my pt suggested core exercises as being key to good posture...I am finding that in a well equippend gym that there are things I can do on very specific machines for abs, back, and obliques...but it was a lot of trial and error. The machine has to really isolate the muscle and not reguire me to tense up the neck and shoulders. I can push with my back or my legs, though.

For Abs i also do foam roller exercises...lay on it with your arms crossed over chest, activate abs, lift one leg at a time and use core muscles to keep you balanced on the roll. I can't do anything where I have to lift my head and support it with my neck...hurts way too much.

I do one legged bridges for gluts

For shoulders, I do the kind of pushups where you lay on your side propped up on one elbow/arm (whole forearm on the ground) and use your arm/shoulder to push your body up. Legs stay on the ground. It is a very small movement and I only do a few (started with 5, now I do 10) at a time per side. Trap and neck spasms can make it hard to sink onto my shoulder.
If this description isn't clear, it is sort of like a shoulder shrug... sink down into a shrug, push up out of it, but on your side.

I can't do treadmill...and I have to do bikes/glider/elliptical/stiarmaster on low speed with high resistance because the bouncing bothers my neck.

Interestign to hear what everybody does. Hope to hear more form the rest of you

Hi all

I can't wait to get exercising again. It wsa 80 degrees here the other day and my husband and I went for a short walk jsut around the house and what a PAIN that was.

I didn't realize how much the arm moves while walking. I was okay at first but then I started hurting..like my arm was being pulled down. My shoulder was killing me so I had to hold my arm up with the other arm (that'snot doing so well either at the moment).

Anyways, I can't imagine running or jumping around...OUCH! I was watchinc people play tennis and cringing in pain. Also watching bowling..yea right now that's funny. Couldn't see me doing that either.

I have a tendancy to swing my arm sometimes when talking too...oh my...that's painful. So I guess I have to wait til I'm out of the pain I'm in before doing any real exercise or anything FUN for that matter.

I finally made cupcakes today and it was a struggle even using the electric mixer. What a pain in the butt! ok...more like neck and arm..lol

Catch ya later

For back strengthening I do cable rows and any "row" type machine. Not necessarily "rowing machines" WATCH FORM...do not let shoulders roll forward...that is the key. Ask your PT. He/She should agree that you must force the back muscles to HOLD the shoulders back. This is what will strengthen the back to hold them naturally in that place (if that is your problem...it is mine). Watch any exercise or movement where you bend over or forward as this MAY cause you to roll those shoulders forward. You MUST understand the concept of rolled forward shoulders to understand WHY this causes flare ups. OPEN the chest will help too. Opening the chest causes the sholders to go back. Walk this way, stand this way and eventually you may see and feel improvement. I used bi cep curls only to show an exercise that doesn't appear to be problematic but because of the anatomy it CAN be problematic...it literally PULLS down on the coracoid process....LOOK at the anatomy.

The arm push up may also be problematic. I was told, and by experierence it seems true, that any WEIGHT BEARING on my arms/shoulders is going to be problematic because my body defensively will shoulder roll forward. Not good.

You guys can do?
Cardio
Weights
Stretches
Machines
Treadmill
Stairmaster
Pushups
Situps

Geez, when I increase my cardio
Then goes the increased throbbing and pain.

Only thing that helps is Edgelow breathing the foam roller even hurts with my traps
Lower body pilates for core strengthening
Swimming and no resistance reclining bike.

A Warm Pool.. With gentle water walking and exercises.. No other cardio or I'm in a flare for days..
Then the Spa to relax those tight muscles..
Hugs
Dawn

Let me say that if you used to work out regularly, or were a "weight-lifter" - check your ego and standards at the door. That was very hard for me even before shoulder surgery. Now, I can go to the gym, grab the 6lb or 8lb weights and not care at all if anyone looks at me funny.
- I started PT again ~2 or 3 wks ago because I began having a hard time with my "weight lifting." Even now, with slow, correct posture bicep curls, i can hardly do 2 sets of 10 w/ 8lbs. I think PT is going to have me lay down tomorrow for curls, chest press (with 6lb weights) and ceiling punches, because I mentioned that pulling from my wrist to my bicep to my neck. You're right noname- you can't stress enough the importance of correct posture and shoulder position, and back strength relative to chest strength has alot to do with this, i think. 7 years ago, I was a total meathead, in the gym 10-12 hrs a week - i weighed about 160 and was doing sets on the bench press with 245lbs. My chest got much stronger than my back, which led to my shoulders rolling forward, which led to a shoulder injury, and probably contributes to me being here today. I STILL haven't fixed how my shoulder rolls forward.

P.s. - i just remembered from my PT post-shoulder surgery 3/06 - the PT explained to me that aside from the other problems having your shoulders rolled forward causes, it puts your arm at a HUGE mechanical disadvantage. meaning things are harder to lift, and you stress the wrong things too much. Just one more thing for me to work on.

for the strenghtening exercise suggestions everybody!

I think this is VERY KEY! I'm not sure most get this. Hence my direction to LOOK at an good anatomy page which shows the Brachial Plexus and arteries and veins in that area. Look at it from all sides. Note too that these same nerves AND branches run through a variety of surrounding muscles (upper trap for example) and those nerves and muscles can get compressed anywhere causing a flare up. (the other day my upper trap went nuts...why because the suprascapular nerve runs right throughit and branches off the BP!). Pain in the upper trap can be from compression of the nerve there or compression anywhere along the nerve pathway (referred pain as well). I wish people would PAY MORE ATTENTION to their posture and shoulder/arm position to SEE that ...ah....it was rolled forward and THAT is why I have pain...with me it is a 12-13 hour DELAYED REACTION...I never notice it immediately....I get it 12-13 hours later and have to think back ..."what did I do 12-13 house earlier that is causing me pain NOW" That is the secret...at least in my humble opinion. True many already have actual nerve damage....I have been told that my nerves aren't damaged...they are compressed or entrapped..when I have a flare up...More and more I am able to PREVENT that by watching my posture and alignment and arm/shoulder postion. Less flareups as a result.

I should add....that HEAD position is also critical....too many of us have our heads out in front...BAD! Neck should be aligned with spine. Head out in front will strain the scalenes etc and compress the same BP set of nerves.

For me...two VERY important things I have to constantly remind myself....head straight up and down...neck long in back...and shoulders down and back. If I keep that up...I have less flare ups. It does work...at least for me.

That really fits for me-
the VHS video {old- William Hurt was the demo person} I found at the library on Alexander technique it had a lot of talking at first but when they finally demonstrated the way to find a proper head/shoulders position really was a help for me.
It also showed many other ways for better body uses.

also another tip- elongate the spine all the way to the top of the head - then tip chin down just a bit- no chin jutting forward allowed!