a cure?
Today I finally met with a physical therapist down at good ol' Kaiser. My doctor was a really nice fellow who was actually shorter and skinnier than I am which I secretly found very amusing. (a mental picture of him trying to to PT work with larger individuals nearly had me giggling)
Anyway, we talked through the problems I'd had with my shoulder thus far and the treatments I'd tried. We looked at my x-rays again and he had me go through a series of motions while he checked for pain and whatnot. Within 10 minutes he had not only figured out the real root of my issues but he'd proven it to me, too!
No surgery! No more shots! No more pills!
As it turns out, there are a series of muscles in your back called the serratus anterior muscles which play a large part in ensuring that the arm and shoulder are properly supported and properly aligned. When these muscles are weakened or other supporting muscles are too strong, the balance of support can shift, leading to alignment issues.
While the absolute cause of my shoulder flare-up is still debatable, the pain I have today is a result of impingement issues resulting from serratus anterior muscles which aren't strong enough; basically, my the ball joint in my arm isn't exactly where it should be where it meets my shoulder. The doctor was able to prove this by firmly pushing my shoulder "back" while I went through a series of motions. As long as he maintained the pressure, there was no pain. Without a the pressure, the pain would return.
Apparently this is a pretty common condition and can also lead to lots of stiff necks and all sorts of upper body ickiness. The fix? Three simple exercises, one of which I can even do in my car. Love it.
What about the calcified tendonitis? The doctor seemed to think there was a very good chance that it was playing the part of a red herring. The shot and the anti-inflammatories I'd been taking certainly helped to quell the original inflammation but now they were simply acting as pain-killers for a more fundamental problem.
In fact, I could have the very same calcium deposit in my right shoulder and not even know it. Regardless, I should know soon enough if this doctor knows what he's talking about. If I can consistently work on these exercises 3-5 times a day for the next few weeks, he believes I should be absolutely pain-free. We'll see.
Anyway, we talked through the problems I'd had with my shoulder thus far and the treatments I'd tried. We looked at my x-rays again and he had me go through a series of motions while he checked for pain and whatnot. Within 10 minutes he had not only figured out the real root of my issues but he'd proven it to me, too!
No surgery! No more shots! No more pills!
As it turns out, there are a series of muscles in your back called the serratus anterior muscles which play a large part in ensuring that the arm and shoulder are properly supported and properly aligned. When these muscles are weakened or other supporting muscles are too strong, the balance of support can shift, leading to alignment issues.
While the absolute cause of my shoulder flare-up is still debatable, the pain I have today is a result of impingement issues resulting from serratus anterior muscles which aren't strong enough; basically, my the ball joint in my arm isn't exactly where it should be where it meets my shoulder. The doctor was able to prove this by firmly pushing my shoulder "back" while I went through a series of motions. As long as he maintained the pressure, there was no pain. Without a the pressure, the pain would return.
Apparently this is a pretty common condition and can also lead to lots of stiff necks and all sorts of upper body ickiness. The fix? Three simple exercises, one of which I can even do in my car. Love it.
What about the calcified tendonitis? The doctor seemed to think there was a very good chance that it was playing the part of a red herring. The shot and the anti-inflammatories I'd been taking certainly helped to quell the original inflammation but now they were simply acting as pain-killers for a more fundamental problem.
In fact, I could have the very same calcium deposit in my right shoulder and not even know it. Regardless, I should know soon enough if this doctor knows what he's talking about. If I can consistently work on these exercises 3-5 times a day for the next few weeks, he believes I should be absolutely pain-free. We'll see.