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Please bare with the long post, I'm desperate, I reached out to another party and thought this reply was interesting, I've never heard this advice before.
<<I said>>
Ok by the time I am done explaining my ailments you will all probably be quite bored. Just to give some background I am 27 years old, I have been athletically involved my whole life playing football throughout my college career.
Over the past 2 years my body has completely broking down, creating a cycle of pain that will just not quit! Maybe by going over the chain of events somebody can help me at least try to determine what the hell is going on. I have seen every Dr. for every ailment known to man.
My whole life I was a pitcher and would pitch and catch on back to back days most likely causing great cumulative trauma to my shoulder, sometimes I couldn't even lift my arm it was so dead, but never had any problems with my shoulder, it wasn't till after I stopped playing that I would once a year go out and throw as if I had prepared for the stress of and experience some significant pain. This happened on a couple of occasions. Anyways about 2 years ago after I had on a few occasions hurt my shoulder I started to see a significant depression of my right shoulder and a fair amount of protraction, didn't really think much of it till the pain started to continue during overhead exercises, and throwing.
Then I started to notice significant atrophy on the right side of my body in my trap and in my lat as the depression and protraction got worse I consulted an orthopedic who sent me to physical therapy where she decided that it was coming from my neck (Potential cervical disk issue) and sent me to a neurologist who ordered a cervical MRI, which showed a narrowing of the foramen (Foraminal Stenosis) but no disk issue, now miracoulsly after the MRI my neck went into complete spasms and I was no longer able to extend without great discomfort (I had never experienced neck pain) The spasms subsided after about 6 months and 2 shots (which didn't really help) and there is no longer chronic pain but becomes very uncomfortable in certain positions and can still not extend with great discomfort.
Now moving forward my shoulder and atrophy continued to get worse (the atrophy is killing me the most and it WON'T get better) so I decided to consult an orthopedic about my shoulder who ordered an MRI and found a total Labral tear and 75% of my suprispinatus was torn, so I decided to have it scoped which was a year ago this month. I'd say I am at about 90% unable to come in to the midline in abduction without significant pain and restriction, my posterior capsule is still experiencing pain and restriction also. So basically I'm almost worse in my shoulder after because I got thrown out of physical therapy after about 5 months cause my sessions ran out, and I was never able to finish my rehab.
Moving back to the middle of my rehab for my shoulder in the month of April about 4 months into the rehab my low back went into total spasm and couldn't even bend forward to put my sneakers on it was extremely painful and stiff there was also significant pain in extension. I worked with a chiropractor who specialized in ART, Graston, and trigger point therapy (all pretty painful stuff he diagnosed me with hip bursitis and a few other things I can't remember (I am extremely tight and stretch quite often). He was pretty expensive so I had to stop his services after about 6 weeks and he was able to get me from 50% to about 80%.
Finally I decided to take matters into my own hands and get as fit as possible doing a well balanced strength and conditioning program thinking that maybe I was just out of shape and my body was broken down from all the trauma of surgery. Started getting my squat and deadlift back to decent strength and definitely felt some relief both mentally and physically which takes me to now where I still am now at about 90%. After I started to recognize some atrophy in my left calf (the side of the body where the pain mostly resides in my lumbar) I decided to get a MRI to confirm if something was wrong or not and sure enough the MRI showed absolutely nothing.
I have tried everything I am exhausted and depressed about always being in pain at 27 and not nearly as active as I'd like to be, my shoulder still hangs and I have tried every scapular exercise there is, elevation, depression, protraction, retraction, I have tried to work the shoulder joint in every movement possible, single joint workouts, compound movement workouts for strength, balance work, cardio, swimming, blah blah blah, and the god damn thing will just not get bigger!!!!
PLEASE HELP ME.
Thanks so much for listening to this cry for help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
<<He Said>>
I would suggest, something that might be quite hard, or imposable, for a active person like you, I know it world be hard for me, rest, full rest your body needs, for a full month to three, or maybe more, your body has been overtrained and is in a complete state of trauma. As you say the pain and atrophy you noticed, is spreading to down the right side of your body, which means your not letting it heal, and making each next muscle and tendon weaker in you body.
You may say but surly some exercise is needed, at 27 there are 1000's of people that do not do any exercise what ever and are reasonably fit and strong, with only everyday activities, so what would you want to be in this state for the rest of your life or to take a couple of months off, and hopefully fully recovery ? all you are doing when trying to exercise is just keep opening the wound, please try to let it heal.
But as you have said you have now got your self to 90% that is a great sign, but if you rest like I suggested you body should recover and repair, and get as strong, or stronger than before, I myself when taking holidays and away from training, that is a bodybuilder and strength athlete, always add on a few pounds of muscle, just by resting, and a little fat to hehehe. but you body can't heal, when training hard. Resting will be far harder mentally than physically, only thing I can suggest, is plan your training for the future, and try and take up some new activity, that does not involve physical activities, you say you were involved in football and a pitcher, can not you manage the clubs or something similar. Sorry I could not be more helpful, but rest now and by summer you might be at your fittest level ever. Good luck.
