Shoulder Rehab - Week 11

I have come to realize that the one thing I don't want to do is tense my shoulder. I can stretch it, but if I tense it up and keep it that way for any length of time (like when I was cold) I will be in severe pain for days. I visited the Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist at the beginning of the week. As he is pushing me through an assisted stretch, which felt like a knife being stabbed repeatedly into my shoulder, he was telling me how he will never do anything that will cause pain. Uh, come again?

He could not find a stretch that would stretch the back part of arm and back without pinching the tendon in the front of my shoulder, which is constantly sore and has been since the surgery. He finally has me hang on to a doorknob and lean way back, putting my weight on my shoulders. If I bent my arms slightly, my biceps would have taken the brunt of the weight, but he insisted I lock out my elbows, which pinched in the front of my shoulder even more.

After leaving the office, and glowing in the painful aftermath of the session, I realized I don't think I should have done that stretch. So, that night, I did the baby pose instead. It stretched the same area, but my hand was relaxed down and my shoulder was relaxed instead of tense. I held it for 5 minutes. I am not going to lie. I had tears in my eyes and had to curl into a whimpering ball when I finished stretching, but that is to be expected. I also stretched the front of my shoulder by doing the 90 degree thing against the wall (another stretch that has helped numerous of my clients that their physical therapists failed to tell them about). The next day I could reach across my body and put my deodorant on with my bad arm for the first time since the surgery.

That night, I decided to give the trainer some credit and try the stretch he showed me. BAD IDEA!! When I stopped, it hurt bad. That pain just gradually got worse throughout the night, no matter how many pain pills I had in me, which was the max allowed dose. I didn't get any sleep and called in sick to work the next morning. I made it in for the afternoon, but felt like I had been run over by a train.

I have since been doing my stretches and my shoulder feels wonderful. Yes, it hurts, but not it is a bearable ache. I have also been doing the reverse flys that the trainer told me to do - hold each rep for 6 seconds. I have been doing 3 sets of 10.

While sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon, I twisted to read a document, causing a wonderful stretch through the back of my arm and down my back - the goal target area! I realized it was a very similar position as one of the twisting yoga poses that always feels oh so good. Last night, I added that in to the end of my workout and suffered minimal pain at the end of my workout.

I have cancelled my next appointment with the trainer and decided to do this on my own. After all, I know the full range of motion, I know all the exercises and safe stretches. I just don't know the timeline, which I plan on asking the doctor next week.

If you recently had shoulder surgery and want to visit about what works and what doesn't - please email me!

Shoulder Rehab: Week 10

I had to get my narcotic painkillers filled again. I continue to do my assisted exercises daily. I was feeling so good I thought I would try the hack squat machine at the gym to really give my legs a workout. BAD CHOICE! I pinched a nerve in my neck that went through my shoulder. I was in pain for three days.

I attempted to sleep in my bed again, only to wake up at midnight in pain. I tried to fight it until 1:00 a.m., then finally got up and took pain medication. I am sure it was a combination of the forearm curls I did the other night, riding in the car, and sleeping on a hard mattress.

Things that aggravate my shoulder: the mouse on my computer, leaning over to file or do my stir the pot exercise, walking and/or running long distances, movie theatre seats, the seat belt while riding in a car (it runs right across my still sore incision), and sleeping without my fluffy pillow. Oh, and using it for ANYTHING!

I can honestly say I have more good days than bad days, as long as I don't overdo it at the gym or try using it for household chores at home. I realize I could live with the pain and be miserable, however, I would rather take a low dose narcotic than mega high doses of over the counter meds that just give me a rebound headache the next day.

At the end of my 10th week, I will be seeing the Athletic Trainer for the first time since my surgery. I can't wait to see what they say!

Shoulder Rehab: Week 9

I was so happy at how well my shoulder was doing until I bent down yesterday morning while I was getting ready for work and heard a loud pop. Pain shot through my shoulder, down to my elbow and up to ear. By lunch, the pain was constant from my shoulder to my temple, with my trap in constant spasm. By the end of dinner I was shaking with pain so I put my sling back on, crawled into bed with a heat pack and rested. I started to feel a bit better, but still very sore by bedtime. At least the sharp pains weren't shooting under my shoulder blade anymore.

I woke at 4:00 in the morning whimpering with tears streaming down my face from the pain. I wasn't crying, just teary eyed. Luckily, I had one pain pill left. I still have pain shooting down into my forearm and the occasional sharp shooting pain when I walk or move my arm just the slightest.

