Shoulder Issues

I’m happy to report my shoulders are much better. It must have had something to do with my neck, and as I said earlier, I’m using a much lighter weight purse and not putting it on my left shoulder.

The left shoulder does clunk at times, but the pain I had is not there now. I will continue to be really careful.
 
I had shoulder surgery in 6/2012 for 3 torn tendons. One of them had fallen down my arm towards my elbow. I also had spurs shaved down. The surgery took about 4 hours. I was in a body pillow sling for 6 weeks and a normal sling for 3 more weeks. I was told not to even move my wrist for those first 6 weeks. To take a shower, I had a beach ball under my arm at the same pitch. PT didn't start until my 7th week. Then it was very gentle. I went 3 times to learn what to do, and then did just minor things at home. I recovered just fine. I think a person would be fine with just a small amount of formal PT, then doing things on their own. PT never hurt me, just was uncomfortable. At home, it was common sense. Never did I hurt myself!

I believe the same BS way for knees would be fine for shoulders, too.
 
I am so glad your shoulders are doing better! I used a lawnmower on a ditch Monday that has a very deep slope. I had to pull it back up each time I let it down. To protect my shoulders, I concentrated on using my upper back muscles. Unfortunately, this has my lower neck area sore, but not too bad. My previously broken ankle is still really unhappy, but not swelling, so it's just being a brat! But, the shoulders did great! When lifting or pulling, can you concentrate on using those inner upper back muscles? They really spare the shoulders.
 
When lifting or pulling, can you concentrate on using those inner upper back muscles? They really spare the shoulders.
I can’t imagine figuring out how to do that! :rotfl:
 
Get your husband to rub those muscles close to your spine. Then you can feel where they are. Flex them while he's there and see if he can feel them move. If so, you have the right place to concentrate your lifting power. This technique was the best thing my PT taught me after my shoulder surgery! Once you do it once or twice, it's really easy to do it. Good luck!
 
I’ll try to remember to ask my chiropractor, she’ll know where those muscles are.

Maybe I’ll google it, thanks!

I’m trying not to reach up any more than I have to, and I’m trying to keep my shoulders relaxed at all times. Things I didn’t used to have to think about. :cry:
 
Do physio only if it’s pain free and don’t push it. I hope that’s right.

Sorry, that's only for hips and knees. Shoulders are a different thing. You have to push it, though moderately, if you're to make any progress.
Good info, I put it in my thread so I could find it easily.
 
I’m still having shoulder issues. Thankfully I don’t have much, if any, actual pain.

Both of my shoulders just feel out of joint, almost like they are crumbling apart inside. I am losing range of motion. I’ve probably been losing it for a while but didn’t realize it until recently. It’s very difficult to reach my feet to put my socks on and tie my sneakers.

I also have discomfort across the front of my collarbone, from shoulder to shoulder, and have for a while.

If it’s arthritis wouldn’t I feel the same type of pain I had in my knees? This shoulder discomfort is different from that.

@sistersinhim did your shoulder feel like this?

What do I look for in choosing a doctor?
 
@Jockette, you probably should have your shoulders checked out. You search for a doctor in a good orthopedic practice that specializes in shoulders. It's pretty much the same as with knees and hips. You want someone who does a lot of these surgeries.

The thing with shoulders is that you actually can damage bone and tissues if you have problems and wait too long to address them. In my case, waiting the 4 years I needed to care for my husband resulted in the shoulder "ball" becoming an oblong, development of a couple of large bone spurs and an extreme shortening of one of my rotator cuff muscles. The thing you particularly want to avoid is any tearing or damage to the rotator cuff. In my case, I didn't have that and I'm glad. The fact that you're not currently having pain (I didn't either) probably means that your rotator cuff is still in good shape. The decreased range of motion may mean you are developing bone spurs. Sometimes these things can be helped with arthroscopic surgery and you don't automatically need a shoulder replacement. I was able to get an extra 2 years with an arthroscopic "cleanup" of my shoulder joint.

Arthritis in the shoulder does the same thing as knees and hips - the disease causes the cartilage to wear away and eventually you have bone on bone. But, because the shoulder is not a weight bearing joint, many people don't experience a lot of pain as the disease progresses. For them, it's more a loss of range of motion and strength.
 
I’ve seen the term frozen shoulder. How does a shoulder become frozen? I remember @SusieShoes said that happened to her.
 
Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three bones: your upper arm bone (humerus), your shoulder blade (scapula), and your collarbone (clavicle). The head of the upper arm bone fits into a shallow socket in your shoulder blade called the glenoid. Strong connective tissue, called the shoulder capsule, surrounds the joint. To help your shoulder move more easily, synovial fluid lubricates the shoulder capsule and the joint.

shoulder.JPG


The illustration above shows the shoulder capsule and how it's position surrounds the shoulder joint and tendons of the rotator cuff (the shoulder muscles).

Having shoulder surgery makes you more likely to develop a frozen shoulder (also called adhesive capsulitis) if the joint is not moved on a regular basis. But it can also appear in people who have not had surgery. As it develops, the shoulder capsule thickens and becomes stiff and tight. Thick bands of tissue called adhesions develop. In many cases, there is less synovial fluid in the joint, which increases stiffness in the joint. The hallmark signs of this condition are severe pain and being unable to move your shoulder -- either on your own or with the help of someone else. It develops in three stages:

Stage 1: Freezing
In the "freezing" stage, you slowly have more and more pain. As the pain worsens, your shoulder loses range of motion. Freezing typically lasts from 6 weeks to 9 months.

Stage 2: Frozen
Painful symptoms may actually improve during this stage, but the stiffness remains. During the 4 to 6 months of the "frozen" stage, daily activities may be very difficult.

