Please help... the shoulder from hell for 7 years.

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to open this post... if I can hold your attention for a little longer I'd greatly appreciate it and appreciate it even further if anyone can please give me some advice.

I'm a 26 year old healthy male. I'm 6 2" and quite sporty. For 7 years I've been suffering terribly with my left shoulder which has been something that I've been able to work around until now. Here's my story... sorry if it turns out to be an essay.

When i was 19 years old I used to body build. I injured my left shoulder while on a peck deck and foolishly continued to train on and off for years. The nature of the injury resulted in me being unable to do any exercise that involved pushing or pulling above shoulder height, I was also unable to bench press. If I did carry out any of the above exercises my shoulder becomes sore and tender on the outside of my shoulder to the point where I’d have to stop exercising completely for weeks sometimes months. Even now, If I ever carry out any repetitive task or exercise involving shoulder movement then my shoulder becomes more and more tender and sore. The area which is sore (and only when sore) feels bumpy and undeveloped/unstable/weak to touch as well, unlike my right shoulder which feels solid and firm/well developed around the joint (this isn’t a great description but this is hard to explain).

I went to see my GP who referred me to an NHS physio. The NHS physio said it the problem was due to my posture as I’m slightly hunched forward naturally. He gave me some posture improving exercises but this never made any difference. I simply avoided certain exercises in gym and also certain sports such as swimming (I can breast stroke ok but front crawl causes a repeat of the injury). I tried kick boxing but this also caused problems. I can’t play golf either. It even greatly affects intimate areas of my life with my wife that I won’t go into in detail.

After seeing 4 different NHS GP’s who were all equally uninterested I decided to bite the bullet and pay up for a physio. The physio I saw was great and very honest and straight forward with me. He started by doing deep hard massages on my shoulder to break up the muscle fibres (sorry if I get this wrong but this is just what I remember of what he told me) that had healed incorrectly. Then each week I would have another massage and then he’d give me exercises to carry out at home with very light weights and low reps to build up my shoulder strength. Exercises like side lat raises with 1 kg and front raises as well. But after a few weeks my shoulder just became very sore again. This wasn’t really a surprise to me as this has been the reoccurring pattern for years. He was really honest and told me that he didn’t know what the problem was and perhaps I should purchase a body tone type device that sends electronic pulses into my shoulder to cause muscle contractions and exercise the area, but only on a low gentle setting. In all honesty I never tried this as it seemed a little strange and I found no other instance of this when looking on the internet.

So, basically I’ve been able to get by with this injury… until now. I’ve recently achieved a computer networking qualification that has lead to a new dream job. The problem I have is there’s a lot of lifting servers, UPS systems and various other very heavy equipment weighing up to 50 kgs and my bad shoulder is back with vengeance. It’s starting to show at work and I’m desperate to make a good impression and pull my weight. I’ve been taking very strong pain killers which have just about been getting me through the days but I need to do something about getting rid of my bad shoulder forever as I can’t keep taking numerous pain killers every day for the rest of my working life.

Can anyone suggest what I should do? The NHS are simply not interested. I’ve not got large amounts of money to spend on going private but I’m open to suggestions of additional physiotherapy or additional methods that you professionals may spot my previous physio didn’t try. Perhaps acupuncture? I’m basically desperate :(… any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m willing to give anything a go. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Thanks greatly in advance to anyone who’s taken the time to read through this.

Thank you.

To overcome this injury, I have to be honest with you is going to take month and months of work. Hard work. You experienced an injury, and like most novice trainers ignoring what your body said at that time led to chronic problems. I believe any problem can be solved with time, management, modification of activity, and slow progressive return to normal function.

I will allow others to respond in the meantime,

Regards

Thank you for your response! I prepared to do WHATEVER it takes! Please help me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattipler

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to open this post... if I can hold your attention for a little longer I'd greatly appreciate it and appreciate it even further if anyone can please give me some advice.
I would be happy to provide some advice, perhaps this weekend?

I'm a 26 year old healthy male. I'm 6 2" and quite sporty. For 7 years I've been suffering terribly with my left shoulder which has been something that I've been able to work around until now. Here's my story... sorry if it turns out to be an essay.
I know all too well how injury can debilitate for a long time!

