Exercising with a shoulder issue?
hablondi
Posts: 127 Member
I have had pain in my left shoulder for several years now. Last year, I visited the doctor and they found a bone spur in the joint and said it was likely from overuse. I was given a cortisone shot (which was hell), but it really helped with the pain. I was not able to continue with the recommended physical therapy because it was not covered by my insurance. Here I am a year later and the pain is back (though slightly different). I have very limited range of motion and daily tasks (taking my shirt off at night, etc) have become painful. I will start a new insurance plan at the end of this month and am planning on heading back to the doctor. In the meantime, I would like to still be able to incorporate some exercise into my routine. Can anyone who has dealt with this before (frozen shoulder/possible rotator cuff injury) offer some suggestions? I used to run and thought about picking that up again, but I have nowhere to do it (gyms closed/do not feel safe running outside alone).
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Replies
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Stick with cardio/lower body stuff. I've been walking laps through my living/dining/kitchen while listening to a podcast.
If you have a bone spur, it could be ripping your muscle every time you use it. This is what happened to my husband. Surgery fixed it, but he was being a total guy and left it until he absolutely couldn't stand it anymore. The doctor said if he would have waited any longer, he could have torn all the way through the rotator cuff and it would have been a much bigger deal to fix.
Please don't do any exercise involving your shoulder until you get it fixed.3 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
If you have a bone spur, it could be ripping your muscle every time you use it.
That is what I am afraid of. And I admit to having been bad about just pushing through the pain until recently, as it has gotten so much worse. Before it was just a slight ache and I was being stubborn about not letting it hold me back. Thanks for the idea of just walking around the house for now. I will give that a try. Better something than nothing!1 -
Is it an actual bone spur or adhesive capsulitis (soft tissue grows around the shoulder capsule)?
I don't know about bone spurs but I had frozen shoulder last year which was a result of overuse causing adhesive capsulitis. In my case, my doctors said that it can heal itself within 2-3 years or I can opt for surgery. I chose surgery (it was almost a year ago, June 28th to be exact). If I didn't, I could've continued my physical therapy and after a month my therapist said I didn't need to see her and continued on my own. I was basically doing the same exercises over and over so there was no sense going back. The bottom line advise given to me was that if I didn't continue to exercise my shoulder, my ROM would decrease.
Your mileage may vary. Quicksylver's advice is spot on, if it is a bone spur, but you did ask about frozen shoulder.
I just looked back through my journal from that time. My daily pain level was at a 3 or 4. It would shoot up to a 6 or 7 once a day and maybe a 9 or 10 once a week. Cortisone shots didn't help but since it helped you, that's a good sign.0 -
My shoulder story starts with swimming, which I was doing regularly without problems until a few years ago when I suddenly started getting pain in one shoulder. I soldiered on for a while, but eventually saw my favorite orthopedic person, who had the MRI taken. Luckily for me there wasn't a serious problem, but this also meant that there wasn't a clear solution to the pain. I started doing the regular RICE approach (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), which, for the shoulder, is mostly rest and ice with some added ibuprofen. I also saw a PT. I also watched a bunch of videos about swimming and modified my stroke quite a bit, which I think was crucial.
Now, with the PT, you get a series of exercises that you can go do all by yourself at home practically for free. Since it's been a while for you, I think you should go back and talk to both the doc and the PT, but, if they give you a bunch of exercises, you need to stick with it. When you feel lazy, just think of the pain coming back!
Finally, my personal (nonprofessional) advice for anyone considering shoulder surgery is: "buyer beware." It's a very tricky part of the body and the sad truth is that surgeons like doing surgery even when the benefit is somewhat uncertain. Even a cortisone shot in the shoulder has some risk, but I have heard lots of people say they did very will with it.
Best of luck!0 -
Something that wouldn't hurt you (and may help you) is Vitamin K2 (not to be confused with Vitamin K). Both bone spurs and to a certain extent adhesive capsulitis can be formed from excess calcium where it doesn't belong. Calcification of arteries and even soft tissues occurs when you're eating a lot of dairy and not getting enough Vitamin K2 in your diet and nearly no one does in the US.