Stage 3: Thawing
Shoulder motion slowly improves during the "thawing" stage. Complete return to normal or close to normal strength and motion typically can take from 6 months to 3 years.

shoulder 1.jpg


The causes of frozen shoulder are not fully understood. A few factors may put you more at risk for developing frozen shoulder such as diabetes or other medical problems such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease, and cardiac disease. Women tend to develop the condition more often than men.

But for our purposes here on BoneSmart, a frozen shoulder can occur during periods of immobilization after shoulder surgery. All patients will be advised to move their shoulders soon after surgery and on a regular basis throughout their recovery.

Pain from frozen shoulder is usually dull or aching. It is typically worse early in the course of the disease and when you move your arm. The pain is usually located over the outer shoulder area and sometimes the upper arm.

Frozen shoulder can improve with non-surgical treatment, but it can take a very long time in some cases. There are also treatment options that include a manipulation under anesthetic or surgery to improve movement, but these options are usually only offered after other, non-invasive treatments have failed.

The bottom line is, it's important to maintain movement in your shoulder after any type of surgery to prevent a frozen shoulder from occurring. Depending on the type of surgery you've had, your surgeon may recommend active or passive exercises for a period of weeks to months.
 
Wow, @Jamie that was an awesome explanation!

Do you, or @Josephine have a diagram of the front view of the collar bone and tendons or whatever else is there? I have discomfort across the front at times. If I lay on my left side I get quite an intense pain all across this front area. It’s only intense laying on my side, which is rare anyway since my knee doesn’t like laying on my side.

About 5 years ago I pulled something in this front area while trying to pull a shopping cart through slush in the store parking lot. I had to pull the cart because I couldn’t push it through the slush.

2 years ago as my PT was pushing my knee to an excruciating point, one week post op, I gripped both sides of the table I was laying on really hard because of the pain he was causing me. 2 hours later I had extreme pain in front of my left shoulder which was diagnosed several days later as acute tendinitis. I couldn’t dress myself or put earrings in because it hurt so much to do that. The Dilaudid I was taking for the knee did not touch this new pain.

Could this event possibly be the beginning of my current issues? My issues have been showing up gradually over time but I thought there were other reasons for them and it’s only in the last weeks that I have started to “connect the dots” and I think I’ve had these shoulder issues longer than I realize.

Now I am having the most trouble putting my socks on and either tying my sneakers or fastening the Velcro on my sandals. At first I thought it was because I couldn’t bend my knee enough, even though I have trouble reaching both feet, and I’ve put weight on, so I thought that was why I couldn’t reach my feet.

It was only in the last week or two that I realized I might be losing range of motion in my shoulders instead. I not only have trouble reaching my feet but there’s quite a bit of discomfort in that reaching position.

I can reach up behind me fine enough and pick my arm up high enough, it’s reaching forward that I have the most trouble with.

I’ve been using a sewing machine for over 40 years, so maybe that’s part of it also.

I am searching out doctors at this point.
 
Like this? This view is with the body removed!

rotator cuff anatomy.JPG
 
Do you have anything that shows both shoulders and what’s in between? Does the number 4, subscapularis go all the way across?

I had an appointment with my chiropractor this morning. I explained everything I wrote above so she checked me out really good. When she was done she said she thought my shoulders were in line fairly well and she’s going to treat me with the thought that my neck is the problem. I have had neck issues for years, too.

I’m going to see her again on Tuesday, and then we’ll see if seeing her once a week for a while will help. I’m willing to try twice a week also. She is my first defense before moving on to an orthopedic shoulder specialist.

I did feel better when I walked out of her office.
 
I'm glad your chiropractic visit helped. It's a good idea to try that first before seeing an orthopedic shoulder specialist. If you notice your range of motion decreasing, then something is going on and you're wise to start checking it out before things worsen.

The subscapularis muscle (number 4 in the diagram attaches to the upper arm bone (humerus) and the shoulder blade bone (scapula). It is part of the rotator cuff muscles. You have one set of rotator cuff muscles for each arm; they don't extend across the chest.

This illustration shows the whole chest. You'll notice that most of the muscles are on one side or the other and there really isn't one that extends horizontally across the entire chest.

upload_2019-3-16_17-57-19.png
 
Thanks, Jamie, that’s what I wanted to see.

I wonder what it is that I feel horizontally. I was very surprised those times I tried to lay on my side and had such intense pain in that area, months after surgery. That was before I noticed shoulder issues.

I told my chiropractor that this has to be a neck issue that she can fix because I trust her. (No pressure!) She laughed. She is easy to talk to and I like her a lot. I realize it may not be something she can address, but she’s my first go to.
 
My shoulders in general are much better. I’m able to reach my feet better putting on my shoes and socks. (I’m sure losing weight would improve that, also!:heehee:) The chiropractic adjustments to my neck seem to be helping.

Every now and then my left shoulder feels iffy, though.

Are there any movements that I should do to maintain/help general ROM to help keep what I have?
 
Arthritis in the shoulder does the same thing as knees and hips - the disease causes the cartilage to wear away and eventually you have bone on bone. But, because the shoulder is not a weight bearing joint, many people don't experience a lot of pain as the disease progresses. For them, it's more a loss of range of motion and strength.

I have been reading this thread because both my shoulders have been bothering me lately. This is very informative. When I had my bone scan prior to my revision (to confirm loosening of the tibial implant) it showed that I had arthritis in both shoulders. I was surprised. My shoulders both hurt but I have good range of motion.
 
@Cementless
My shoulders are doing pretty well now. I have gone back to my big purse but I don’t put as much in it and I don’t always use the shoulder strap, I often used the hand strap.

And I’m really careful how I reach for things.

I’m amazed that it’s been almost a year since I started this thread!
 

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