Re: [Paddlewise] PaddleWise shoulder exercises

I've had three shoulder surgeries for impingement syndrome, one by scope, 
two by open; the two open were on each shoulder respectively. Surgery helps. 
No guarantee of full recovery from impingement however. I found heat helps 
little in advanced cases; more for psychological relieve perhaps. Sometimes 
a hot bath after a lengthy icedown works for me too, but inevitably just 
good old ice is my answer, with supplemental meds. They say ice should never 
be applied more than 15 minutes absolute maximum to skin. I often fall 
asleep with ice on my shoulders (sorry 'bout the cold shoulder treatment 
honey!). Anything overhead is guaranteed to provoke impingement, and once 
impinged, a vicious cycle sets up whereby normal activities often prolong 
the agony. I've been close to tears many a night in a tent after storm 
paddling, no ice available (I can only carry so many instant ice packs). 
Funnily enough, I can be in agony within 15 minutes after towing my wife n' 
yak through tidal currents in the summer heat, yet when I towed Andrew for 
six hours during the Storm Island incident in the cold central coast early 
spring weather, I felt nary a twinge. Give me cold weather any day. No 
desire to move to So Cal for this bum.

I find a proper a soft-sided ice bag an invaluable convenience for shoulder 
ice-downs. The bag neatly holds ice cubes with no wet mess and less direct 
contact with fragile dermal layers and the bag doesn't leave wet spots on 
the bed sheets in the morning when I wake up, though there can be a bit of 
condensation if it falls on the hardwood floor after I fall asleep. The stay 
in place while reading-to-sleep, too.

My spouse, Yvonne, just had a cortisone injection a few weeks ago, so I hope 
we can do some more paddling this coming spring. She had more of a calcium 
build up than impingement, but the cortisone is supposed to settle down the 
pain enough so that she, the patient can start extending her range of 
motions again enough to naturally break up the deposits. I've tried 
cortisone in prior years directly for the impingement, but just headed out 
into bigger winds and seas the next day, undoing any good and sending me 
into a stunningly incalculable world of pain - self induced I guess. But 
those moments in hurricane force winds are vivid, wild memories a Pentax 
Optio could never do justice too, although the Orthopod said my bursa looked 
like something pictured from a cadaver of a very old man - and this when I 
was only in my early twenties.

Well, I just had my ultrasound results back today after months of abdominal 
pain. Looks like gall stones. Maybe I'll try swallowing some ice. It's gotta 
be a faster fix than the Canadian-BC health care system., Mr. Moore!

Stay healthy as possible Tord. Hey, just stop getting older man, might help 
eh. :-)

Doug Lloyd (who works for the BC government paying for BC residents to get 
authorized surgery in the US)




> On Wednesday 26 September 2007 14:57, Paul Montgomery wrote:
>
>> > I have noticed some 'pops' and soreness in my shoulders, especially
>> > the right one, and have started looking for exercises and info on the
>> >   web. Anyone here have any experience and words of wisdom to impart
>> > on this very important subject?
>>
>> No detailed web reference here, but a strong suggestion you visit your
>> local physical therapist or orthopedic specialist and get some
>> professional advice.  Mine prescribed (and trained me in the use of) a
>> series of strengthening exercises employing lengths of "rubber dam"
>> material similar to these:
>>  http://www.orthoassociates.com/shoulder1.htm#shldr_exrcs  (The ones
>> shown here are not the same ones I was given to use.)
>>
>> The rubber dam comes in varying thicknesses, which your
>> specialist/therapist will choose to fit your fitness level.  It is easy
>> to overdo it.  The "popping" you are experiencing suggests you may have
>> some cartilage issues in there -- and surgery may be required.  And,
>> remember, this medical advice is worth what you paid for it!
>
> See a doctor who knows his stuff, soon!
>
> I have similar problems (but no popping), which was the reason I started
> paddling again, in 2003, after a 20+ years pause!
>
> Those execises seems very similar to the ones I've done
> with my physio the last few years - they did help me - but it takes time.
>
> I have at times been so badly affected, that I couldn't work at all for
> half a year, and was forced to halftime another half a year (I do a lot of
> similar movements at work, but it is stretching upward/forward that really
> ruins my day - like reaching overhead switches in a cockpit - doesn't help
> a bit that I wear bifocals!).
>
> It is my bursa, the sack in the gap between the acromion and the upper arm
> bone (see:  http://www.orthoassociates.com/shoulder1.htm#shldr_exrcs )
> that get compressed so much that it get swollen resulting in an 
> impingement
> of the nerves that pass through. Not nice at all! The tendons (as might be
> in your case) might get affected as well, by the way!
>
> A good doctor can operate it successfully (if the gap is too narrow in the
> first place), but there is no guarantee of success, my doctor tells me!
> But even a 50/50 chance of a life without similar problems in the future,
> is OK with me! He doesn't want to say if it can get worse after an
> operation, though.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Tord
>
> PS Heat made it disappear last time I got it, cold does the reverse! So
> sauna, hot baths and similar pursuits is good - tennis, badmington and
> squash forbidden!
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************