Just remember. Stuff no longer heals…….it just waits.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Could be. That's honestly what it feels like. I've been wearing that vest for 5 or 6 years, though, so I'm not sure why it would start now.

Mine started after several years of wearing the same vest too.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Could be. That's honestly what it feels like. I've been wearing that vest for 5 or 6 years, though, so I'm not sure why it would start now.

Mine started after several years of wearing the same vest too.

The real question is, did it get better (or as cslinger so eloquently pointed out, go back to "waiting)? And if so, what did it take to make that happen?

Yes, it got better.

Took several sessions of physical therapy, plus twice daily stretches at home, to resolve the initial bout.

But it took over a month to see full improvement.

Over the years, the weight of the vest pulling down, combined with some poor posture, had caused my pectoralis minor to shorten, which was then continually pulling down on the shoulder/collarbone and compressing the nerve. So it took some time to loosen/lengthen that muscle back out again.

And nowadays when I get the occasional more minor and transient flare up, more stretching puts it back to bed. But I know what to do now.

What stretches do you do for it?

Pretty tough to describe via typing versus demonstrating, but I'll do my best. (Also I'm not a doc/PT, and this is assuming that your issue is the same as mine which it might not be.)

There were a bunch more stretches and exercises that I did during PT back in the day, but these three are the ones that I still use these days when I get a flare-up in my neck/shoulder.


1) Corner Stretches

Stand in a wall corner with your elbows out to the side and your forearms and hands vertically above the elbows, with your elbows, forearms, and hands flat against the walls. Put one foot forward and then lean your upper body in towards the corner, feeling the stretch in your chest and shoulders. Hold for 15-30ish seconds, then rest a few and repeat.



2) Chair stretches

Sit in a hard seat chair (like a dining table chair), reach down and grab the side/underside of the chair seat with the hand on the side that's bothering you, then use your other hand to reach over the top of your head to the other side, place your palm alongside your head above the ear, and then gently pull your head away from the shoulder that hurts. Should feel the stretch down the side of your neck and across to your shoulder. Hold for 15-30ish, rest, repeat. Try to keep your back straight and only pull/move your head and neck, and keep your elbow straight out to the side away from your head. Don't use a lot of force, just a gentle steady pull.



3) Wall stretches

Stand about arms length from a wall with the side that's hurting pointing at the wall, then reach straight out to the side and place that palm mostly flat against the wall with the fingers splayed. Then put a moderate amount of that hand's pressure on the tips of your fingers; you should feel the very back of the palm lift off the wall. Finally, turn your head away from the wall as far as you can to look behind you, twisting your upper body as far back around as you can while keeping your hand in contact with the wall. You should feel the stretch in your chest, shoulder, and upper arm. 15-30, rest, repeat.

You can vary the finger positions of your palm on the wall to various different orientations around the "clock" to get different levels of stretch to the different muscles - try a few different ones until you find the one that works best for you.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
What stretches do you do for it?

It would behoove you to spend a session with a physical therapist. Tell him your issues and he'll show you necessary exercises along with a handout.

I'll wager he has law enforcement as clients with your exact issues.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
"Old"? You are nowhere even close to old, my friend.

Yeah, Im with 12131 on this.
You’re on the way to getting old, but you ain’t there yet.

At least you “feel it” after doing something. Cuttin wood & pushing a car.
When you hurt because the weather changes, let us know!

Here, it’s been bouncing between 60’s and 30’s. Snow, then beautiful weather, then back to snow a few days later. 70 degrees, dropping down to the mid 30’s tonight/tomorrow morning.
I know exactly where I broke my leg, my foot, my wrist, my fingers, my collarbone.

Thanks Rogue, I'll give those a try. I got some stretches from a physical therapist a number of years back for my lower back, and staying on them (along with regular conditioning) has probably been one of the best things I've done to keep the herniated disc at bay.

quote:

Originally posted by Biker_dude:
It would behoove you to spend a session with a physical therapist. Tell him your issues and he'll show you necessary exercises along with a handout.

I'll wager he has law enforcement as clients with your exact issues.

I've been down that road, and the most useful part of it was a few stretches they taught me to limber it up. Unfortunately, it also took several months and a whole series of doctor and specialist appointments to satisfy the insurance requirements to get the sessions. I'd rather avoid going through all that again if possible, plus these days with our crappy municipal Obamacare coverage, I'd be looking at thousands of dollars out of pocket for all those appointments.

quote:

Here, it’s been bouncing between 60’s and 30’s. Snow, then beautiful weather, then back to snow a few days later. 70 degrees, dropping down to the mid 30’s tonight/tomorrow morning.

We're about two hours east of you, so we've gotten the same bipolar crap. Yesterday I took advantage of a short break in the rain to finish putting the metal roof on my new woodshed just in time for a front to come through with 70-80mph gusts. I must have done something right because it didn't blow off, lol. Might have been useful to have that built-in early warning system for that one!

[/QUOTE]

My mind knows that, but my body sure doesn't right now! [/QUOTE]

You're not even close. Give it a couple more decades and see where you're at.

quote:

it also took several months and a whole series of doctor and specialist appointments to satisfy the insurance requirements

Shame. But if a) you hadn't already consulted with them and b) it were me, I'd just pay out of pocket for a single session with a PT. But you already have the exercises so, the issue is moot.

Good luck. I have similar chronic issues. Rotator cuff impingement, for example. My PT gave me some bands and exercises and I use them as shoulder warm up before my free weights and machines days.

In my experience, working with a physical therapist is worth it's weight in gold. I've had a few issues over the years with neck pains that I thought were pinched nerves. Initially I was quite skeptical PT could help me. Boy was I wrong. A few sessions of PT with someone who knows what they are doing has ALWAYS worked for me. Money well spent!

Oh, I turned 52 on March 10, it's not going to get any better as you get older!!!