[Akash]

Hi, I have a repeated stabbing pain whenever I raise my right shoulder at the exact spot here:

http://www.abbeychiro.ie/wp-content/...ropractic2.jpg

It starts from there and moves downwards to the shoulder blades.
Unfortunately, any exercises I do seem to either exacerbate burning sensations.

in both my hands, pain in forearms etc/I was wondering if there are any specific exercises that worked especially for this condition for any of our members. Or any other techniques suggestions.

I can (reluctantly) live with my finger pain etc, but its the shoulder pain which is killing me and really affecting my ability to work.

[Jomar]

I've found that you usually can't exercise away these kinds of pain..

You might have some trigger points in those muscles, and they need to be resolved before anything else will help.

A tennis ball , dog ball, anything somewhat round and that you can use to apply pressure, or a friends thumb or knuckle..

I used the ball against walls , cabinets & on the floor when at home, but sometimes you need a person to get a specific spot that are hard to reach.
And you have to get all of them as some of the latent ones will activate after the major ones are resolved..
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread125577.html

Unfortunately working may be re triggering those as soon as you get them resolved.. It is very hard to see benefits of PT or self care when working.

Have you read about the spoon theory ?
It is like a bank account of uses.
The PT and selfcare adds back $$ , but activities take away $$.
So working a full day will put you in neg $$ and all the PT & care cannot gain enough as the next day of work subtracts more again..

If at all possible modify your work as much as you can to be less draining.
I went right home for months and did nothing but ice and gentle stretches..and it still didn't get me ahead of the negative $$...

I banked as much of my real paycheck as I could because i knew I wasn't going to be able to maintain working much longer at that time.

If you can get some expert PT and/or a multi modality chiropractor, I think it will be beneficial for you.
You need pain relieving modalities not exercises..IMO
Like ultrasound, manual TrP, low level laser, IF stim- that sot of stuff first...

some of these might be helpful for at home- getting the shoulders back gently -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/album.php?albumid=422

[Akash]

Wow, that spoon stuff is pretty scary, though logical.

Over here in India pretty much all jobs are crazily stressful. Can't imagine where I'd get one with a different easier sort of life. I really don't know how to retire in my 30's - we don't have any sort of social security system or the like. I'd borrow/scrounge up cash for a once in a lifetime surgery but scar tissue and difficult outcomes seem par for the course with TOS surgeries.

BTW, did you try shoulder braces? I am thinking of getting this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Clavicle-Suppo...osture+support

I searched the forum and some members helped out with responses, apparently the other option is the Intelliskin posture shirt and the expensive Alignmed brace (but I can't order that since it needs to be custom fit to the customer).

Your thoughts welcome.

[Jomar]

I never tried any posture braces,
If you can find a store that carries those things locally or find them online so you can easily return if it does not work of feel comfortable would be the best way to go.

I don't know if that metal ring would be comfortable..

What kind of work do you do?

[Akash]

Originally Posted by Jo*mar

I never tried any posture braces,
If you can find a store that carries those things locally or find them online so you can easily return if it does not work of feel comfortable would be the best way to go.

I don't know if that metal ring would be comfortable..

What kind of work do you do?

I work as an analyst so loads of computer work and demanding deadlines.

[jkl626]

Originally Posted by Akash

Wow, that spoon stuff is pretty scary, though logical.

Over here in India pretty much all jobs are crazily stressful. Can't imagine where I'd get one with a different easier sort of life. I really don't know how to retire in my 30's - we don't have any sort of social security system or the like. I'd borrow/scrounge up cash for a once in a lifetime surgery but scar tissue and difficult outcomes seem par for the course with TOS surgeries.

BTW, did you try shoulder braces? I am thinking of getting this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Clavicle-Suppo...osture+support

I searched the forum and some members helped out with responses, apparently the other option is the Intelliskin posture shirt and the expensive Alignmed brace (but I can't order that since it needs to be custom fit to the customer).

Your thoughts welcome.

