Whining - Comparing Aches and Pains

Just to add weight to Beth's wonderful post. Pro ballplayers do not exceed 5lbs on RC exercises. If you feel pain, it you're doing it wrong or too heavy. As Beth said you don't want to engage the big guys...just the RC. Thanx SS: I have been warned! I am the type who would keep adding weight until my arm fell off. I printed Beth's instructions. I'm going to post them on the refrig so my wife can nag me (I mean coach me) on my form!:groovy:

Fort: Regular MRI Bill, I hate to tell you this....my doctor told me an arthrogram is really better. It is much more accurate and shows more detail that the MRI could miss. They stick a needle into your shoulder joint/capsule and inject dye. It isn't fun, but it is very accurate. I guess your doctor wanted to do the least invasive first? Maybe he had to "jump through the hoops" of the insurance companies first. A lot of insurance companies require you to do the cheaper, less accurate tests first.....:shakeshead:

Beth: I got my results...No tears:groovy: There is some fluid from the fall, but nothing needing surgery. The Doc says he can treat it with shots (meaning cortisone). I've heard bad things about them. I see him again in 6 weeks and I hope to be better and not need any. I will work it this week and do the anti-inflammatories/ice/heat like you suggest. I taper next week, race on 5 May, then will work on recovery for the shoulder. I believe it most resembles "Swimmers Shoulder" (at least some part of me thinks its a swimmer!). I'll try the stretches they showed in that thread. I have rarely seen anyone warm up before getting in the pool--actually only one other person than me. Does anyone out there, stretch or warm-up before getting in the water or after getting out? I know Fort seems to rely heavily on the hot tub after the workout. ;) Should I build time in for that or is ice better? I have a stretching routine for running and biking, but swimming seem more like weight-lifting then just aerobic. Whoa! That was scary! We posted our last comments at the same time!!! THATS GREAT NEWS BILL!!!!:banana: Did your doctor want to try PT? The rc exercises really work for me but, you may have something totally different wrong with your shoulder. You really need a PT to examine you and prescribe the correct exercises. about stretching...I always swim about 500 yds easy THEN stretch.

/rant on yes because it would not do for them to actually honour the contract that you pay preimums for and so actually pay for your healthcare needs... :dedhorse: Clue: Insurance Companies hold the 4x2...we're the horse...a actually that horse looks like it is injured...perhaps it's a pre-existing condition or the result of a traffic accident.... /rant off Health insurance is the worst. Sorry Geek. I have to fight tooth and nail to get anything covered. I had to appeal the denial of coverage on my allergy meds (basic stuff like singular) and have letters written by my docs. How ridiculous. They never cover any antiobiotics. They also deny a lot of non-surgical treatments. I guess they prefer you to spend boatloads of time and money on surgery. Arthrograms are better Bill, but it sounds like you probably don't have a tear! That's good news! Maybe just tendonitis? Do you do the rotator cuff exercises? Really a must. Ice is always better. I sit in the hottub after a workout just to relax and chat -- when I get to workouts. (My kid has been throwing up for 2 days and I am sitting home not working out right now. I'll probably be next. Argh.) But heat is not good if you have inflammation. Some of my teammates sit in the hottub with a bag of ice on their shoulder. I like the hottub for my legs, which are always suffering from overuse. Too much running or finning. Cortisone? Not a big fan. It can zap the immediate pain though and really help, and I have done it once about 18 months ago. But, as I understand it, the more you use it, the less effective it is. Plus, it can actually weaken and degrade the cartilege in there, so in the long term, that's not an ideal fix. (See, drugs are no good. ;) )

My insurance isn't an issue, but he may not have known it. He seemed tentative to order the MRI. He only mentioned the shots no other therapy. I did see a PT as part of the referral; she believes its a neck injury from the fall. She said that a C4or5 neck injury manifests in the upper arm. She had me use a rolled up towel under my neck while sleeping. That did lessen the pain in my lower arm a hand. I guess I go back to that for now. I did do some searching and it seems the only warm up is swimming EZ. what stretches do you do? What Rotator Cuff exercises? I need help! Thanx! Bill: Go back on this thread to posts #56 and #59. Those posts list all the shoulder injury threads. On those threads, RC exercises are discussed and listed. Stretches are probably shown too. Go check them out. No swimming without doing your RC stuff first! A neck roll should help. I can't sleep with mine though. LOL. But, you know, a labrum issue can refer pain to the neck too. Refered or sclerotogenous pain is a complex issue. Pain travels in weird and unexpected ways. That's why an arthrogram is sometimes necessary, to show the real location of the injury. I'm glad you have good insurance! You tri guys need it.