K2 simply tells your body to store calcium inside the bone, not in the arteries, outside the bones or in the soft tissues of the body. If you don't like the idea of supplements, eat a lot more Gouda Cheese, it's naturally rich in Vitamin K2. So are a few grassfed butters but not a lot of other sources of it, unless you like things like "headcheese". It's one of the few supplements that I take regularly. Taking calcium supplements without D, magnesium and especially K2 is a health recipe for disaster IMHO, yet hardly anyone talks about or knows about K2. I'm starting to see it added in automatically to really high end bone supplements by the top quality manufacturers.
I've also had tremendous success with hanging therapy for frozen shoulder. It is just what it sounds like. Gently hanging from your shoulder. Assisted at first and later on with your body weight. I had a rotator cuff tear, bad insurance and a frozen shoulder and tried this and was amazed at the rapid progess and pain reduction. There's a book on it by a former orthopedic surgeon. I also know many, many athletes that have done this same thing and have had tremendous success as well.0 -
Cycling.1
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NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.
Ditto.
Last year I displaced my AC joint in a high speed crash.
But could (and did) carry on cycling as low hand position and minimal movement didn't aggravate the injury.
3 -
Get an MRI.
I've had 2 rotator cuff tears and surgeries and diagosis of any chronic shoulder always starts w/an MRI.1 -
Is it an actual bone spur or adhesive capsulitis (soft tissue grows around the shoulder capsule)?
Now that I think about it, I believe I misremembered the diagnosis (a lot has happened in a year!). The x-ray showed a calcium deposit in the shoulder. The doctor also diagnosed me with a frozen shoulder, though I had a lot more movement then than I do now
My pain level is like yours was. It goes up and down. Yesterday was horrible. A definite 9-10. I couldn't the arm for anything. Today is much better, though.
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
Finally, my personal (nonprofessional) advice for anyone considering shoulder surgery is: "buyer beware." It's a very tricky part of the body and the sad truth is that surgeons like doing surgery even when the benefit is somewhat uncertain. Even a cortisone shot in the shoulder has some risk, but I have heard lots of people say they did very will with it.
Best of luck!
Thank you for sharing your experience! It is very helpful to hear from people who have dealt with this same issue. I would like to avoid surgery if at all possible. My job is not conducive with that kind of recovery.
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MikePfirrman wrote: »Something that wouldn't hurt you (and may help you) is Vitamin K2 (not to be confused with Vitamin K). Both bone spurs and to a certain extent adhesive capsulitis can be formed from excess calcium where it doesn't belong. Calcification of arteries and even soft tissues occurs when you're eating a lot of dairy and not getting enough Vitamin K2 in your diet and nearly no one does in the US.
K2 simply tells your body to store calcium inside the bone, not in the arteries, outside the bones or in the soft tissues of the body. If you don't like the idea of supplements, eat a lot more Gouda Cheese, it's naturally rich in Vitamin K2. So are a few grassfed butters but not a lot of other sources of it, unless you like things like "headcheese". It's one of the few supplements that I take regularly. Taking calcium supplements without D, magnesium and especially K2 is a health recipe for disaster IMHO, yet hardly anyone talks about or knows about K2. I'm starting to see it added in automatically to really high end bone supplements by the top quality manufacturers.
I've also had tremendous success with hanging therapy for frozen shoulder. It is just what it sounds like. Gently hanging from your shoulder. Assisted at first and later on with your body weight. I had a rotator cuff tear, bad insurance and a frozen shoulder and tried this and was amazed at the rapid progess and pain reduction. There's a book on it by a former orthopedic surgeon. I also know many, many athletes that have done this same thing and have had tremendous success as well.
Thank you for all of your insight! I am not sure I could handle the hanging therapy right now. It is extremely painful to lift my arm above my head, but I will definitely look into the K2 since the doctor said that I have a calcium deposit.
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NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.
Ditto.
Last year I displaced my AC joint in a high speed crash.
But could (and did) carry on cycling as low hand position and minimal movement didn't aggravate the injury.
Great idea! I used to bike all the time. I will give it a try again and see how it feels. Thanks!
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Get an MRI.
I've had 2 rotator cuff tears and surgeries and diagosis of any chronic shoulder always starts w/an MRI.
Thanks. Once the new insurance starts, I am definitely going to request one. The one time I met with the physical therapist, she said that she highly suspected I had a partial tear.0 -
My xray never showed anything. I don't remember whether or not the MRI showed anything but it did rule out any tears. During the cortisone shots, they could definitely see inflammation in the joint.Is it an actual bone spur or adhesive capsulitis (soft tissue grows around the shoulder capsule)?
