hi guys, i just finished 2 stints of rehab for an impinged right shoulder spanning from february til now, with about a month and a half off inbetween (middle of april til beginning of june), all on doc’s orders. I’ve yet to heal fully but what my therapist concluded is that because i have no edemia (fluid build up) and because there is no serious structural damage, i dont need surgery.
the acromion on my right shoulder is clearly a bit larger than my left, and he told me that its running into my supraspinatus, which is causing the pain and inflammation. so basically it boils down to him telling me to go on anti inflammatory drugs that a shoulder specialist would prescribe me, but he also recommended me a chondroitin/glucosamine joint formula supplement called “3 in 1 joint formula” by irwin naturals, which he said worked for him. in the end, he told me i should take the drugs and/or supplement for 2-3 months and i should be fine.
has anybody here ever had experience with an injury of this type? any recommendations on what i could do at this point? i’ve been out of the gym since last november because of a broken foot, and then the crutches made this situation worse any help/suggestions/advice would be GREATLY appreciated, thanks guys
Was the doctor saying you have a hooked acromion? If that is the case, anti-inflammatories may help in the short term, but long term the symptoms will probably resurface due to the structure abnormality.
he told me that there wasnt any structural change or damage that would reappear in the long term, so no, and thank you for the response. would you think that the anti inflammatories could end the problem entirely, eventually?
Well if the impingement came from something other than a permanent structural issue, there is a mobility and/or muscular issue occurring. WIll anti-inflammatories help decrease pain? Yes. Will it solve the problem? In the long term, most likely no. I’d recommend reading up on the Neanderthal No More article and the Push ups, Face pulls, and Shurgs article.
I had a similar issue and the doctor suggested a surgery called an acromio plasti. I hope I get this right, it basically involves grinding the bone back to make room. My memory of the name may be a little off but I went to Kerlan and Jobe in LA, they service alot of pro athletes there and they did a great job repairing my ankle.
the acromion on my right shoulder is clearly a bit larger than my left, and he told me that its running into my supraspinatus, which is causing the pain and inflammation. so basically it boils down to him telling me to go on anti inflammatory drugs that a shoulder specialist would prescribe me, but he also recommended me a chondroitin/glucosamine joint formula supplement called “3 in 1 joint formula” by irwin naturals, which he said worked for him. in the end, he told me i should take the drugs and/or supplement for 2-3 months and i should be fine.
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you’ve had great feedback from levelheaded.
I’m not sure i’m hearing your doc’s report clearly - everyone’s supraspinatus abutts the acromium - and more so at certain parts of a movement - like external rotation.
thus if possible, i’d be more inclined to be sure i’d explored all the rehab possibilities first.
Job one: give the anti-inflams a chance - no movement into pain - to make sure it’s not swollen tendons/bursa that’s causing the pain.
Job two: get some mobility checks/work - eg, poor thoracic spine mobility can contribute to the shoulder mechanics being compromised. no fun.
the face pulls articles etc are great.
i also have seen a good deal of success with turkish get ups
and so is getting one with a good mobility practice.
oh and as for the gluc/chon - that’s a good idea - it can’t hurt; it may help but it’s for joints and won’t change the shape of your acromion (i know you know that). IT also takes a couple months to kick in.
The best thing you can do for your joints is move 'em well all the time, through full rom at multiple speeds and multiple positions.
we can train for the sprain
[quote]jitterycfs wrote:
I had a similar issue and the doctor suggested a surgery called an acromio plasti. I hope I get this right, it basically involves grinding the bone back to make room. My memory of the name may be a little off but I went to Kerlan and Jobe in LA, they service alot of pro athletes there and they did a great job repairing my ankle.[/quote]
I had the same thing done to my right one.They removed 1/8 inch and cleaned scar tissue over five years ago.
