Repost: neck and shoulder problems
 

yes

I'm still here (used to frequent the other forum)

Some updates

first some tests I've taken:

MRI of the neck and head

blood work including hormone and thyroid

EMG

no diagnosis

What's hurting me:

Neck pain (one report said arthritis, rheumatologist said "NO WAY")

shoulder pain, mainly my right, limited movement, popping cracking noises all the time

some minor wrist and finger pain

intense shooting pain from my jaw, neck, shoulder, to upper arm (yes, I have TMJ also)

muscle atrophy on my right trapezius, visible muscle spasm on my left shoulder

rarely have a pain free day

can anyone help out?

Hi - are you roker?? from OBT.

Well - where to start - what are you trying, or using to help with your pain for now?

PT or other therapies , self helps, posture work, those types of things??
Do you think you get triggerpoints in your muscles or just a constantly tight feeling?

I have an electric stim pad thing to use at home

I do some self massage

I go to PT

all helps, but the relief is short lived

I guess, I'm thinking there's a "cure" out there for me or at least a name for this. I just can't believe it's been more than a year of not having a pain free day. I'm going for a botox shot in two weeks. I could do without all these shooting pains. It's a combination of trigger point and tightness. I should post a picture of my back. I'm scared that pictures won't do justice though.

-roker (yes, it's a me!)

I'm going to copy some of my therapy and similar self help posts from the cached OBT posts.
might be something of help there.

my post 2005-
When I had PT during ulnar nerve flare up some of the stretches they wanted me do were a bit intense- they said to really push it {the stretch} but I had read some of Sharon Butlers book already so I just did it to a slight tingle stretch and release with slow gentle reps.
If something feels not right for you just modify it to what you can do, the main ideas for most of these books is to keep the blood circulating and slowly keep or increase range of motion. I found a video of Alexander Technique {library} and it does help with whole body use, Feldenkrais, Hellerwork are similar.
Modified Yoga, Pilates moves -- do only what you can change it or make it easier to do until you can increase it.
other things - nutrition, supplements, water, treadmill/ bike

chiropractor - a very good one with many years of experience and continuing education/seminars ect. =esp. if you were ever in a MVA or head/shoulder/neck bump or fall.
after my tingling and numbness in my elbows & fingers went away there was still hypersensitivity, sore spots and swelling for months- some still returns if I over do it, or even sleep with arms bent to much for most of the nite.

now - not much problem with hands -more in neck/shoulders/upper back.

another post of mine-
A PT doesn't always have to be formally TOS trained. But they cannot give a TOS patient any cookie cutter "standard " PT protocol, it just won't work.

If they will listen to you and adjust the therapy to your conditioning and tolerance it may work. { like -not push the weights or stretchy bands until your pain is at a very low level}

Question?
Did most of you that had good or helpful PT, get started off with only heat, ultrasound & massage and then ice after?
Then given the take home stretches that the PT demonstrated the proper form and made sure you did them correctly before leaving?
And had you demonstrate them at each next appt for form?

This protocol was followed until my pain dropped from a 6 to a 2 and then we slowly added isometrics {muscle tense and release} to my tolerance levels.
Then progressed to 1# weights as long as no pain increase and so on with wts. & rep increases from there. Surprisingly my pain dropped to 0 after starting the weights. was mainly forearm pain at that time.

This was when my PT & Dr thought I only had bilateral tendintis in my forearms, wrists, hands, DeQ, tennis elbow, golfers elbow and shoulder impingement/strain.
Then when ulnar sx started they moved up to neck and shoulder PT with the same therapies until sx started to resolve and then began the slow rehab of the shoulder girdle.

That is how it went for me and then I added in the chiropractor and independant PT later on my own for even better results.
*********************************
I would also get as many RSI, rehab or posture/body work types of books as I could from the library and skim throught them - trying the ideas to see what felt useful to me.
You almost have to pick and choose for yourself because we each have a different version of these conditions.

If you can describe some of your symptoms in more detail -one of us might have found something specific to help for it.
There might be some new info or links that you haven't seen up in the useful sticky thread

popping shoulder
 

i got that popping shoulder thing too. it started when i took a bad fall and arched my body when i hit the wall. the shoulder didn't even hurt, but the exercises that i had been doing before caused the shoulder to pop, but not hurt.

long story short, the popping led to pain - bursitis (the bursa twice normal size), tendonitis. this is 5-6 yrs later, and light at the end of the tunnel. it is finally starting to get better, and i can actually do some of those old exercises now without the popping. some still make it pop, and the doc says don't make it pop if i can help it.

sometimes things do heal with time, and if u r old like me it takes a lot of it.

My PT is OK

I feel I have to "push" them to get the results I'm looking for

I don't know how much more to go to into detail about my problem. The hand/wrist problems only act up when my spasms and shooting pains are at their worst. My palms at one point were blue (very very rare, just once actually).

I can't really use my right elbow to support my body (as in using arm resters) because they aggravate me. My upper body is always tight. There's a lot of cracking noises in my neck (painless, but annoying nonetheless).

I'll post a more thorough answer later.

The Edglow Protocol
 

Has anyone mentioned Peter Edglow's protocol to you?? Even if you don't have text book (is there such a thing??) TOS, his program is excellent for the symptoms you are describing. It is designed to be done at home with you monitoring your own progress. I believe his address and information is posted in the stickies for Ca. If not P.M. me!

Good luck with your journey to healing. It can be such a frustrating process. It took me two years to get my diagnosis!! Just don't get discouraged!! Come and talk to us if you do!! Sometimes we can help keep you motivated and progressing along!!

Best Wishes,
G~