Shoulder impingement.

[trigger7mm]

Was anybody ever had problems with shoulder impingement? I’m dealing with a bad case of it, and have been for quite a while now. Any suggestions on how to treat this would be very much appreciated! Can’t even lift my arm above shoulder height. Thanks.

[CranePete]

Like yourself, I had limited range of motion. MRI indicated tendonopathy. Couldn’t raise my arm to the front or to the side. Had a cortisone shot on a Friday, and by Saturday afternoon was back to almost normal for movement, but with much discomfort at top of range. Had 6 weeks of strength/stretch rehab, which helped rebuild some muscle mass, but the discomfort remains. I am 58, so I’m told that this is the new normal for me. Good luck with your treatment.
CranePete

[scesfiremedic]

I’m dealing with the same issue. I started doing free weights twice a day and it’s helped a lot, but I’m still not 100%. Certain movements still illicit unbelievable pain (reaching overhead, behind me, etc). I’m headed to physiotherapist on Thursday to get additional help. I do not want cortisone shots as it’s only a temporary fix. My family MD says they no longer do surgery on shoulders as they prefer to encourage physic and exercise. I’ll let you know how I make out. If you can tolerate it, start out slowly and ice the shoulder after exercise, and I found Aleve works good (but don’t use it long term as it’s hard on the kidneys).

Here’s a good rehab protocol:
https://www.stoneclinic.com/shoulder...rehab-protocol

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by CranePete

Like yourself, I had limited range of motion. MRI indicated tendonopathy. Couldn’t raise my arm to the front or to the side. Had a cortisone shot on a Friday, and by Saturday afternoon was back to almost normal for movement, but with much discomfort at top of range. Had 6 weeks of strength/stretch rehab, which helped rebuild some muscle mass, but the discomfort remains. I am 58, so I’m told that this is the new normal for me. Good luck with your treatment.
CranePete

Thanks for the reply. I’m 58 years old too, and have been an electrician since I was 19. This is a terrible thing to have to deal with. It’s very painful to lift my arms. I’ve also had 3 cortisone shots which helped a lot, but they eventually wear off and you’re back to square one. Working every day with my arms over my head certainly don’t help.

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by scesfiremedic

I’m dealing with the same issue. I started doing free weights twice a day and it’s helped a lot, but I’m still not 100%. Certain movements still illicit unbelievable pain (reaching overhead, behind me, etc). I’m headed to physiotherapist on Thursday to get additional help. I do not want cortisone shots as it’s only a temporary fix. My family MD says they no longer do surgery on shoulders as they prefer to encourage physic and exercise. I’ll let you know how I make out. If you can tolerate it, start out slowly and ice the shoulder after exercise, and I found Aleve works good (but don’t use it long term as it’s hard on the kidneys).

Here’s a good rehab protocol:
https://www.stoneclinic.com/shoulder...rehab-protocol

Thank you very much for this information! Good luck with your shoulders.

[pikergolf]

Sounds like a torn rotator cuff, if you get an ultrasound it should reveal it.

[Dean2]

Go see a specialist and find out exactly what is wrong with your shoulders. If it is torn you need surgery to reattach and if you wait to long it can no longer be fixed. Exercise and Physio will make a torn ligament worse not better and Cortisone just masks most problems. I have a very good buddy who has a pretty useless right arm because it wasn't properly diagnosed before he started physio on it. Now it can't be fixed even with surgery. Other shoulder issues can be helped by strength, stretch and physio but not Torn Rotator Cuff. Best of luck, getting old isn't for Sissys!

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Go see a specialist and find out exactly what is wrong with your shoulders. If it is torn you need surgery to reattach and if you wait to long it can no longer be fixed. Exercise and Physio will make a torn ligament worse not better and Cortisone just masks most problems. I have a very good buddy who has a pretty useless right arm because it wasn't properly diagnosed before he started physio on it. Now it can't be fixed even with surgery. Other shoulder issues can be helped by strength, stretch and physio but not Torn Rotator Cuff. Best of luck, getting old isn't for Sissys!

You’re right about getting old. I’ve had an ultrasound done and it showed 3 partial tears on my left side, and 1 on my right. Going to get an MRI done soon (I hope). Thanks for you your help. Going to see a specialist in Red Deer on July 4th. I sure hope he can help me. I sure don’t seem to get any help from my boss on this. Thanks again.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by trigger7mm

You’re right about getting old. I’ve had an ultrasound done and it showed 3 partial tears on my left side, and 1 on my right. Going to get an MRI done soon (I hope). Thanks for you your help. Going to see a specialist in Red Deer on July 4th. I sure hope he can help me. I sure don’t seem to get any help from my boss on this. Thanks again.

A specialist will make a big difference to getting the right solution, especially if he is at the top of his field. Take is real easy on your shoulders till you know whats what for sure. I am also a fan of getting a second opinion on many recommendations, especially if it involves a hospital, surgery etc. It is kind of a pain to organise but I would rather pay out of pocket for an MRI and a second consult than have them get it wrong. Cheap insurance. Best of luck, I am sure it will work out great.

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by Dean2

A specialist will make a big difference to getting the right solution, especially if he is at the top of his field. Take is real easy on your shoulders till you know whats what for sure. I am also a fan of getting a second opinion on many recommendations, especially if it involves a hospital, surgery etc. It is kind of a pain to organise but I would rather pay out of pocket for an MRI and a second consult than have them get it wrong. Cheap insurance. Best of luck, I am sure it will work out great.

Great advice! Thanks.

[mindoutside]

Not sure how bad your case is but I helped eliminate most of my shoulder pain by stretching my chest out. Also, fixing my posture helped a lot too.

[Hawkeye]

Cortisone injections will reduce the inflammation.
However, due to the reduction in pain, sometimes people then overuse the joint and can cause serious damage. Also, these treatments can have negative effects of cartilage, so they are absolutely not without potential risk.

[FishHunterPro]

Lots of good advice here, this sounds like something I might have. 13yrs straight of running heavy equipment has been really hard on me. Lots of discomfort in my shoulders and hands and fingers going numb all the time .

[Jays toyz]

I had impingement syndrome years ago and my 15 year old son has it now. Sport medicine guy says it's from him lifting heavy and poor posture. He has some muscles that are overdeveloped and some under. Mine went away with physical therapy 10 years ago.

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

I had impingement syndrome years ago and my 15 year old son has it now. Sport medicine guy says it's from him lifting heavy and poor posture. He has some muscles that are overdeveloped and some under. Mine went away with physical therapy 10 years ago.

How long did you do physio before you saw results?

[longshot270]

I’ve had issues in the past as well. The physio thing I found was to get to the right person and then find the right exercises. I went for a month to one place with no change and didn’t like how I was progressing so I switched to a different place and found results within 2 weeks. Very light weight, rubber band stretches. And found the exercises that worked for me were the ones where I was moving my arm over my head. One good one was laying on the floor with my arm bent at a 90 at the elbow and rotate it so that my palm would touch the floor to the back of my hand touching the floor. Initially it was so painful I couldn’t get the back of my hand to touch the floor and my wife would gently push it down. But what worked for me might not work for you. But I feel your pain.

[WhiteTailAB]

I had tendonitis in my bicep a few years ago. Throbbing pain all day and some times it felt like the upper arm was gonna snap.

10 weeks of physio with 1 session ever 2 weeks and exercises daily repaired it.