The OP already stated that his doc said there were no structural abnormalities or damage occurring. An acromioplasty would be unnecessary IMO if there aren’t any structural abnormality presenting. If there was significant arthritis, a hooked acromion, etc, then yes, the surgery would be warranted and probably help. From the sounds of it though, the OP is probably lacking proper mobility and has some postural issues, both dynamic and static. He did state that he felt he had a “noticeably larger acromion” on that shoulder, but that doesn’t mean it is hooking and causing any additional rubbing on the supraspinatus. Acromion processes can “grow” due to repetitive rubbing or stress, from exercises like front squats.
I would recommend being assessed and then going through a proper strengthening and mobility based rehab.
thanks a bunch for the amazing responses guys, much appreciated. I’ve hit the gym again and started doing a lot of mobility work for my body, as well as finally incorporating dynamic stretches pre workout and foam rolling post workout. I’m already feeling much better in general after 2 weeks, just taking it slow and doing what i can to fix my posture as a whole. still waiting for my appointment next wednesday to see my doc and see what he suggests, thanks again for the advice guys.
[quote]albie wrote:
thanks a bunch for the amazing responses guys, much appreciated. I’ve hit the gym again and started doing a lot of mobility work for my body, as well as finally incorporating dynamic stretches pre workout and foam rolling post workout. I’m already feeling much better in general after 2 weeks, just taking it slow and doing what i can to fix my posture as a whole. still waiting for my appointment next wednesday to see my doc and see what he suggests, thanks again for the advice guys.[/quote]
Great to hear you’re feeling better.
may i suggest that sometimes after your workout rather than foam rolling, you slot in a bit more mobility work, so that you’re alternating post workout?
why?
foam rolling is a manual therapy that can feel great BUT mobility being active means that more of your nervous system is involved - and that means more learning effect for the nervous system - and since you’re trying to pattern in new better movement, the more active you can be about it, more of the time, the more your body will respond.
try it as an experiment to see how your bod feels.
did the mobility work after my last workout, which was yesterday, and i didn’t notice any instant difference yesterday but today my arm feels stronger =\ or maybe it’s all in my head lol
anyway, i visited the doc and he prescribed just good old naproxen as i expected. i have to take two 500mg pills a day, and i know that NSAID’s can cause decreased protein synthesis so any suggestions on how far apart my dosage and my workout should be to ensure i don’t see a big hit to my gains? again, thanks for all of the advice and information, it’s made the difference in healing process and it’s the reason i’m in the gym right now.
[quote]albie wrote:
did the mobility work after my last workout, which was yesterday, and i didn’t notice any instant difference yesterday but today my arm feels stronger =\ or maybe it’s all in my head lol
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well that’s really cool. and a good sign. keep testing that. i bet you notice this betterness afterwards/next day increasing.
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anyway, i visited the doc and he prescribed just good old naproxen as i expected. i have to take two 500mg pills a day, and i know that NSAID’s can cause decreased protein synthesis so any suggestions on how far apart my dosage and my workout should be to ensure i don’t see a big hit to my gains? again, thanks for all of the advice and information, it’s made the difference in healing process and it’s the reason i’m in the gym right now.[/quote]
how long are you on it? it’s always what’s prescribed to get the inflammation down, and that can be a good thing.
usually it’s anywhere from 3-6 weeks, and in the scheme of things, that’s no big deal. WOrkout what you can; privilege your recovery with your mobility work and SEE if you notice any INCREASED difference with your pain.
You may get really quickly if the nsaids are bringing down the inflammation - or it may take a bit. anyway, it’s not the worst thing in the world if it’s a few weeks.
i’m going to be on the meds for 3 weeks so i guess you’re right, it’s worth it in the bigger scheme of things. i’ll keep up the mobility work after my workout, and then foam roll, while keeping the med dosage as far away from my workout as possible, and i’ll see how everything goes.
shoulder is feeling great, popping in to see if anyone has any suggestions on exercises to start with for my shoulder? pushing exercise recommendations are what i’m looking for, something to ease my shoulder back into a workload. thanks again for all of the help, i’ve never felt better than i do now.
any help/suggestions/advice would be GREATLY appreciated, thanks guys