When i was 19 years old I used to body build. I injured my left shoulder while on a peck deck and foolishly continued to train on and off for years. The nature of the injury resulted in me being unable to do any exercise that involved pushing or pulling above shoulder height, I was also unable to bench press.
I weight lift, but I have come to understand something that unfortunately most novice trainers don't. If Pain, STOP!. Unfortunately ideologies such as No Pain no Gain continue to venture into gym goer's minds everywhere!

If I did carry out any of the above exercises my shoulder becomes sore and tender on the outside of my shoulder to the point where I’d have to stop exercising completely for weeks sometimes months. Even now, If I ever carry out any repetitive task or exercise involving shoulder movement then my shoulder becomes more and more tender and sore.
A full Assessment would need to be carried out, I would be particularly interested in X-rays, I would like to know if there is any calcification in the area.
The area which is sore (and only when sore) feels bumpy and undeveloped/unstable/weak to touch as well, unlike my right shoulder which feels solid and firm/well developed around the joint (this isn’t a great description but this is hard to explain).
When you use terms such as 'bumpy' that seems to reiterate to me that some calcification may be present, and this will significantly impact future therapy.

I went to see my GP who referred me to an NHS physio. The NHS physio said it the problem was due to my posture as I’m slightly hunched forward naturally. He gave me some posture improving exercises but this never made any difference.
I am a Muscle Balance and Function Practitioner, and believe that posture plays a significant role in normal daily function, and freedom from disability. Why? let us take an example for a moment, if you drive 2hr/day, 5 days a week, for 52 weeks a year, you are essentially spending 520 hours, or the equivalent of 21 days chronically plantar flexing your calves repetitively. This in my opinion (as there is not evidence to suggest a link at this time) is responsible for a great deal lower limb, and synergistic postural problems elicited in the body.

I simply avoided certain exercises in gym and also certain sports such as swimming (I can breast stroke ok but front crawl causes a repeat of the injury). I tried kick boxing but this also caused problems. I can’t play golf either. It even greatly affects intimate areas of my life with my wife that I won’t go into in detail.
Avoiding what causes discomfort pain, is good, but ideally you want to be able to overcome the issue at hand, and find a way to enjoy the activities you like to do. That aught to be a goal.

After seeing 4 different NHS GP’s who were all equally uninterested I decided to bite the bullet and pay up for a physio. The physio I saw was great and very honest and straight forward with me. He started by doing deep hard massages on my shoulder to break up the muscle fibres (sorry if I get this wrong but this is just what I remember of what he told me) that had healed incorrectly. Then each week I would have another massage and then he’d give me exercises to carry out at home with very light weights and low reps to build up my shoulder strength. Exercises like side lat raises with 1 kg and front raises as well. But after a few weeks my shoulder just became very sore again. This wasn’t really a surprise to me as this has been the reoccurring pattern for years. He was really honest and told me that he didn’t know what the problem was and perhaps I should purchase a body tone type device that sends electronic pulses into my shoulder to cause muscle contractions and exercise the area, but only on a low gentle setting. In all honesty I never tried this as it seemed a little strange and I found no other instance of this when looking on the internet. I would say your physio was on a somewhat correct track, but something was lost along the way. One thing that is important to realise in my opinion, is that patience and persistence go a long way to attaining positive health benefits, as well as ongoing and continuous re-assessment, and refining of treatment techniques

So, basically I’ve been able to get by with this injury… until now. I’ve recently achieved a computer networking qualification that has lead to a new dream job. The problem I have is there’s a lot of lifting servers, UPS systems and various other very heavy equipment weighing up to 50 kgs and my bad shoulder is back with vengeance. It’s starting to show at work and I’m desperate to make a good impression and pull my weight. I’ve been taking very strong pain killers which have just about been getting me through the days but I need to do something about getting rid of my bad shoulder forever as I can’t keep taking numerous pain killers every day for the rest of my working life.
No doubt, I don't think treating the symptom will ever solve the root of the problem, but it does certainly help along the way:rolleyes:

Can anyone suggest what I should do? The NHS are simply not interested. I’ve not got large amounts of money to spend on going private but I’m open to suggestions of additional physiotherapy or additional methods that you professionals may spot my previous physio didn’t try. Perhaps acupuncture? I’m basically desperate :(… any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m willing to give anything a go. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Thanks greatly in advance to anyone who’s taken the time to read through this.
Trying everything and anything is definitely the sounds of someone desperate, how about info regarding your Xrays, previous notes, assessments to start?

Thank you.

