Ultra sound can be very effective and very illuminating. Now you have a sense of the nerve pathway that being impacted. It sounds like you have a good doctor. Hope you heal fast. Vik
Some great replies in this thread. Hopefully you have received a diagnosis.
I will piggy back on Vickie's comments. I have an interest in shoulders (having dislocated my own a few years back), and what I commonly see is that the shoulder blade gets "out of synch" with the arm. The shoulder blade relies heavily on the musculature around it, as its only connection to the skeleton is at the sternum, through the collar bone.
What I tend to see is significant tightness around the shoulders, typically involving the pecs, lats, and one of the rotator cuff muscles (subscapularis), and often weakness of the muscles between the shoulder blades. To make matters worse, there is commonly poor posture, associated with a head-forward carriage, and rounded forward shoulder girdles. This is more common than you may think.
What then happens is that the shoulder blade doesn't rotate in synch with the upper arm, particularly with overhead and elevation movements. When this happens, you can often get a pinching (impingement) of the shoulder rotator cuff muscles. I shouldn't neglect to mention that a fully functioning shoulder requires decent mobility of the upper thoracic spinal (upper back) segments, and this is another area that gets quite stiff.
Like most injuries, once it has settled down, proper rehabilitation should include stabilization exercises. Stabilization is simply the ability to control whatever mobility you have. From what I mentioned above, the first thing I usually work on is mobility of the shoulder girdle muscles. As the mobility comes, you strengthen/stabilize it with appropriate exercise.
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curtisj76, Why don't you describe your symptoms a little more thoroughly. Describe when you have the pain and try to pin point the area. Describe the pain. How long did it last? You know, just expound on it a little and maybe we can all help refine the process. If you're so inclined. Vik
Hi Vickie, the pain is in the front of my shoulder. Normally occurs when I lift my arm up. I haven't lifted or anything in almost 2 weeks and I still notice this. It does seem to show up here and there - not constant. I haven't been icing or anything, I was hoping it would just go away with rest. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks a lot!!
Curtis, I hate to be so picky but is the pain close to the bony ridge of your shoulder or lower on your arm? How far down does the pain radiate? How's your posture? Do other positions with your arm (out to the side, elbow pulled back around behind you) create discomfort? Does the pain increase if you have something weighted in your hand? Did you get those exercises. I know you said you'd been letting it rest, and that's appropriate but it's time to start working on this problem. Like you didn't already know that. Vickie
Hi Vickie, I apologize for not responding sooner. I've switched jobs and have a newborn. It's been about a month since I stopped exercising and the pain is going away. I've noticed the decrease for the last 7 days or so. It still feels a little different put there's not much pain. I want to get this corrected and make sure this NEVER happens again. I'm 29 and live an active lifestyle. I've worked out/golfed/sports etc. off and on my entire life. This is the first time that an injury has sidelined me from being active. I just went out and bought 3 workout bands to strengthen my shoulder area. I also have everything you could imagine in my basement as far as working out(Eliptical, free weights, power rack, lat pulldown, cables, etc.). So I should be able to do whatever you want me to do at home. The posture question really has me intrigued. I do have somewhat rounded shoulders and a forward leaning neck. I'm ready to get this corrected and follow your instructions. I LOVE working out and look forward to your response.
PS I also enjoy yoga, which I haven't done in a long time either, should I hold off on this until I get my shoulder area correcte? Thanks again.
Update from yesterday. I did some band work the past few days and it feels a little sore today. I'll hold off on it until I hear from you. Thanks again
Last edited by curtisj76 : 03-21-2006 at 04:18 PM.
Pleased to here your getting better. 29 would be young to have a cuff tear. Tendintis is more likely. The other diagnosis to consider in a younger person i.e you is a biceps anchor lesion or anterior labral lesion. Diagnosed either with MRI or athroscopy
How bad is tendinitis? If I can live with the pain can I still be active? Or will it turn into something worse? I'm ready to do what it takes to get better. Hopefully Vickie will check in and give me some tips.
Tendinitis varies in its seriousness. It normally gets better with rest. Vickie may be able to advise you on exercises that depress the humeral head relative to the acromion (subscapularis, teres minor, lat dorsi) and also scapular stabilising exercise. These should help.
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