<<I said>>
Ok by the time I am done explaining my ailments you will all probably be quite bored. Just to give some background I am 27 years old, I have been athletically involved my whole life playing football throughout my college career.
Over the past 2 years my body has completely broking down, creating a cycle of pain that will just not quit! Maybe by going over the chain of events somebody can help me at least try to determine what the hell is going on. I have seen every Dr. for every ailment known to man.
My whole life I was a pitcher and would pitch and catch on back to back days most likely causing great cumulative trauma to my shoulder, sometimes I couldn't even lift my arm it was so dead, but never had any problems with my shoulder, it wasn't till after I stopped playing that I would once a year go out and throw as if I had prepared for the stress of and experience some significant pain. This happened on a couple of occasions. Anyways about 2 years ago after I had on a few occasions hurt my shoulder I started to see a significant depression of my right shoulder and a fair amount of protraction, didn't really think much of it till the pain started to continue during overhead exercises, and throwing.
Then I started to notice significant atrophy on the right side of my body in my trap and in my lat as the depression and protraction got worse I consulted an orthopedic who sent me to physical therapy where she decided that it was coming from my neck (Potential cervical disk issue) and sent me to a neurologist who ordered a cervical MRI, which showed a narrowing of the foramen (Foraminal Stenosis) but no disk issue, now miracoulsly after the MRI my neck went into complete spasms and I was no longer able to extend without great discomfort (I had never experienced neck pain) The spasms subsided after about 6 months and 2 shots (which didn't really help) and there is no longer chronic pain but becomes very uncomfortable in certain positions and can still not extend with great discomfort.
Now moving forward my shoulder and atrophy continued to get worse (the atrophy is killing me the most and it WON'T get better) so I decided to consult an orthopedic about my shoulder who ordered an MRI and found a total Labral tear and 75% of my suprispinatus was torn, so I decided to have it scoped which was a year ago this month. I'd say I am at about 90% unable to come in to the midline in abduction without significant pain and restriction, my posterior capsule is still experiencing pain and restriction also. So basically I'm almost worse in my shoulder after because I got thrown out of physical therapy after about 5 months cause my sessions ran out, and I was never able to finish my rehab.
Moving back to the middle of my rehab for my shoulder in the month of April about 4 months into the rehab my low back went into total spasm and couldn't even bend forward to put my sneakers on it was extremely painful and stiff there was also significant pain in extension. I worked with a chiropractor who specialized in ART, Graston, and trigger point therapy (all pretty painful stuff he diagnosed me with hip bursitis and a few other things I can't remember (I am extremely tight and stretch quite often). He was pretty expensive so I had to stop his services after about 6 weeks and he was able to get me from 50% to about 80%.
Finally I decided to take matters into my own hands and get as fit as possible doing a well balanced strength and conditioning program thinking that maybe I was just out of shape and my body was broken down from all the trauma of surgery. Started getting my squat and deadlift back to decent strength and definitely felt some relief both mentally and physically which takes me to now where I still am now at about 90%. After I started to recognize some atrophy in my left calf (the side of the body where the pain mostly resides in my lumbar) I decided to get a MRI to confirm if something was wrong or not and sure enough the MRI showed absolutely nothing.
I have tried everything I am exhausted and depressed about always being in pain at 27 and not nearly as active as I'd like to be, my shoulder still hangs and I have tried every scapular exercise there is, elevation, depression, protraction, retraction, I have tried to work the shoulder joint in every movement possible, single joint workouts, compound movement workouts for strength, balance work, cardio, swimming, blah blah blah, and the god damn thing will just not get bigger!!!!
PLEASE HELP ME.
Thanks so much for listening to this cry for help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
<<He Said>>
I would suggest, something that might be quite hard, or imposable, for a active person like you, I know it world be hard for me, rest, full rest your body needs, for a full month to three, or maybe more, your body has been overtrained and is in a complete state of trauma. As you say the pain and atrophy you noticed, is spreading to down the right side of your body, which means your not letting it heal, and making each next muscle and tendon weaker in you body.
You may say but surly some exercise is needed, at 27 there are 1000's of people that do not do any exercise what ever and are reasonably fit and strong, with only everyday activities, so what would you want to be in this state for the rest of your life or to take a couple of months off, and hopefully fully recovery ? all you are doing when trying to exercise is just keep opening the wound, please try to let it heal.
But as you have said you have now got your self to 90% that is a great sign, but if you rest like I suggested you body should recover and repair, and get as strong, or stronger than before, I myself when taking holidays and away from training, that is a bodybuilder and strength athlete, always add on a few pounds of muscle, just by resting, and a little fat to hehehe. but you body can't heal, when training hard. Resting will be far harder mentally than physically, only thing I can suggest, is plan your training for the future, and try and take up some new activity, that does not involve physical activities, you say you were involved in football and a pitcher, can not you manage the clubs or something similar. Sorry I could not be more helpful, but rest now and by summer you might be at your fittest level ever. Good luck.
