Hi,
I am massage and aroma practitioner. About twenty years ago I was in an accident and had a shoulder seperation injury. Basically my clavicle was detached at the acromioclavicular joint and all the ligaments damaged. Although it was painful, surgery was not performed as the doc wanted to try to get it to heal naturally. It did after a few months but the AC joint has always been deformed (pronounced lump).
Now I am getting on a bit, the pain has become steadily worse, there is crepitus in the joint, it gets inflamed and recently extremely 'wake me up at night' painful.
I cannot use my shoulder some days and certainly can barely raise it above horizontal without pain and crunching.:(
The doc says it is arthritic (no, really?) and tells me to take anti-inflammatories.
I have had to reduce my client load as I cannot manage more than one massage a day now without it seriously affecting my shoulder.
I am thinking now that within a year I will have to give up and am wondering what I can step sideways into.
Obviously nothing strenuous.
I have done foundation course in crystal healing and also Reiki but gave up as there was no call for it in my area.
Maybe I am the one who should be going for treatments now!
So if anyone has any ideas, I would be interested.
Thankyou so much.
glucosomine comes in various forms and is a more natural anti inflammatory.
where are you based?
BG
Despite the history, it is possible something else entirely is happening to the shoulder - it would be possible to develop a frozen shoulder or rotator cuff strain with or without the previous injury.
Assuming for now that this is a consequence of the original injury, given the nature of the damage it is unlikely that it can recover to 100%.
However, if it has been left to its own devices, it has probably not recovered nearly as much as its full potential. The reason is that following such a strain, regional and global changes take place in the body to protect the damaged part. These changes include local contracture of connective tissue; contraction of muscle, to brace the area, and postural changes to divert stress around it; pain to tell you to be careful.
As time progresses, these protective adaptations actually get in the way of recovery, and begin to create new problems of their own. If it is becoming inflammed, then this is part of the process happening at a metabolic level. Fighting the pain and inflammation is not the answer, looking at why they are happening is more important.
So it is unlikely that anybody can put back together every damaged fibre. But reducing some of the knock-on changes and protective adaptations can make an enormous difference.
As an example, if the shoulder tip is drawn inwards towards the body, reversing this process by careful manual therapy may be very helpful. Such a change can involve the pelvis and spine too, as the big bowstring muscle of the back (latissimus dorsi) pulls the shoulder forwards and down, and the whole posture can be affected.
Hi,
I am massage and aroma practitioner. About twenty years ago I was in an accident and had a shoulder seperation injury. Basically my clavicle was detached at the acromioclavicular joint and all the ligaments damaged. Although it was painful, surgery was not performed as the doc wanted to try to get it to heal naturally. It did after a few months but the AC joint has always been deformed (pronounced lump).
Now I am getting on a bit, the pain has become steadily worse, there is crepitus in the joint, it gets inflamed and recently extremely 'wake me up at night' painful.
I cannot use my shoulder some days and certainly can barely raise it above horizontal without pain and crunching.:(
The doc says it is arthritic (no, really?) and tells me to take anti-inflammatories.
I have had to reduce my client load as I cannot manage more than one massage a day now without it seriously affecting my shoulder.
I am thinking now that within a year I will have to give up and am wondering what I can step sideways into.
Obviously nothing strenuous.
I have done foundation course in crystal healing and also Reiki but gave up as there was no call for it in my area.
Maybe I am the one who should be going for treatments now!
So if anyone has any ideas, I would be interested.
Thankyou so much.
Hi there,
sorry to hear about your problem. I have twice had shoulder problems, due to very bad form lifting weights (I should know better) and it took forever to heal on both occasions. Whilst I agree with the other posters, the thing that seemed to get rid of my pain, and allowed me to have treatments, were magnets. I bought the tiny ones that come with corn type plasters, and within a couple of days, the pain was well reduced, and within a week, was gone.
My opinion is, try anything once!
Hope you get it sorted. 🙂
I don't dismiss magnets as a way of reducing pain, although I am sceptical of any real depth of benefit. As I understand it, if strain within the body actually changes, there is generally a reaction somewhere. What I would like to know is the physiology behind the possible effectiveness of magnets. And do they actually work by solving the problem or do they just target symptoms?
Hi kvdp,
as I said in my posting, I used them to reduce pain, and therefore allow me to have treatments, so yes, I feel that in my case they targeted symptoms, which in my view, you have to treat to be able to deal with the problem.