I fought the need to call the doctor for a pain pill refill because of the way they made me feel like an addict the last time I called in for a refill. The nurse actually said, "You took all those pills already?" I was like, yah, I take one or sometimes two at 3:00 in the morning when I wake up in severe pain, and one or two if the pain is bad after work or after the gym. I can honestly say, I don't like the "high" feeling or the way I want to sleep when it is wearing off. But I do like the fact that I can function for a short while without pain that makes me feel like throwing up. They are the lowest dose I think they can prescribe, so my two pills is equal to many patients' one.

I need to go to the gym tonight and work my legs, I just pray the pain in my shoulder doesn't get worse again tonight. If I move it the tiniest bit the wrong way while typing, it feels as though it is being ripped from my shoulder. I am sure it will be better soon!

Christianity - The Business Venture

I ran into a Pastor tonight that I adore. He is a wonderful man, always happy and upbeat. He is one of those people that just makes you feel better after seeing and speaking to him. To me, that is the true meaning of spirituality, to believe in a higher/larger power and to leave people in better condition than when you met them.

ANYWAY, he told me he was moving tomorrow. His wife was diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells a few months ago, then they were moved into a new house, then he had a heart attack 10 weeks ago and lost his goal job. How does a priest lose his goal job, let me tell you...

After 33 years of loyal service, he was offered the job he always wanted to retire from, but would have had to pay for his own house and take a pay cut, something he could not afford with the mounting medical bills. So he was honest with them, hoping for some kind of negotiation. Instead, they offered it to someone else, who also turned the position down for the same reasons. They then offered it to a third person who turned it down as well. They had to take a hard look at their moving package. They decided the church would pay for the house and raise the salary - and re-offered it to the third person. Now my friend has to take that person's position in another small town. I know it happens all over but, THAT is NOT supposed to happen to a priest! Why couldn't they re-offer it to their first choice????

I have seen this kind of thing happen frequently throughout the years. I have seen priests moved because they did not bring in enough parishioners to pay the bills and make a profit. I was even shunned for not "committing" because I would not give up my membership to the church I grew up in to "officially" join the church I was attending regularly and tithing to every week. After all, it all comes down to the number of "official" members. When did worshipping Jesus turn into a business venture????

And people wonder why I don't attend church regularly anymore...
But I still show my appreciation and say my prayers every day!!

I want to say thank you for everything and good luck in your future ventures to the man that made everyone smile!

Shoulder Rehab: 8 Weeks

I have gone up in weight and my legs are doing awesome. I am now combining legs, forearms, and abs in one night so I can focus on cardio the next night. I am doing the following rehab exercises 4 to 5 times a day:

30 shoulder shrugs

30 rowing movements with my shoulders, really shrugging front and squeezing my shoulder blades in back

15 front raises - elbow bent at 90 degree angle, I take my left hand and place it under my right arm and push it up until my right upper arm is parallel to the floor, or until I really feel the stretch.

15 side lateral raises - again I use my opposite arm to push my bad arm away from my body.

15 rotations - across my body/away from my body - my elbow is bent at a 90 degree angle (like a gun slinger). I then rotate my shoulder so my right wrist is over my left hip and I use my left arm to support/push my elbow away from my body slightly to make it work. I then rotate my shoulder so my elbow is pressed into my side and my right hand is away from my body (I call it the chicken flap when I do it with weights - presurgery)

15 reps - I put my hand behind my back as far as it can go. My goal is to be able to move my hand up and down my back. Right now, I can only get it to my butt cheek (on the same side as the injured shoulder). I have a LOT of work to do on that one.

I have yet to go for a run as my shoulder had me in pain again today. It felt great when I woke up - to the point where I thought, Wow! That stretching last night really helped! All was great until I buttoned my blouse which just happened to have three buttons on the back of my neck. I could feel the stretch while doing it and when I brought my arm back down it felt as though I pinched an entire cluster of nerves. It was so bad before lunch that pain was actually shooting from my shoulder into my ear.

I came home from work and put on my sling, which I plan to wear to bed tonight. Tomorrow is another day!

Chia Seeds for Endurance

One of the latest supplements I have been taking is chia seeds. It is known as the Aztec super food. They allegedly took these seeds and were able to run for 50-100 miles. I am not sure how they help my endurance as I haven't been running since my shoulder surgery and I imagine my endurance won't be that good once I start back up here in a few weeks.

These tiny seeds are touted as being loaded with Omega 3s, fiber, protein, and nutrients. I add mine to water, let them stand for around 10 minutes, which allows the fiber to come out, and turn the water into a thick slime. I find the slightly nutty taste very refreshing. Sometimes, it gets a little too thick and it is hard to swallow down just because of the gag reflex. On a recent roadtrip, I mixed two tablespoons of chia seeds with a half bottle of my favorite sports drink. It tasted great and I didn't have the desire to snack. These seeds are not advertised for weight loss, but I feel they could be very beneficial.

If you would like more information on these little seeds, click here. If you do decide to make this inexpensive purchase, I would love to hear what you think of them and how they effected your endurance.