---

As above, regards

Originally Posted by mattipler
Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to open this post... if I can hold your attention for a little longer I'd greatly appreciate it and appreciate it even further if anyone can please give me some advice.
I would be happy to provide some advice, perhaps this weekend?
ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED WHENEVER BEST SUITED YOU! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.

I'm a 26 year old healthy male. I'm 6 2" and quite sporty. For 7 years I've been suffering terribly with my left shoulder which has been something that I've been able to work around until now. Here's my story... sorry if it turns out to be an essay.
I know all too well how injury can debilitate for a long time!

When i was 19 years old I used to body build. I injured my left shoulder while on a peck deck and foolishly continued to train on and off for years. The nature of the injury resulted in me being unable to do any exercise that involved pushing or pulling above shoulder height, I was also unable to bench press.
I weight lift, but I have come to understand something that unfortunately most novice trainers don't. If Pain, STOP!. Unfortunately ideologies such as No Pain no Gain continue to venture into gym goer's minds everywhere!
I TEND TO AVOID EXERCISES THAT CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH MY SHOULDER WHEN I GO TO THE GYM. I’VE HAD MY INJURY FOR SO LONG I PRETTY MUCH KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING TO CREATE PROBLEMS AND WHAT ISN’T. BUT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I HAVE TO ADMIT MY ATTITUDE WAS A LITTLE GUN-HO.


If I did carry out any of the above exercises my shoulder becomes sore and tender on the outside of my shoulder to the point where I’d have to stop exercising completely for weeks sometimes months. Even now, If I ever carry out any repetitive task or exercise involving shoulder movement then my shoulder becomes more and more tender and sore.
A full Assessment would need to be carried out, I would be particularly interested in X-rays, I would like to know if there is any calcification in the area.
I’D LOVE TO SAY THAT I’VE BEEN TAKEN SERIOUS ENOUGH BY A GP TO JUSTIFY AN XRAY OR MRI SCAN (THINK IT’S CALLED AN MRI… APOLOGIES IF THAT’S INCORRECT). MY PHYSIO EVEN MENTIONED SOMEONE HE’D HEARD OF GIVING XRAYS FROM THE BACK OF A VAN(!!!!!!!) AND MAYBE IT MIGHT BE WORTH CONSIDERING FOR ME. HE DID ALSO MENTION THIS WAS EXPENSIVE.

The area which is sore (and only when sore) feels bumpy and undeveloped/unstable/weak to touch as well, unlike my right shoulder which feels solid and firm/well developed around the joint (this isn’t a great description but this is hard to explain).
When you use terms such as 'bumpy' that seems to reiterate to me that some calcification may be present, and this will significantly impact future therapy.
YEAH THE AREA FEELS UNDEVELOPED AND STRUCTURALLY UNSOUND IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

I went to see my GP who referred me to an NHS physio. The NHS physio said it the problem was due to my posture as I’m slightly hunched forward naturally. He gave me some posture improving exercises but this never made any difference.
I am a Muscle Balance and Function Practitioner, and believe that posture plays a significant role in normal daily function, and freedom from disability. Why? let us take an example for a moment, if you drive 2hr/day, 5 days a week, for 52 weeks a year, you are essentially spending 520 hours, or the equivalent of 21 days chronically plantar flexing your calves repetitively. This in my opinion (as there is not evidence to suggest a link at this time) is responsible for a great deal lower limb, and synergistic postural problems elicited in the body.

I simply avoided certain exercises in gym and also certain sports such as swimming (I can breast stroke ok but front crawl causes a repeat of the injury). I tried kick boxing but this also caused problems. I can’t play golf either. It even greatly affects intimate areas of my life with my wife that I won’t go into in detail.
Avoiding what causes discomfort pain, is good, but ideally you want to be able to overcome the issue at hand, and find a way to enjoy the activities you like to do. That aught to be a goal.
MY GOAL AT THE MOMENT IS SIMPLY TO BE ABLE TO CARRY OUT MY JOB. A SECONDARY GOAL WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO EXERCISE WITH WEIGHTS AND BE ABLE TO START BEING UNRESTRICTED IN SO MANY AREA’S OF MY LIFE BY THIS REPETITIVE INJURY.

