For the past couple of months, my shoulder has been feeling "loose" or instable. I have some moderate pain and mostly the very odd feeling that it just is about to fall out of its socket. It usually feels okay while swimming but very bad afterwards. I've taken the past week off from swimming in the hopes that things would feel better, but no dice. I do have a call in to my doctor, but I've done some Googling around and it seems like it might be multi-directional instability of the shoulder. Does anyone have any experience with this? I am physically unable to participate in most other cardio (running, step aerobics, anything with any level of impact) so the idea of not being able to swim is very depressing.
everything points to my dysfunction being a direct result of my surgery and recovery. in that my muscles were not working correctly and i am suffeciently strong enough to overcome that with other muscle groups to still allow me to swim. well, to a certain point that the atrophy became so bad that i could not over compensate. none of my post-surgery rehab included anything that i can think that would have prevented this. most unfortunate for me.
from about 2:11 on in this video -> www.youtube.com/watch gives some good examples of what i have.
my brother is a PT (but does not live in the same city i do) and i sent him videos of my back in motion. he also works as a personal trainer in a gym. in the few days after he saw this video he tested his clients and most of the muscular men had issue where the women did not. no i am in the extreme area. where my neck is not the same on my bad side as it is on the good side. in a tshirt you can visably see the atrophy.
because of my own ailment i have become very educated on this subject.
SLAP tear in august '09, but kept pushing it till march '10. finally surgery on it june '10. rehab and started swimming on it oct '10.
swam good in '11 but started having issues around dec '11. started taking ibuprofin like candy. think a lot and then double it. plus aleave on top. ice measured in 10lb per day. did everything i knew to get through italy. then i had to back off the pain meds for fear of my liver. 3 mri's, over a dozen xrays. with 2 orthopeds at 2 different clincs.
finally the 2nd week of jan '13 i started my own search for answers and found there is a difference between "shoulder instability" and "shoulder dysfunction". stability is usually because of a lack of strength in key shoulder muscles. dysfunction is usually because those muscles not working in a proper way. i have serious scapula dysfunction that caused atrophy of my trapezius and other scapula muscles. this atrophy then allows my humerous head to ride up into the glanus bone and force it into the clavicle at the ac joint and i get bone on bone grinding. this screws up my freestyle stroke and causes my fly to be 1 arm weaker than the other.
i have done lots and lots of rehab, but am nowhere close to 100% or even 75%. i cant swim much (ie 400m total for last week). with no training i cannot race. our zone meet is 2 weeks away at one of the best pools in the usa and i will be a timer. nats is not even a consideration and so there is no way i can defend my national title.
so, yes, i can understand your depression.
seek out a pt (or many many youtube videos like i did) that can understand you are a swimmer and how we use our bodies.
dont be affraid to try odd ideas or excercises.
i wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
steve
stability is usually because of a lack of strength in key shoulder muscles.
actually, shoulder instability is caused by having loose or stretched out tendons and/or joint capsule so that the shoulder does not function properly in the socket. it basically wobbles around and grinds up on stuff that it shouldn't. the looseness/instability is usually caused by traumatic injury (ex: dislocation due to forceful impact), or due to overuse which is more common among swimmers and other athletes. (instability due to overuse can eventually lead to partial or total dislocations down the road.) it can also be caused by age and normal wear and tear - i think i read that shoulder instability is quite high among the senior aged population for instance.
anyway, having strong shoulder muscles definitely helps negate and can sometimes eliminate the effects/symptoms of the instability, which is why it is often hard to diagnose and why PT can be very successful. but the root problem is always there, unless surgically fixed.
steve, do you know the cause of your scapula dysfunction? was it a result of your surgery/recovery? i've never heard about dysfunction before and would like to avoid it if possible lol.
I really appreciate all this info! I have an appointment tomorrow morning and I'm armed with lots of info.
let us know how it goes. i am in the process of trying to see yet a 3rd ortho.
Interesting diagnosis. I am not a doctor, so I can only tell you what I have experienced and/or have been told.
Stretching: done correctly, it will not affect your condition. The stretch is for the muscles, not the joints.
Loose feeling with attendant pain could also be a stroke-related issue. Most doctors and PTs are not familiar with our unique use of muscle groups, but a good PT can actually correct your stroke mechanics through exercises and positioning. I had one session with a PT that removed all of my pain, simply by his observations of my stroke (lying on a table) and suggestions for change. I don't claim that this will be the case for you, but it is possible.
Swimming uses a lot of muscles in the shoulder and chest, but often we forget the many little muscle groups in the back that hold the shoulder together. You will likely do a lot of exercises to develop those.
Best of luck and don't rush your recovery. There is plenty of time to swim.
Okay, my PCP thinks it's bursitis of the AC joint. I will start PT in about 2 weeks (I'm going to be away for break). I have an NSAID regimen and I'm supposed to ice, ice, ice. She said I can still swim but to cut wayyyy back until I'm healed, mostly doing kicking. I can live with that if all it is is bursitis! I am slightly skeptical since I have been having the looseness feeling, but I'm going to give this a shot and see how it goes.
let us know how it goes. i am in the process of trying to see yet a 3rd ortho.
Steve -
Here is a video that discusses various causes of shoulder pain and treatment. Look at his discussion of SLAP tears and repairs at about 19 - 20 minutes in.
achesandjoints.org/.../
Okay, my PCP thinks it's bursitis of the AC joint. I will start PT in about 2 weeks (I'm going to be away for break). I have an NSAID regimen and I'm supposed to ice, ice, ice. She said I can still swim but to cut wayyyy back until I'm healed, mostly doing kicking. I can live with that if all it is is bursitis! I am slightly skeptical since I have been having the looseness feeling, but I'm going to give this a shot and see how it goes.
while i am no doctor, i find it very odd that is the diagnoses.
www.webmd.com/.../arthritis-bursitis
if you can go through pounds and pounds of ice (or bags of frozen peas/corn) like have and bottles of ibuprofin you will quickly learn that is either not the correct diagnoses or not the right treatment. for me even weeks off did nothing.
have someone video your back in motion (ie military press motion) and compare it to the video link i posted above.
yes i do all of those. have for a while. as in years.
with Thera-Bands(tm) there is a color coded system of increasing resistance. i am way past the gold level.