Shoulder Rehab Post-Surgery

On May 11, 2010 I went under the knife for rotator cuff surgery. I didn't have a tear and there was not one thing I did that aggravated it enough for me to have surgery.

About nine years ago, I started having pain in my shoulder and chronic headaches. The pain in my shoulder felt as though it were being pulled out of the socket on a regular basis. If I did my rotator cuff exercises, I could keep the pain to a minimum, as long as I didn't do any heavy lifting for my chest. A doctor diagnosed me with, "Nursing Mother's Syndrome," and said I would just have to keep doing the exercises and maybe one day resort to surgery.

My headaches were diagnosed as migraines. Throughout the years I tried multiple migraine medications. Most were effective but made me sleep until the headache was gone. However, having three small children, sleeping for extended periods of time was not an option. I was put on Tylenol 3. After years on the particular medication, I switched to a hydrocodone/ibuprofen combination. I was not fond of the amount of acetaminophen I was taking over the years and soon realized I was suffering from rebound headaches.

My main chronic headache was caused by occipital neuralgia. My occipital nerves were pinched, making my head feel like it was in a constant charlie horse. Even washing my hair hurt. My scalp felt like one big bruise underneath. It was horribly painful. Add in the rebound headaches from the pain medication and I was pretty much miserable all the time.

As time went on over the last nine years, my headaches got worse and my shoulder pain more frequent. Finally, in April of this year, my chiropractor referred me to an orthopedic doctor. The chiropractor said I had acromial tendinitis and possible bursitis.

The orthopedic doctor confirmed the diagnosis and suggested I get a shot in the bursa to relieve the inflammation. I had been in pain for so long, I was open to anything. The shot into the shoulder was not bad at all. What amazed me was that by the time I was getting into my car ten minutes later, the occipital neuralgia was melting away, along with the pain under my shoulder blade. To this day, I can wash my hair without pain at the base of my skull and above my ears.

The pain in my shoulder, however, did not go away. Hence the surgery. I had a bone spur removed, chronic bursitis to clean up, and stretched out ligaments the doctor put stitches in to tighten up. He told me out of everything he could do to a shoulder, mine would take the longest to recover from.

The first couple of days after surgery are by far the worst. However, it is now almost eight weeks later and I still can't sleep flat. The best purchase I made was a reading pillow with adjustable sides and headrest. That and super fluffy pillows have made my recovery much more comfortable.

I attempted to walk about 8 days post surgery. The two miles felt wonderful, but the pain afterwards did not. I was then told by someone else who had the surgery to definitely not walk before three weeks. The doctor couldn't tell me that? That came from a man that actually went back to work just four days after his surgery. I took two weeks off and wish I had taken four as typing still aggravates it.

I immediately started doing 30 shoulder shrugs and rowing movements with my shoulders three times a day. I also did bicep curls when my sling was off a couple of times a day. I read that if you do not move your shoulder, scar tissue will build up and you will lose all range of motion. The doctor nor the nurse told me why to do the exercises, just to make sure I did.

At four weeks post surgery I started walking to and from work, which is a half mile each way. Add in lunch and I was walking about two miles a day. I could not believe that walking made my legs sore. I guess that is what happens when you lay around for four weeks. Oh, and exhausted. I can't even tell you how exhausted I was going back to work and still am by the end of the week.

At five weeks, I started going to the gym and working my legs (Just three to four sets of 15 reps). I then tried to lay on my back overnight. Not a good thing. The pain was excruciating laying down and the pain getting myself out of the position was even more so.

At six weeks, I got my sling off and started to work my shoulder slightly. Every other night, I hang the jump rope over the pullup bar at the gym and make like a pulley. I wrap one end around my wrist and use the other hand to pull my shoulder through the ranges of motion. OUCH!

At 7.5 weeks, I put my sling back on for the weekend. The pain was so bad, I actually had to take pain pills at work to make it through the day (something I usually reserve for first thing in the morning and after work when the pain is at its worst.) That was just three days ago. The sling must have given it the rest it needed because it feels much better. Typing still aggravates it a little bit, so I am doing it in little spurts. I think using the mouse hurts it the most. Oh, that and situps on the decline bench. I wasn't even going all the way down and thought I had caused major damage after just 10 reps.

My friend that had the surgery said he started running again at seven weeks and thinks he reinjured his shoulder doing so. He said his physical therapist did not think that was the case, but it still caused him excruciating pain. I think I will wait until the ten week mark before I try running.

I am surprised to find that I cannot lay down to sleep and when I try, it hurts my midback, which is used to a sitting position. The best part - I am almost out of pain killers and they say they don't like to prescribe them more than a month past the surgery. Future blogs could be interesting...