After seeing 4 different NHS GP’s who were all equally uninterested I decided to bite the bullet and pay up for a physio. The physio I saw was great and very honest and straight forward with me. He started by doing deep hard massages on my shoulder to break up the muscle fibres (sorry if I get this wrong but this is just what I remember of what he told me) that had healed incorrectly. Then each week I would have another massage and then he’d give me exercises to carry out at home with very light weights and low reps to build up my shoulder strength. Exercises like side lat raises with 1 kg and front raises as well. But after a few weeks my shoulder just became very sore again. This wasn’t really a surprise to me as this has been the reoccurring pattern for years. He was really honest and told me that he didn’t know what the problem was and perhaps I should purchase a body tone type device that sends electronic pulses into my shoulder to cause muscle contractions and exercise the area, but only on a low gentle setting. In all honesty I never tried this as it seemed a little strange and I found no other instance of this when looking on the internet. I would say your physio was on a somewhat correct track, but something was lost along the way. One thing that is important to realise in my opinion, is that patience and persistence go a long way to attaining positive health benefits, as well as ongoing and continuous re-assessment, and refining of treatment techniques

So, basically I’ve been able to get by with this injury… until now. I’ve recently achieved a computer networking qualification that has lead to a new dream job. The problem I have is there’s a lot of lifting servers, UPS systems and various other very heavy equipment weighing up to 50 kgs and my bad shoulder is back with vengeance. It’s starting to show at work and I’m desperate to make a good impression and pull my weight. I’ve been taking very strong pain killers which have just about been getting me through the days but I need to do something about getting rid of my bad shoulder forever as I can’t keep taking numerous pain killers every day for the rest of my working life.
No doubt, I don't think treating the symptom will ever solve the root of the problem, but it does certainly help along the way

Can anyone suggest what I should do? The NHS are simply not interested. I’ve not got large amounts of money to spend on going private but I’m open to suggestions of additional physiotherapy or additional methods that you professionals may spot my previous physio didn’t try. Perhaps acupuncture? I’m basically desperate … any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m willing to give anything a go. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Thanks greatly in advance to anyone who’s taken the time to read through this.
Trying everything and anything is definitely the sounds of someone desperate, how about info regarding your Xrays, previous notes, assessments to start?
ALL I CAN TELL YOU IN TERMS OF PREVIOUS ASSESSMENTS IS THAT THE NHS PHYSIO THAT SAID MY POSTURE HAD PARTLY TO DO WITH MY PROBLEM MENTIONED THAT SUBSEQUENTLY HE THOUGHT I COULD BE EXPERIENCING IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME AND TOLD ME TO PURCHASE A THERABAND. I PURCHASED THE THERABAND AND EXERCISED MY SHOULDER FOR PERIOD OF MONTHS BUT THIS DIDN’T PREVENT THE INJURY OCCURING AGAIN AS SOON AS I JOINED A SWIMMING CLUB.

Thank you.

Agree it is going to take a lot of hard work...but the correct diagnosis is needed so that the work can be focused in the right way.

You should be able to request copies of your notes from the therapists you have seen in the past. This may help in identifying problem areas they found / what their opinion was and may help identify areas that need assessing further.

One thing that springs to mind that I have seen a few times is a problem with your clavical (collar bone). This can get disrupted at the sternal end (breast bone) and shoulder end. It can often make it feel lumpy / bony and deformed generally. It can get inflammed and become acutely sore around the acromioclavicular joint. The patients I have seen with this problem were as a result of pec. work, the fly exercise is particularly bad for this, people tend to overload it and jerk the movement.

An xray may help identify disruption of the clavical. There are specific techniques that a can be used by therapists to improve disruptions, however 7 years down the line I am not sure how sucessful they would be. Postural correction and monitoring of all activity that aggrevates (taping may help) to prevent the constant irritation would not go amiss.

Agree with previous post the cumulative affect can play a large part.

Having injured my shoulder nearly 10 years ago I know how frustrating they can be. When mine was at its worst I struggled to work as a physio....I saw various collegues (whilst working in the NHS)...who had various opinions. It seemed to settle as quickly as it flared up. In the end a scan revealed disruption of the acromioclavicular joint and localised inflammation. Although the disruption was minor it didn't feel like it when it was bad.

A combination of things worked for me...resting from aggrevation, a course of antiinflammatories (had never taken for more than a day or too when it was bad), lots of postural correction and muscle imbalance work (aided by tapping) and reevaluation of the day to day things that I was doing that aggrevated it. Still a problem if my posture is bad for long periods or if I over do things.

Good Luck

hi
is your cervical-neck, thoracic spine in takt?