Away message

[resonant]

Somehow I've managed to damage my rotator cuff. (This takes some doing when you play no sports, but when it comes to personal injury, I'm an overachiever, yo.) I told my mother that when I come to visit, I can help her move small stuff, but if there's anything really heavy, we'll have to get my brother.

"Can't," she said. "He threw his back out."

Anyhow, this is just to say that I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be back till the 31st. Y'all have fun, be good, and don't break fandom while I'm gone!

Comments

[florahart]

I tore my rotator cuff playing with books ...7? years ago. It still has sensitivity about broad movements. Stupid body.

*sends rotator bandaids*

[black-bird-777.livejournal.com]

you know how to fix it? There are specific exercises that are extremely easy to do, that bring blood and hence healing to the injury...

[nudaydreamer.livejournal.com]

Your family and my family probably shouldn't breed... one of my brothers is currently in a cast from a "volleyball injury" (he spiked the ball, took a step backwards, fell over, and broke his femur) and the other dislocated his shoulder in September playing Wii tennis (and then tripped going down some stairs on the way home from the ER, causing his foot to turn black and blue and swell up for a week).

[umbo.livejournal.com]

Ack--take care of that shoulder!

[domtheknight.livejournal.com]

My mom once went to sleep completely fine and then woke up with a torn rotator cuff. And she'd literally just been asleep the whole time.

Anyway, in my personal experience, it's not that hard to do. :) Luck with your healing, though!

[ecaterin.livejournal.com]

Happy OT :P (and/or happy surgery but hopefully it's not that severe a tear)

Physical therapy is an absolute must must must for rotator cuff recovery - don't skimp! Or you could end up with a frozen shoulder, which is just as icky as it sounds :P

Chocolate. Lots of chocolate :)

[reginagiraffe]

Well, that was foolish of him. He's going to *need* that back!
*roots through the garbage*

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

I was told by the PT for my rotator cuff that sometimes they "just happen" to women of a certain age. It may actually be hormone-related in some people!

The good news is that even if you don't do anything, in a year or so the inflammation will heal up. But if you do PT and exercises, you can wittle that down to a half year or less.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Have a great time on your hol!!!

[celestialcuming.livejournal.com]

That sounds agonizing =( Get better soon *waves*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Now I feel better (because I'm not the only one getting sports injuries while living a bookworm life) and worse (because, damn, seven years later?!).

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm getting physical therapy, and they gave me some exercises, but didn't say anything about blood flow. Tell me more?

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Your family and my family should go in together for a physical therapist on retainer.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks; it's kind of bossing me around at the moment.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! That's awful. (Though reassuring; at least I'm not the only one.)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm getting PT, thank heaven; I had my first session before I left for the trip, and tomorrow I start 3x a week. (I didn't know physical therapists would be so young, My health is in the hands of creatures named Erin and Courtney.)

My mom has had frozen shoulder *twice.* It sounds horrible.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

And the least he could have done was recycle it!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm 43, which seems to be the 'certain age' for entirely too many things.

And my bursitis took at least six months to clear up, too. Good thing Aleve doesn't bother my stomach.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Eh. It's more in the mildly annoying category, unless I make a careless move with my right arm. Which I no longer do even in my sleep, so hey.

[black-bird-777.livejournal.com]

So when you have an injury to soft tissue: muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the only thing that will heal it is getting blood to the site. But you have to get the blood to the site and not aggravate the injury. So using a heating pad is one way, but it won't work so well with a deep injury like the rotator cuff. There are several excersizes that work, but the best one is to lie down on your side, keeping your damaged side up. Legs out straight. Your upper arm is against your side, elbow touching your side, keeping your arm on the top of your body - in other words, don't let your arm slip toward your front. Your lower arm is 45 degrees down, basically across your stomach. Lift your lower arm to just above parellel to the floor, then lower it almost until your hand touches the floor - keeping your elbow on *top* of your side - like it's attached to your hip. Do 10-12 reps with very very little weight - start with 1lb weights, or even no weight. Do 2-3 sets at a time. If you do it right, after around 10 reps, you'll feel a light burn inside your shoulder joint. Slowly increase the weight you use, and you can do this a few times a day if you want. It's a really good exercise to use before using your shoulder for something - while it's healing and afterwards - it warms up the shoulder beatifully, preventing injury and making it feel great. Let me know if this isn't clear. I can also draw you what I mean, of photograph it. :-)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Sorry it took so long to reply. I tried this and I can't do it! Something about that rotation of the arm hits this one spot that just hurts like crazy. (It's very similar to the motion required to reach out and get a cup of coffee off the table beside me, and that hurts, too.)

Every time I go to the physical therapist, I get more exercises -- I'm up to seven now. Maybe when I've been doing them for a while, I'll be able to do more.

But thanks for the advice. At least I know the other exercises I'm doing are doing something.