#chronic shoulder pain

[autumnalhalcyon]

does anyone- anyone -have any advice for chronic neck and shoulder pain for people on a budget?

doctors never bothered to do any actual testing when i first started feeling this pain and kept telling me i could go back to work (i was a janitor at the time) and nothing has healed right, so now I'm left battling agony as best as i can, but i can only take so much medicine/get so many prescriptions/use so much icy hot/buy so many new matresses when mine inevitably wear out in less than a god damn year, and now im sitting in my living room sobbing at 6:30am on a Saturday morning because i can't even get a full night's rest because of my bed flaring up my pain

please, im desperate and despairing over my circumstances and any (good faith) advice whatsoever is appreciated

[hippofox]

TFW you almost have a panic attack on the way to physical therapy and then they tell you that you DONT have to do the thing that you're so scared of you almost had a panic attack

[fatal-blow]

actually speaking of that "everything i love causes carpal tunnel" shirt i know! a muscle that causes carpal tunnel-like symptoms!

the bad news is that it's the underside of the shoulder blade, but the good news is that once you figure out how to reach it, it's quite easy to release!

anyways meet the subcapularis

(all images taken from Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction (3rd Edition) by Travell et al)

the subcapularis helps pull the shoulder forward and rotate it inwards, meaning it's involved in many activities which cause the much dreaded carpal tunnel--yes, even though it's nowhere near the wrist. the anatomy of the shoulder makes it easy for nerves and vessels to get compressed, causing all sorts of fun symptoms like pain, tingling, and cold fingers.

this is the referred symptom zone:

obligatory i am not a doctor, just very autistic about musculoskeletal pain, and can't guarantee this massage will help your carpal tunnel symptoms, but I will say that uhhh every time I do this for myself i can feel all blood and sensation rush back into my arm, and it's always best to try massage before more invasive stuff like surgery

--

1. Find a spot where you can sit, feet planted on the ground, and lean forward and rest your head on something with your arm hanging down between your legs. This will slide the shoulder blade to the side of the ribs, where you can reach the underside.

2. Above is what the subcapularis looks like with the surrounding muscles. Using your fingertips (you might wanna cut your nails) or your thumb if preferred, find the bony edge of the shoulder blade, and start poking around the underside.

3. You'll most likely only be able to reach the edge of the muscle, but that's enough! When you press into it, you will probably feel like you're reproducing your symptoms. Don't worry; you aren't hurting yourself and in fact this means you're in the right spot! Massage it gently, enough to feel it but not enough to wince, until you can't find anymore painful spots (or until you feel better, sometimes you can't get it all in one session).

3.5. If your pain increases overall, don't do it. Though pressure should elicit symptoms, this type of massage should provide pretty immediate relief, and if it doesn't then either some other muscle(s) is involved or it's not muscle related at all.

4. Finish up by rolling your shoulder back, like you're stretching out your chest/reaching behind you, a few times. It's normal to hear clicking--good, actually, that's the sound of your body realigning.

5. I recommend doing this at least daily, even after the symptoms have eased, until it's no longer sensitive to massage. Keep in mind that this muscle has been overused, and that the muscles that oppose it have weakened. It will keep trying to tighten up again until the weakened muscles have recovered, so you need to actively treat it and keep an eye out for habits that cause you to roll the shoulder forward.

And that's it! If you intend to resume carpal tunnel inducing activities ASAP, see if you can take a moment every 30 minutes or so to do a quick shoulder stretch. This helps prevent the muscle from tightening, and you only need to spend moments to do so. Quick breaks like this actually go a long way towards preventing injury, and help you keep working without interrupting the flow to go do some body maintenance :P

[crimeronan]

well. this Did just make me burst into tears. (which is probably good since i've needed to cry for days.)

yeah. yeah That's how it feels....

[homicidalbrunette]

Here's 3 minutes of Katya and Trixie acting like an old married couple

[l0stfoster]

Darry has chronic pain (specifically back & shoulders) because I said so

[seasonallydefective]

Search engines really need a toggle for “just the facts please” vs “some maniacs discussing this on Reddit”

Because sometimes I’m experiencing things science has yet to explore and I need the maniacs to validate me

[angrymac]

anyways, this is where i’m at rn

[cannibalgh0st]

Did physical therapy today, and the assistant put this kinesio tape on me. It's going to be on for the rest of the week so my shoulder can get used to the position. And the tape should fall on its own.....it's waterproof so I can shower and swim...so that's good🌺

[astrangertomykin]

This is a Ashton Greymoore apologist blog first and foremost

[motogpnewbie]

Tik Tok decided to make me feel things today Pt1

[lorelune]

the game plan:

- finish o4o in the next few weeks (barring pain levels, they have been higher than normal. more on that later)

- open up comms (i’ll probably take two or three OR i’ll be releasing a certain numbers of words that can be claimed for commissions out of the whole, until we hit that word cap) (if this doesn’t make sense i’ll explain more later trust)

- profit and pay off portos vet bill AND get a new work desk

[the-mountain-flower]

Had a VERY enlightening conversation with my sibling who has chronic pain, and just learned about a LOT of things that aren't normal

Anyway I've got some research ahead of me...

[succubusjuice]

.🩹🩹.

[talkethtothehandeth]

I went to the antique shop with my nephew yesterday and when we went downstairs (stairs, derogatory) there were two canes in some sort of bin. Anyway, I held both of and they fit my height perfectly— the real test was the weight bearing. I leant on them, immediately feeling the difference.

I’m getting a cane. And if you want a cute one like I do, go here.

I don’t know how my body is really going to respond with actually using one, so may the odds be ever in my favor.

[peppermintquartz]

Shout-out to the people who do their best despite being in pain or discomfort, y'all are amazing, and I wish you (and me) a series of great days ❤️