Now that I think about it, I believe I misremembered the diagnosis (a lot has happened in a year!). The x-ray showed a calcium deposit in the shoulder. The doctor also diagnosed me with a frozen shoulder, though I had a lot more movement then than I do now
My pain level is like yours was. It goes up and down. Yesterday was horrible. A definite 9-10. I couldn't the arm for anything. Today is much better, though.
If it is adhesive capsulitis, the recovery time for surgery is quick. I went on a Friday morning, was done by noon, and back to work on Monday. Range of motion was around 75% but at least my day-to-day functioning was back to normal. ROM is still not 100%. I still can't clasp my bra behind my back but at least there's no more pain sliding my arm into the shoulder strap. I'm hoping that in another 6 months, I can get full range of motion again. There's another woman on MFP that went through the same thing. She might be 2 years past recovery by now but if I remember correctly, she was at 85% after year 1. I'll have to see if I can dig up her post to see if she updated her info. Anyways, strength took a long time to come back. I could raise my hand up over my head but I couldn't even lift 1 pound up. I'm up to 5 lbs now for dumbbell shoulder presses. I was only able to do hanging therapy this past March. I could've, maybe should've started hanging therapy earlier in year, but like you, there's no way I could've done it prior to surgery.
I mention all that because you said that your job isn't conducive to a long recovery. My frozen shoulder didn't affect my work since I work at a desk job and it's on the left side (I'm right handed), but if my job depended on it, I would've gotten the surgery much sooner. I'm an active person. I was doing judo and other body parts were compensating for my frozen shoulder that I was starting to develop other problems.
Somebody mentioned cycling. Somebody else mentioned not pushing too much. I'm an avid cyclist but I didn't dare go on my bike while I had frozen shoulder. My pain level going up to 9-10 happened seemingly randomly and I would've surely crashed if I was riding a bike.
Sorry for the long post. When I was going through this last year, I was desperate for information, which was lacking. The pain I went through is still fresh in my mind. *hugs*
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I had surgery on my right shoulder at the beginning of October where a large bone spur was removed, the large bursa that had formed as a result of the impact of the spur was also removed. The tendon was cleaned out, half an inch of the tip of my collarbone was removed and the head of my bicep muscle was cut and removed from the shoulder joint.
I’d previously had physiotherapy multiple times throughout the years, a number of cortisol injections (which did help, short-term)
Prior to surgery I’d had debilitating pain day in, day out for many many years (problem started when I was 21) but full range of motion. I now have different pain and fairly limited movement - anything behind my back is impossible. I have a painful pinching where the collar bone was cut. Stretching the arm out throws my bicep into a severely painful spasm which lasts for several minutes. Strength seems ok and I’m still hoping that things will improve given time. I was told 18 months was possible before everything would resolve.
Despite the fact that I’m range of motion restricted and still do have a fair amount of pain I’m still pleased I had the surgery. At least now when I’m just sitting and relaxing I’m no longer in pain!
My exercise is now primarily walking as I found the road vibration from the handlebars of the bike set up extreme pain in my collarbone and bicep. I’m also still doing my physio exercises (not as often as I should, but I’m trying!) with a range of weights from 2kg to 5kg depending on the specific movement involved)1 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »Something that wouldn't hurt you (and may help you) is Vitamin K2 (not to be confused with Vitamin K). Both bone spurs and to a certain extent adhesive capsulitis can be formed from excess calcium where it doesn't belong. Calcification of arteries and even soft tissues occurs when you're eating a lot of dairy and not getting enough Vitamin K2 in your diet and nearly no one does in the US.
K2 simply tells your body to store calcium inside the bone, not in the arteries, outside the bones or in the soft tissues of the body. If you don't like the idea of supplements, eat a lot more Gouda Cheese, it's naturally rich in Vitamin K2. So are a few grassfed butters but not a lot of other sources of it, unless you like things like "headcheese". It's one of the few supplements that I take regularly. Taking calcium supplements without D, magnesium and especially K2 is a health recipe for disaster IMHO, yet hardly anyone talks about or knows about K2. I'm starting to see it added in automatically to really high end bone supplements by the top quality manufacturers.
I've also had tremendous success with hanging therapy for frozen shoulder. It is just what it sounds like. Gently hanging from your shoulder. Assisted at first and later on with your body weight. I had a rotator cuff tear, bad insurance and a frozen shoulder and tried this and was amazed at the rapid progess and pain reduction. There's a book on it by a former orthopedic surgeon. I also know many, many athletes that have done this same thing and have had tremendous success as well.