Whether magnets work on everyone, who knows, as I said, I am always prepared to try anything once, and it worked for me 😀
My GP sent me to the physiotherapist as I was getting pain in my arm. She thought it may be due to my rheumatoid arthritis. The physio told me that it was due to the fact that I had not been using my arms through their full range. This tends to happen as we get older. She showed me exercises to stretch my arms and shoulder blades and neck back and forward and from side to side. After a few weeks, I could move them all through the full range. Maybe you should go back to your GP to see if they can help any further.
glucosomine comes in various forms and is a more natural anti inflammatory.
where are you based?
BG
There was something on Radio 4 (I was told by a friend) that there have been several studies (I can't find any) that dismiss the effectiveness of Glucosamine saying it was no more than a placebo effect. Have you heard anything about this Gaz?
On a personal note I suffer with Spondylosis, c5/c6 carbon cage in place etc and have been taking these supplements for the last 18 months, I am now back working (new s/e career in massage etc and off incap benefit) and off codydramol and Ibuprofen, as I got more relief from these than any painkiller, you can't tell me it's placebo 🙂
There was something on Radio 4 (I was told by a friend) that there have been several studies (I can't find any) that dismiss the effectiveness of Glucosamine saying it was no more than a placebo effect. Have you heard anything about this Gaz?
Personally I have always been sceptical about glucosamine, chondroitin suplements etc. Your body can make everything it needs from the basic building blocks, very often the problem we're discussing is why those substances aren't getting to where they're needed.
Personally I have always been sceptical about glucosamine, chondroitin suplements etc. Your body can make everything it needs from the basic building blocks, very often the problem we're discussing is why those substances aren't getting to where they're needed.
I guess this is what the Radio show was about, but as I said, I can't find any such study
P.S I hate it when you change your posts lol 🙂
Before knocking GS have a look at this article: http://www.anh-europe.org/news/bmj-research-says-glucosamine-and-chondroitin-don%E2%80%99t-work
My own opinion is that you can get this from your diet, but how many people wish to eat lumps of gristle? Anyone for a bowl of homemade cartilaginous chicken soup made with the carcass?
Maybe my grannie was right!
I'd like to add one more personal recommendation for glucosamine sulphate for the treatment of inflamed joints. I use it for my sore knees when I resume running after a long break. Without taking glucosamine (such as running when on holiday) my knees persist being sore until I can take some glucosamine. I take 4 x 500mg whilst the problem is acute, and taper it off by reducing it by 1 capsule/day every 2 days.
My tin-hat theory comes from my recent experience with my tooth infection. The antibiotics don't appear to work until I begin taking Ibuprofen for the pain. My theory is taking the Ibuprofen reduces the localised congestion caused by the inflammation, which was preventing other substances freely accessing the infected site. I think it's the same for glucosamine - it reduces the inflammation and hence enables access to other nutrients which repair and protect. That's a tin-hat theory, so not meant to be taken too seriously.
I naturally have quite flushed cheeks - and when I am taking glucosamine sulphate capsules they reduce their rosiness. Folk hence comment that I am looking peely-wally. That can't be a placebo effect.
My feeling why it works for some people, and not for others is because the glucosamine just reduces inflammation. It doesn't in itself assist the joint - it's the availability of nutrients for repair which do that. If you have a diet which supports building and repair then that will be doing the lion's share of the work.
Ava x
I think you are probably right there Ava.
As for the placebo affect. It doesn't mean the placebo pill repairs the damage. It is the brain which does the repairs. So if you believe it will work, then it will.
Before knocking GS have a look at this article: http://www.anh-europe.org/news/bmj-research-says-glucosamine-and-chondroitin-don%E2%80%99t-work
My own opinion is that you can get this from your diet, but how many people wish to eat lumps of gristle? Anyone for a bowl of homemade cartilaginous chicken soup made with the carcass?
Maybe my grannie was right!
I have been recommending it for about 12 or so years, and have found it works well in pretty much everyone who has taken it.
People dismiss things out of hand all of the time, but usually come back to it. Look at silver, they are now saying that it is good for infections, in small doses.....erm didnt they use it over a century ago as an antibiotic?? Then it got slated.....and now, its back! Scientists have to earn a living somehow....especially those that work for big pharma!
Ylangrose - Oh yes, of course, I agree. But in my example it's slightly different, surely? i.e. Why would I believe that it would have an unexpected and undesired effect of reducing the flushing of my cheeks... and have evidence visible to other folk that it has? Anyway, I'm just laboring a point. I'm sure we are both in agreement - no need to fuss over details!
Ava x