[frroK]

exercises work! lotusb I hope your shreddin'!!    your gonna come back ripping!  my left shoulder is acting up again. I worked on it up until my PR trip...and then I surfed everyday there and it didnt bother me, I have laxed on my PT exercises now and its acting up again. impingment syndrome sucks!!   Justin, whats the verdict? did you go to the DOC?

[Smith St. Surfer]

Was complaining to PSYCHO about a shoulder who interrupted his shooting to give me some much needed advice on paddling.  Basically made the connection of not reaching to far out in excitement of catching waves and shortening outreach but digging deeper (right?). Did that the rest of the day and next and really helped. Thanks DUDE.

[kumachan]

Hiya, I don't post here all that often, usually because I don't have too much worthwhile to add.  Unfortunately, I can add to this discussion.  Your first post exactly described my "session" yesterday. I've got either an "impinged rotator cuff" or a really small tear that didn't show up on an MRI.  I figured that the last three months of PT and acupuncture would've had me in decent enough shape to go out yesterday for a knee high (at best) log session.  I thought wrong, my arm hurt bad enough at one point that I couldn't move my it.  I'm going to see a second orthopedist, who specializes in shoulder injuries, tomorrow AM.  I'll post her again if she turns out to be more helpful than the last ortho guy I saw.

[hexnotes]

I think my rotator is impinged.  I overextended myself working out this past weekend and slept wrong I guess.  It actually doesn't hurt at all until I raise my arm above shoulder level, Also I feel a slight popping when I lower it back down.  I'm figuring I need to rest it for a while which is gonna be rough since I'm used to working out nearly every day.  I'll go see a doctor but figure I should wait a bit.  How long have folks had to wait until you started PT excercises?  Also how long have people waited to get back in the water?

Man this sucks, I've been very careful too after reading all these posts.

[hexnotes]

Since I know you are all wondering....turns out I just have tendonitus.  Doc gave me some exercises that I'm supposed to do anytime I work my shoulders out.  Seems to be helping.

[kumachan]

OK, so after four months of physical therapy, one cortizone shot and not much difference in my shoulder's range of motion or degree(s) of pain within that range, my second opinion orthopedist tells me to take a second cortizone shot.  If there's no improvement in a month, then I get to decide to live with my shoulder as is (no paddling) or I go for surgery. Great... 

[kumachan]

Haven't posted on this site in a while. Most definitely been a "taker" and not a "share-er" this year.  I'll try to make up for that defect.  8 months of PT, stretching exercises & light yoga to try to work out my shoulder impingement had no effect and I had arthroscopic shoulder surgery done earlier this evening @ B.I.  My tendons were rubbing against the shoulder bone when paddling, or any overhead arm motion, inflaming the tendons to a point where I couldn't paddle anymore w/out a long break.  The good doc recommended that either I live with that condition or I should go under the knife and have the shoulder bone "ground" down to relieve that problem. I'm still under the effects of the "block" anethesia and my entire arm is still numb.   Slightly modified PT starts tomorrow.  If folks are interested, I'll post how this goes.


BTW: When I heard about the Jet Blue guy yesterday, I wondered if it was Jake! 

[The Lone Surfer]

Please let us know how it goes. Good luck with PT.

[little_nasty]

wow - good luck with the PT - hopefully you'll get back in the water pain-free soon!

[kumachan]

Thanks for the positive thoughts!  PT was kinda stunned that I showed up to continue PT the day after surgery, he isn't used to that, apparently.  According to the orthopedist & PT, the biggest risk behind this surgery, is a "frozen shoulder" & after light range of motion exercises, PT thinks there's no risk of that w/ my shoulder.  Not looking forward to 6 weeks out of the water!

[The Lone Surfer]

Thanks for the positive thoughts!  PT was kinda stunned that I showed up to continue PT the day after surgery, he isn't used to that, apparently.  According to the orthopedist & PT, the biggest risk behind this surgery, is a "frozen shoulder" & after light range of motion exercises, PT thinks there's no risk of that w/ my shoulder.  Not looking forward to 6 weeks out of the water!

Think of it this way, I took 8 weeks out of the water to try and rest my shoulders from constant paddling and work on PT exercises. If you're back in 6 weeks, that is nothing.

One piece of warning I can give just from being out of the water that long--do not forget to pay attention to other parts of your body. I was good about doing PT for my shoulders but forgot about my lower back and really screwed it up when I started putting a lot of water time in. I barely was getting back into the flow when I had to take another month off. 

[kumachan]

Thanks for the tip, TLS!

[Igotsoul4u]

arg.  my shoulder just gave out again.  I'm out for a while.    I am soooooo depressed about this.  I can't do anything.

[kumachan]

arg.  my shoulder just gave out again.  I'm out for a while.    I am soooooo depressed about this.  I can't do anything.

I'm bummed to read about your shoulder, I know how that sux!  If you have insurance, I'd suggest that you go talk to an orthopedist, if you haven't already.  An MRI & x-ray are probably a good idea, if you haven't already done that, either.  You might not need surgery and only PT.  If you don't have insurance, you might want to look into whether you're eligible for medicaid. I went to a GHI doc, if you have that plan and want my doc's name, I can PM that to you. 


While my surgery definitely fixed the cause of my shoulder pain, I'm not recommending that route to others.  I'm just suggesting that, if you have on-going shoulder problems, talk to a shoulder specialist.  I gather from my surgeon, and now the resident I have to deal with, that in the realm of arthroscopic surgery, mine was somewhat "minor" as I didn't need to have any tears repaired or have the joint replaced.  I have no idea of what those procedures entail or the potential risks involved.  As I wrote earlier, after all the time I spent in PT and nothing changing, and after speaking with the surgeon about the risks to my shoulder's strength and range of motion after surgery, surgery sounded like the best option. Now it's all about stretching out that shoulder and regaining my lost range of motion, which is definitely coming back!

[Igotsoul4u]

yeah.  i did the whole doctor thing and spent about $1200 dollars on mri's and visits just to be in the same place I was a year ago.  eff my life.