Thank you for all of your insight! I am not sure I could handle the hanging therapy right now. It is extremely painful to lift my arm above my head, but I will definitely look into the K2 since the doctor said that I have a calcium deposit.
You never would start with hanging. Simplest way to do it is if you have a sturdy table or kitchen island you can reach across. Even a desk. Reach to the other side and very, very gently pull your weight away while gripping the other edge. Another way is someone else very gently pull on a resistance band that you're holding. It is painful as hell, but the more you do it, the less painful it becomes.
The best way to do it (but there's no gym access for most now) is with a double cable pull machine. Gently pulling up the affected arm with the other cable, controlling how gentle you're doing it.
Good luck!0 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »Something that wouldn't hurt you (and may help you) is Vitamin K2 (not to be confused with Vitamin K). Both bone spurs and to a certain extent adhesive capsulitis can be formed from excess calcium where it doesn't belong. Calcification of arteries and even soft tissues occurs when you're eating a lot of dairy and not getting enough Vitamin K2 in your diet and nearly no one does in the US.
K2 simply tells your body to store calcium inside the bone, not in the arteries, outside the bones or in the soft tissues of the body. If you don't like the idea of supplements, eat a lot more Gouda Cheese, it's naturally rich in Vitamin K2. So are a few grassfed butters but not a lot of other sources of it, unless you like things like "headcheese". It's one of the few supplements that I take regularly. Taking calcium supplements without D, magnesium and especially K2 is a health recipe for disaster IMHO, yet hardly anyone talks about or knows about K2. I'm starting to see it added in automatically to really high end bone supplements by the top quality manufacturers.
I've also had tremendous success with hanging therapy for frozen shoulder. It is just what it sounds like. Gently hanging from your shoulder. Assisted at first and later on with your body weight. I had a rotator cuff tear, bad insurance and a frozen shoulder and tried this and was amazed at the rapid progess and pain reduction. There's a book on it by a former orthopedic surgeon. I also know many, many athletes that have done this same thing and have had tremendous success as well.
Thank you for all of your insight! I am not sure I could handle the hanging therapy right now. It is extremely painful to lift my arm above my head, but I will definitely look into the K2 since the doctor said that I have a calcium deposit.
You could get something like this to help with range of motion. My PT had same type of thing and it was one of the first steps in my rehab.
https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Pulley-Physical-Therapy-Exerciser/dp/B000BF70RA/ref=sr_1_15?crid=1XQ0AH2KB4WFF&dchild=1&keywords=shoulder+pulley&qid=1591384870&sprefix=shoulder+p,aps,213&sr=8-15
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I had frozen shoulder 3 yrs ago. It was extremely painful. Pulling a shirt off over my head would almost make me pass out from the pain. Reaching up for something in the cupboard would bring a lancing pain. I tried rest at first, icing and heat but the pain worsened. I wound up using exercise bands and doing lots of specific exercises. I did a lot of Dr. Jo on YouTube. It was a long and slow recovery, but I slowly got better. I'm 65, and think mine came from swimming. I couldn't swim (use my arms) for almost a year, so I did a lot of leg work and used a kickboard.
Now I'm back to 90%, but need to keep the joint moving. If I feel a twinge now and again, I quickly work out the pain. I wound up modifying many everyday tasks to get around the pain. I learned to shimmy out of t shirts, for instance, since I couldn't pull it over my head. I can do everything again and hope you find your way. Best.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.
Ditto.
Last year I displaced my AC joint in a high speed crash.
But could (and did) carry on cycling as low hand position and minimal movement didn't aggravate the injury.
Great idea! I used to bike all the time. I will give it a try again and see how it feels. Thanks!
For what it's worth, a bike is great low impact exercise and great for your heart. It doesn't use the shoulders like swimming and that seems like it may be key for you. But to some extent you rest some of your weight on your shoulders. Depending where your issue is exactly and how the bike feels, you can (1) move some of your weight off your arms and shoulders by raising the handlebars, and (2) move the supporting area from just behind your arms to all of your upper back (especially the lats) by using aerobars. Wouldn't recommend the aerobars until you're comfortable on the bike because they change the way it handles and require more balance, plus add a second or two when you need the brakes. But it's good to know your options.