Hi Bill! I'm going to hopefully help you! The only thing that worries me is what I tell you is based on what my doctor and PT told me. What works for me may not be appropriate for you but heah....its worth a try. As long as you don't have any pain while doing these. I would feel terrible if I knew I made your shoulder worse. Try to talk your doctor into prescribing a PT evaluation and treatment. Its the only true way to get a personalized plan of care. Be careful with these. If they hurt...STOP immediately. Most swimmers have very strong pec muscles and very weak upper back and scapular muscles. Most of the time "swimmers shoulder" is caused by a muscle imbalance. My doc said it causes our shoulders to be pulled forward and out of line. This in turn causes impingement of nerves that run through our shoulder. This leads to the pain. My favorite stretch and the one that relieves my tightness/pain for me better than any is kind of hard to explain! I wish I could draw a diagram..... 1)Hop out of the pool after swimming easy. (Also great after a hot shower) Stand with your side perpendicular to the wall. place your forearm (just the elbow to your hand) on the wall with your arm bent 90 degrees.(Move closer or further away from the wall to make your arm bend 90 degrees) Take a step forward with the leg closest to the wall. Take a small step at first. You can alter how deep the stretch goes by altering how far you step. You can also raise or lower your forearm to stretch different parts of your chest. Hold it for about 15-20 seconds. Step back. Repeat two or three times. Do on both sides. 2) Corner stretch. Literally stand in a corner! ;) Stand far enough away so that you can take a step forward towards the corner. Place both forearms on the right and left sides with your arms at 90 degrees. (like #1 above) Step forward with one of your legs. Hold for about 15-20 seconds. This is very simillar to the stretch above. 3) Good ole' swimmers stretches. Place your hand behind your head like you are trying to scratch your back. Grab the elbow of that arm with the opposite hand. Pull your elbow toward the other side. Also try to slide your hand down the middle of your back. Repeat on the other side. 4) Another good ole' swimmer stretch...Put your arm out in front of youir body. Relax your shoulder and neck. Grab your elbow with the opposite arm and pull it accross your chest. 5) This one is great but dangerous. Be careful. I stretched too hard on this one once and it hurt! It's also very hard to explain...bear with me! Lay on your side with your arms bent at 90 degrees. We'll say your right side to help with the explanation. Take your left forearm and place it under your right forearm.Grab your right wrist with your left hand. (you'll feel like a pretzel! :D ) Using your left arm/forearm, pull your right wrist/forearm down towards the floor. If this doesn't stretch enough or if you can handle a deeper stretch, use your right arm to push your left forearm up higher (on the floor, not towards the air). Hold for about 15 seconds. Release and repeat. I would not do this stretch until you are pain free and recovered though. It is pretty intense when you do it right. I hope this helps you. Unfortunately this is only based on my experiences. Please consider going to a PT! Gotta go swim! Feel better!

OK, I'm not flapping my arms up and down; I doing a standing, straight arm chest fly:dunno: !?!

That's how I am too. Did you get an arthrogram or a regular MRI? Fort: Regular MRI

I felt the same way until I had the surgery.....now I'd rather take time off from training than go under the knife! I had to take 2 1/2 months off from Dec. to late February this year! It was very hard...I missed swimming so badly!... but my shoulders are doing great now!:groovy: Beth: I got my results...No tears:groovy: There is some fluid from the fall, but nothing needing surgery. The Doc says he can treat it with shots (meaning cortisone). I've heard bad things about them. I see him again in 6 weeks and I hope to be better and not need any. I will work it this week and do the anti-inflammatories/ice/heat like you suggest. I taper next week, race on 5 May, then will work on recovery for the shoulder. I believe it most resembles "Swimmers Shoulder" (at least some part of me thinks its a swimmer!). I'll try the stretches they showed in that thread. I have rarely seen anyone warm up before getting in the pool--actually only one other person than me. Does anyone out there, stretch or warm-up before getting in the water or after getting out? I know Fort seems to rely heavily on the hot tub after the workout. ;) Should I build time in for that or is ice better? I have a stretching routine for running and biking, but swimming seem more like weight-lifting then just aerobic.

A lot of insurance companies require you to do the cheaper, less accurate tests first.....:shakeshead: /rant on yes because it would not do for them to actually honour the contract that you pay preimums for and so actually pay for your healthcare needs... :dedhorse: Clue: Insurance Companies hold the 4x2...we're the horse...a actually that horse looks like it is injured...perhaps it's a pre-existing condition or the result of a traffic accident.... /rant off