liniments worked best for me. No nsaids here either.

Acupuncturist recommended this: http://www.amazon.com/Health-Concerns-Mobility-270-tab/dp/B000S92N9O It's been really helpful.

This really feels good, especially followed with an ice pack: http://www.amazon.com/Sombra-Therapy-Natural-Relieving-8-Ounce/dp/B000WZOJCI

I hope you find some relief soon!

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/8/2014 8:02:03 AM

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MDA, I've been dealing with these (both are blown out) for over two decades now. That's the problem I'm having, I've reached the end of the line for adaptation. As I type this, both shoulders are covered in Icy Hot, and I look like I'm going to play football, because I've got ice packs on both so I can work later.

And I'm sure that's one damn sexy image, isn't it? Now y'all know why I'm not in the hunt on the other side. They'll get better when it starts to warm up (I hope), but I'm getting really tired of this. Thanks for the input, I've got a couple possible alternatives to research here now.

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/8/2014 1:42:03 PM

Ultimatetragedy

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For a cuff that is truly torn, the only way to remedy the situation is to have it surgically repaired. Other treatments such as NSAID, Physical therapy,, cortisone, etc can not and will not "repair" the torn cuff. The longer you wait to have it repaired the less successful the outcomes. Id suggest you speak with an orthopedic surgeon and have him give what options exist for your specific condition

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/8/2014 6:17:04 PM

impishlilhellcat

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I tore mine last year. It took my regular doctor forever to diagnose it. When I finally made it into the Orthopedic surgeon, he opted not to do surgery and sent me to PT. It took a really long time to heal. I was in PT for a couple of months, several times a week. I was restricted as to what I could and couldn't do. A lot of it was stretching and strengthening the muscles around the rotator cuff. I was told we had to rehab the muscle and then strengthen it. They also did a combo of ultra sound and electrical stimulation together at the same time. It wasn't a tens unit, but it was similar. Eventually, they moved to just massaging the muscle after exercising it. The PT recommended that I soak in a warm bath with epsom salts and to use a heating pad, but for not longer than 30 minutes at a time. It still flairs up from time to time and I have to be cognizant of what I'm doing with that side of my body, but I'm not in constant pain anymore. If I'm working out, lifting anything heavy, or start to feel a twinge I make sure I stretch out.

A coworker tore hers too and that ortho decided not to do surgery either. I'm not sure how they decide whether you need surgery or not. I know that my ortho and a PT did a pretty thorough examination before deciding on treatment. It's probably a good idea to have it looked at.

Edited for spelling...

< Message edited by impishlilhellcat -- 2/8/2014 6:24:40 PM >

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RE: Other Than Surgery... - 2/9/2014 1:37:32 PM

MistressDarkArt

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

MDA, I've been dealing with these (both are blown out) for over two decades now. That's the problem I'm having, I've reached the end of the line for adaptation. As I type this, both shoulders are covered in Icy Hot, and I look like I'm going to play football, because I've got ice packs on both so I can work later.

And I'm sure that's one damn sexy image, isn't it? Now y'all know why I'm not in the hunt on the other side. They'll get better when it starts to warm up (I hope), but I'm getting really tired of this. Thanks for the input, I've got a couple possible alternatives to research here now.

Hey, I resemble that remark! I had ice packs on each shoulder while sitting out the majority of dances last night.

I think the toughest part for many of us is: we aren't 25 anymore, and never will be again.

It breaks my heart to think I may not be the fiddler, swimmer, dancer I once was. Time to reinvent.

Again, my sympathies. You have lots of company in this.

(in reply to MasterCaneman)

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