This is what I mean by aerobars, a metal set can be had for $40 on Amazon.
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NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.NorthCascades wrote: »Cycling.
Ditto.
Last year I displaced my AC joint in a high speed crash.
But could (and did) carry on cycling as low hand position and minimal movement didn't aggravate the injury.
Great idea! I used to bike all the time. I will give it a try again and see how it feels. Thanks!
For what it's worth, a bike is great low impact exercise and great for your heart. It doesn't use the shoulders like swimming and that seems like it may be key for you. But to some extent you rest some of your weight on your shoulders. Depending where your issue is exactly and how the bike feels, you can (1) move some of your weight off your arms and shoulders by raising the handlebars, and (2) move the supporting area from just behind your arms to all of your upper back (especially the lats) by using aerobars. Wouldn't recommend the aerobars until you're comfortable on the bike because they change the way it handles and require more balance, plus add a second or two when you need the brakes. But it's good to know your options.
This is what I mean by aerobars, a metal set can be had for $40 on Amazon.
To be honest and of course everyone is different but my shoulder hurt for a week after the first of the year 10 mile leisurely ride on a paved trail. I have bad shoulders, may have to look at a bike with different geometry.1 -
I had shoulder surgery in 2017 (bone spurs, torn labrum, bicep tendon rupture). I'm glad that I had it done, but the rehab was difficult. That said, three years on I feel great and the post op PT was critical. As for non-surgical treatment, there is generally a diminishing benefit with subsequent steroid injections into the joint, and spurs themselves can cause damage to the soft tissue in the joint. (That is more than likely what caused my injuries to the labrum and tendon, as there wasn't any event I could point to where I felt like I had injured my shoulder.
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »Something that wouldn't hurt you (and may help you) is Vitamin K2 (not to be confused with Vitamin K). Both bone spurs and to a certain extent adhesive capsulitis can be formed from excess calcium where it doesn't belong. Calcification of arteries and even soft tissues occurs when you're eating a lot of dairy and not getting enough Vitamin K2 in your diet and nearly no one does in the US.
K2 simply tells your body to store calcium inside the bone, not in the arteries, outside the bones or in the soft tissues of the body. If you don't like the idea of supplements, eat a lot more Gouda Cheese, it's naturally rich in Vitamin K2. So are a few grassfed butters but not a lot of other sources of it, unless you like things like "headcheese". It's one of the few supplements that I take regularly. Taking calcium supplements without D, magnesium and especially K2 is a health recipe for disaster IMHO, yet hardly anyone talks about or knows about K2. I'm starting to see it added in automatically to really high end bone supplements by the top quality manufacturers.
I've also had tremendous success with hanging therapy for frozen shoulder. It is just what it sounds like. Gently hanging from your shoulder. Assisted at first and later on with your body weight. I had a rotator cuff tear, bad insurance and a frozen shoulder and tried this and was amazed at the rapid progess and pain reduction. There's a book on it by a former orthopedic surgeon. I also know many, many athletes that have done this same thing and have had tremendous success as well.
Thank you for all of your insight! I am not sure I could handle the hanging therapy right now. It is extremely painful to lift my arm above my head, but I will definitely look into the K2 since the doctor said that I have a calcium deposit.
You could get something like this to help with range of motion. My PT had same type of thing and it was one of the first steps in my rehab.
https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Pulley-Physical-Therapy-Exerciser/dp/B000BF70RA/ref=sr_1_15?crid=1XQ0AH2KB4WFF&dchild=1&keywords=shoulder+pulley&qid=1591384870&sprefix=shoulder+p,aps,213&sr=8-15
That is awesome. Exactly the same kind of concept I was talking about. Hurts like heck at first but works fantastic.1 -
I had my rotator cuff repaired in October. I was lucky to have good muscle tone so I was able to ignore it until it was a significant tear, I might be stubborn and have a high pain tolerance
To get my range of motion back I used a stick to help lift my arm. I'd get an increase every two days or so. But it basically did what the pulley thing above would do. Always remember to keep your shoulder down though and don't hike it up to get more range
Using a ball on the ground to support it while you stretch it a bit too helps. I'm trying to remember now what I did.
I would recommend seeing a physio therapist and get an MRI. I was being treated for an impingement for 6 months before I had an ultrasound then another 6 months to the MRI. Get it diagnosed properly right away0
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