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| I am fairly new to yoga, though not to exercise. Alomst ten years ago, I fratured and partially dislocated my shoulder. The fracture healed wrong, and I deal daily with pain and stiffness in my shoulder. I work carefully to develop my strength equally - I am a professional athlete, so that's a must. Any ideas on gentle strenthening exercises to relieve some of the pain and help develop a better range of motion?
Thanks! |
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Location: London, England | Hi Jess,
What kind of athlete are you? Just so I can see if your sport is placing heavy demands on your shoulder.
Let me think about your question, will get back to you if I think of something useful-can I ask you where the fracture was? And also, the exact circumstances which caused it (gives me a better idea of the injury site). Have you not had much success with rehabilitiation on the shoulder? Just wondered if you were trying to use yoga because rehab has failed, or is it simply that you do not have access to good rehab facilities?
Nick |
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| Nick- I am a dressage rider (equestrian athlete.) It requires me to be very stong and supple, especially in my core, but there's the occassional rough ride that requires me to really use some upper-body strength. The injury is a weird one; caused by a direct hit by a softball; I have been through some rehab and injections - we're not certain where it fractured - x-rays come out funky, showing some strange stuff. I do know the AC joint sustained a fair amount of injury. I've been told I should have surgery, but as I am young, I am trying to put that off as long as possible. Over the years I have worked a lot with strength bands, helping to build strength; and have really focused, especially in my riding, in being equally strong in both sides of my body, I'm just looking for some new alternatives.
Any and all imput is appreciated - thanks! |
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| "Any and all input", music to my ears.
At least your sport doesn't require you to bear weight on the arms with the humerus out of joint or take the arms directly overhead. What is the nature (sharp, dull, burning, shooting) of the pain you are experiencing and it's frequency and occurance relative to activity or inactivity? (it hurts when I do this and not when I do that).
I'd also like to know exactly what you are doing now. Are you on meds? Anti-inflams? I think it's critical with these sorts of things not to mix modalities too much. I think of my friend who's just had a back fusion (ugh) after several years of pain. And he "tried everything" which was exactly the issue. He wanted yoga "exercises" to do while he was running off for cortisone shots. I don't feel that they go together. In order to use a holistic remedy one has to be able to feel and hear the body. In addition it takes a tremendous amount of patience as it is long hard work to heal while avoiding the scalpel.
Now if one wants to try herbs and acupuncture with Chiropractic and yoga, no problem. Complementary they are. But when you are mixing in meds I think it makes the clarity a real issue. |
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| I have the most trouble if I have slept on my shoulder at a weird angle or if I have to sit/stand quietly for long periods of time. I'm very active, and seem to get along fairly well when I am actually using my shoulder, as long as I am not having to do any kind of heavy overhead lifting.
I'm not on any kind of meds; maybe an ibuprophen on very bad days (once a week max). I'm really seeking a way to just stay supple and a little more comfortable, and don't believe in taking meds to mask the problem.
Thanks for the feedback! |
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Location: London, England | Hi Jessica,
If you have the most trouble after you have been sleeping or sitting with bad posture, then it makes sense to get some postural training first of all-otherwise you may start strengthening the shoulder around improper posture. I can't really give you advice on that, not being able to see you. One of the cheapest methods of shoulder rehab has to be getting a towel and rolling it up, and the holding it with both hands, over shoulder width apart, although the distance can vary, pull the hands apart so the towel is taut, and then begin paddling style movements-the towel must stay taut! You can do figure of eights, and all sorts. Pulling the towel helps to pull the shoulder blades into the right position.
Nick |
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| Nick - thanks for the imput! I am pretty careful with my posture (most of the time!); I guess it's somethign from my riding that has carried over to the rest of my daily life. Shoulders back, chest lifted, abs tight - got it.
I'm interested in the towel idea - I'll try it in my workout tomorrow. I am a kayaker as well (often painful for the shoulder, but infinitely worthwhile!), so am intersted to try the "paddling" out! Sounds like it would help supple things up a bit. I have been working with strength bands for a little over a month now, doing various lifts and pulls, trying to get more comfortable bearing weight with my arm away from the body, and it seems to be helping.
Thanks for the ideas - they're greatly appreciated! |
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