Shoulder Problems? Welcome!

[Jed]

Just curious.

Tons of guys in our shop have been dealing with this as of late. Curious as to what you guys have dealt with, or are currently dealing with.

 

[rskybiz]

Not for a while now but pulling brush was usually the thing that would bring it on for me.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I just went to the Physical Therapist.

AC joint issue. Impingement. That the acromial process of the scapula/ shoulderblade that meets up with the clavicle to hold the humerus/ upper arm bone in place. Largely, one of the several "rotator cuff" muscles is weak, and tight pectoral muscles means my shoulders are forward and the humerus isn't held tight in the right place against the A and C, which was resulting is grinding and pain.

Water, stretching, external rotation exercise, a low row exercise, and something else with a theraband. Doing external rotations while lying on my side in bed without weight, to build endurance.

Stand tall, shoulders back, head high, chest out, tight core muscles. Stretch. Hydrate. Rinse and repeat.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

P.S. the guys should go to the PT through LnI. Each needs a thorough evaluation. My problem shoulder was about a 1-1.5 hour testing and Q/A by the PT.

Unless they get proper care, they aren't.

 

[squisher]

Just curious.

Tons of guys in our shop have been dealing with this as of late. Curious as to what you guys have dealt with, or are currently dealing with.

Sounds like whining to me.

 

[Jed]

Man Sean... well done! It's pretty interesting--the juxtaposition of perspectives between Justin's post and yours. It's like Clash of the Cultures. I'll confess that I identify with Justin's a lot more readily. An old timer in our shop is now recovering from his second shoulder surgery (different shoulders ten years apart). I'd say that his surgeries did next to nothing.

I'm convinced that the best we can do is On the Job Therapy... forced ambidexterity with the top-handles, and with the handling of limbs... Two beers when you get home... Dr. Jed

 

[RopeArmour]

I had bad shoulders yrs ago. Had to keep working Yng biz and babies to feed. Took a year but it finally went away. Actually had both elbows and shoulders in pain for a few months all at the same time. Keep waiting for it to come back. Elbows do act up a lil a few times a yr.
Same with a routinely aches knee. One day I clipped both knees at full speed to jump a barrier. So badly bruised blood was seeping through the skin. Hey but since then no more knee pain. Best of luck and remember favoring an injury tends to transfer the efforts forward to another injury

 

[ruel]

I think minimizing use of the cut and hold technique would go a long way to preserving shoulders. I know you guys don't like to rope stuff, but it really does save a lot of wear and tear on a weak joint.

 

[DMc]

... An old timer in our shop is now recovering from his second shoulder surgery (different shoulders ten years apart). I'd say that his surgeries did next to nothing...

A good climber that I worked with in California had shoulder surgery and is now not able to climb and collecting full disability. I slipped in a crabapple tree one rainy day about 15 years ago and tore my rotator cuff of my left arm. The pain stayed a long time but eventually went away leaving no significant limitations. About 8 weeks ago I was working out on a siberian elm limb when my line went slack, it had hung up on a piece of bark and than popped off. I fell about 5 feet which was a non issue but snagged my right arm on the way down tearing the rotator cuff in that arm. It is a painful injury so it is easy to see why so many go the surgery route. Not my way, it will heal in time as most rotator cuff injuries do.

I think most folks rely too much on others for their health, they want to be fixed, even when all they need is the time to heal. People need to be more self aware and proactive in health matters.

 

[cory]

I think most folks rely too much on others for their health, they want to be fixed, even when all they need is the time to heal. People need to be more self aware and proactive in health matters.

I think there is a lot of truth to what you say. It does take a lot of years/experience to be able to figure out what the body needs, imo

 

[Dave Shepard]

I broke my right shoulder off in 2001. It was just hanging by ligaments or something. It's now about an inch lower then my left. Hurt like hell and I never filled the script for vicodin. Idiot. It still gives me trouble from time to time.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Well, that was the most awful thing I had read in a while. Ouch.

I had a dislocation and cuff tear in high school. Quit playing sports. No problem.

 

[Dave Shepard]

It was one of those parting company with your ATV situations. After I flew off the quad and uprooted a small tree and broke a large rotten log in half with my shoulder, I had to ride about 3 miles back out of the woods. Then I was offered a ride by a guy working on his house, but instead of going straight to the ER, he went five miles in the opposite direction to find his Russian mail order wife who was out jogging to make sure she had not been abducted. True story, can't make that stuff up!

 

[cory]

Omg!

 

[Limbrat]

I think there is a lot of truth to what you say. It does take a lot of years/experience to be able to figure out what the body needs, imo

And which movements hurt what. If I tend slack with my right hand it will really affect that shoulder. I'm sure it's a rotator issue but I agree with Dave, we live in a wimpy society where people depend way too much on doctors and drugs.

 

[FireFighterZero]

That sounds pretty hairy chested!

I guess if you invest all that money in a woman, you keep track of her.

 

[cory]

And which movements hurt what. If I tend slack with my right hand it will really affect that shoulder. I'm sure it's a rotator issue but I agree with Dave, we live in a wimpy society where people depend way too much on doctors and drugs.

Yup. There is a lot to the SOP the Army doctors presumably say: "Doc, my arm hurts when I move it like this". Doc: "Don't move it like that, take aspirin, come back in 10 days."

Avoiding causing further pain to an injury aids healing. Duh, but still.

 

[Burnham]

I tore up both my rotator cuffs, separate incidents, separated by a couple of decades. No surgery, and both work relatively well these days. I see DMc's point, and agree to a fairly strong degree...but the first one, my right, still is bum...the left is much better, but still not really healed back to normal strength and solidity.

But man oh man, I have hurt a lot over the last 40 years from that first one, and that one has never got close to right again...so maybe having a good mechanic rebuild it maybe would have been wise, in retrospect.

Maybe the huge success of my hip replacement surgery colors my thinking on this. Though I'll be the first to agree hips and shoulders are nothing alike in terms of reconstructive surgery.

 

[Jed]

Thanks so much for all the good and varied input here guys.

DMc: Much acknowledged and appreciated. Wise stuff about the docs. (imo)

Sean: The irony is that John is the guy who has used the cut and throw stuff probably the least. We think that his shoulders got so torn up, because he's the guy who always gets stuck hedging the most. Even though he's the burliest guy in the shop (to this day) it's gotta suck just holding those shears out over the top of a hedge for as long as he does.

 

[Burnham]

For sure.