Hi,
I have all 3. The best brace in my opinion is the SpinalQ. The Intelliskin is a far second. The intelliskin you can wear under clothing. The brace you wear over a shirt, for short periods. i do not recomend the alignmed. I will reply to your PM soon.JKL

[Eight]

Dry Needling - do this on a Friday afternoon so you don't miss work and see how you take to it. It loosens the traps.

deep tissue massage - this should be cheaper in India than in the US, it is expensive, or I would get one everyday.

Live with your parents? Also, not generally an option here in the US, that's why we have Social Security, because people don't take care of their family here like they do in India.

If you do computer work, like me, you may also have issues with your pec minor like me.

Try rolling around on a tennis ball. Lay on the floor on your back with a tennis ball or similar type ball to work the knots out.

Stretch the anterior and median scalene muscles. Some YouTube videos can show you how to do this.

See if you can bet botox in the anterior and median scalenes, and also the pec minor. I'm pretty sure there is someone in India somewhere that can do tis, and if you are lucky, maybe in your city, who might be able to keep doing this for you.

Some of the medications I have found helpful:
Gabapentin
Flexeril
Skelaxin
Toroidal
Ibuprofen
Execedrin migraine
Celebrex
Mobic
Lidoderm patches or lidoderm cream
TENS machine - this is awesome.
Heating pads
Voltran gel
Pentrix cream
Emu cream

Oh, and wall push-ups , or other exercises to strengthen the Rhomboids.


I want my spoons back!!!!

[Akash]

Eight, thanks a ton!!!

I really appreciate you & all the others who go out of their way to share helpful information. I am just kicking myself as to why I didn't go with my gut & start on the TOS treatment path years back when I sort of thought I had this (based on discussions here & elsewhere) and instead waited like an prize donkey for a dr to finally tell me.

My big issue in India is that we seem to be great at process work but not really at the "whys" - this means solutions aren't there for complex stuff. I now understand the need for social security.
But enough cribbing.

I am going to methodically work through whatever you noted. A few questions.

-Since I had a whiplash accident, I am betting my scalenes are scarred & thats the first level of compression, can deep tissue work (myofascial etc) help with this?

- Wont stretching the scalenes pull the first rib up? Stoxen seems to say this is an issue

- Botox - would steroidal injections work likewise? I found a few pain mgmt folks who work with steroids/pain killers, Botox seems to be rare. :(

- Can I get trigger point injections, do these work?

- Also can I use a foam roller for my upper back versus a ball? The tennis ball in a sock method keeps flopping for me - i drop it all the time.

[Eight]

-Since I had a whiplash accident, I am betting my scalenes are scarred & thats the first level of compression, can deep tissue work (myofascial etc) help with this?
Yes and no. It can't get rid of scar tissue that is more than a year old. It can move it to a more comfortable place.

- Wont stretching the scalenes pull the first rib up? Stoxen seems to say this is an issue

I don't know who Stoxen is, but that does make sense. I pull down on my chest with both hands than do the neck stretches by turning my head accordingly, otherwise I don't really get much of a stretch.

- Botox - would steroidal injections work likewise? I found a few pain mgmt folks who work with steroids/pain killers, Botox seems to be rare.

Keep looking? Don't necessarily look for a pain management specialist. It is an interventional radiologist that does them a lot of the time here. It is vascular surgeons that do the surgeries a lot of the time here. We didn't take all of your good doctors, I'm sure. .

I had a pain specialist that did trigger point injections in my sternocladomastoid. It seriously messed me up and definitely part of the reason that I'm in such poor condition now. When it made me worse, she recommended I get a psychiatric evaluation. She is a horrible person.

- Can I get trigger point injections, do these work?

Sure. I've found this somewhat helpful, but I've found a lot of things somewhat helpful. The only thing that I have been awed by thus far are the botox injections and by the dramatic improvement in my posture from the pec minor release. Remember, people will sell you anything if you are paying....

- Also can I use a foam roller for my upper back versus a ball? The tennis ball in a sock method keeps flopping for me - i drop it all the time.

Lay down on the tennis ball, remember gravity. And yes, the foam Roller can be used. I find it helpful, somewhat.