Foxglove-
I meant to post this weekend, but got a nasty bag and spent the weekend on the bathroom floor… On Friday night I rode and worked a little on what you mentioned. I couldn’t convince myself to use only one rein, but adapted it with two, and by the end pony was actually much better. Haven’t ridden him since, so only worked on it once, but I will say it helped my shoulder a lot!
[QUOTE=grandprixer;8548855]
Like I said, I tried PT and that did squat. What are some exercises you do?[/QUOTE]
Anything that concentrates around the shoulder. To begin with, my personal trainer (like, 10 years ago) had me working with bands a lot. Forward raises, side raises, planks, shrugs, rows (to this day, I do upright, bent over, and bench rows multiple times a week), working upto overhead press which I find the most difficult.
I do a gazillion push ups a week.
I have a few weird exercises I do that mimic riding as much as I can. People look at me weird in the gym, but whatever. An angled row with a band, or with a ten lb weight. Sometimes if my shoulders are not up to heavier work, elbow gets pressed in tight to my side, and I will just tighten and relax the muscles through the shoulder (I had muscle spasms last night from a back injury that screwed my shoulder so I have been doing that a lot today) or I will take a weight and open and close my arm across the body.
I have just learned to be in tune with my muscles, and really learn how to individually target them for maximum work. My shoulders have continued to be the biggest issue though.
[QUOTE=AMWookey;8552732]
Anything that concentrates around the shoulder. To begin with, my personal trainer (like, 10 years ago) had me working with bands a lot. Forward raises, side raises, planks, shrugs, rows (to this day, I do upright, bent over, and bench rows multiple times a week), working upto overhead press which I find the most difficult.
I do a gazillion push ups a week.
I have a few weird exercises I do that mimic riding as much as I can. People look at me weird in the gym, but whatever. An angled row with a band, or with a ten lb weight. Sometimes if my shoulders are not up to heavier work, elbow gets pressed in tight to my side, and I will just tighten and relax the muscles through the shoulder (I had muscle spasms last night from a back injury that screwed my shoulder so I have been doing that a lot today) or I will take a weight and open and close my arm across the body.
I have just learned to be in tune with my muscles, and really learn how to individually target them for maximum work. My shoulders have continued to be the biggest issue though.[/QUOTE]
Those are similar to what I do. It hurts too much to really use a lot of weights or ROM exercises, but I do use the bands and light weights when I can, but like I said they have done nothing for me. How long did you do these exercises before you noticed results?
I dislocated my shoulder twice and had surgery after the second dislocation. Good to hear you’re still doing the PT exercises as I felt it helped strengthen the area- not sure if you’re currently working with resistance bands, but that helped me a lot and it kind of simulates the pull of reins.
As for what the rest of the members are saying about surgery, I agree: get it sooner rather than later. I wish I had gotten it after my first dislocation, because my second dislocation happened opening a screen door at 5 in the morning. Surgery to my first ride back was 3 months. Don’t put it off!! Good luck!
[QUOTE=grandprixer;8552740]
Those are similar to what I do. It hurts too much to really use a lot of weights or ROM exercises, but I do use the bands and light weights when I can, but like I said they have done nothing for me. How long did you do these exercises before you noticed results?[/QUOTE]
That is hard to answer. My first year of uni I was still sick and unhealthy with joints that didn’t stay in place. I joined the army after my second year, and that was a disaster at basic training, so I trained with a personal trainer 3rd year. So probably a year.
I have had 2 true dislocations, the rest are what I call displacement. I refuse to see a doctor about it on account of my career, so I have to just deal with it myself. I am the first one to say though, my body is weird, it heals weird, and I have an extrodinarily high pain tolerance. Everyone’s surgery option is probably better 
I busted my shoulder up pretty badly last May (also have hypermobility syndrome like AMWookey) and it’s taken a godforsakenly long time to heal. It took maybe four months to be mostly functioning. Right now it acts healed if I’m good about doing weights regularly, but if I slack off for a few weeks it’ll go right back to whining at me all the time. Super frustrating! From what I understand, the shoulder ligaments really don’t heal very well, and if they’re badly torn they’ll pretty much stay torn for life. I got the impression that a lot of the rehab work my PT had me doing was mostly to teach the other muscles around it to compensate, not a lot of actual fixing to be done.
Is there any chance you could talk to a PT who rides or at least specializes in working with athletes? I felt like my PT gave me the same sort of exercises as he would to someone who just needs to get around the house. He was a lovely guy and obviously good at his job, he just seemed like he was missing some of the information that I needed. It might help if you can find someone who has a little more understanding of what exactly your shoulder needs to be able to handle to be in the “acceptable” range.
[QUOTE=RockstarPony;8555641]
I busted my shoulder up pretty badly last May (also have hypermobility syndrome like AMWookey) and it’s taken a godforsakenly long time to heal. It took maybe four months to be mostly functioning. Right now it acts healed if I’m good about doing weights regularly, but if I slack off for a few weeks it’ll go right back to whining at me all the time. Super frustrating! From what I understand, the shoulder ligaments really don’t heal very well, and if they’re badly torn they’ll pretty much stay torn for life. I got the impression that a lot of the rehab work my PT had me doing was mostly to teach the other muscles around it to compensate, not a lot of actual fixing to be done.
Is there any chance you could talk to a PT who rides or at least specializes in working with athletes? I felt like my PT gave me the same sort of exercises as he would to someone who just needs to get around the house. He was a lovely guy and obviously good at his job, he just seemed like he was missing some of the information that I needed. It might help if you can find someone who has a little more understanding of what exactly your shoulder needs to be able to handle to be in the “acceptable” range.[/QUOTE]
My PT guy is an athlete guy, and he has dealt with riders in the past… :sigh:. It’s hopeless.
duplicate
Grandprixer, the more I read this thread the more I reminisce about my subluxing shoulder. Although we call the shoulder a ball-and-socket joint, it really is more like a ball and saucer joint. Every time your shoulder goes out you are doing more damage by wearing down the tissue that keeps the ball in place. One day my shoulder wouldn’t go back in at all, so off to the ER where it took two rounds of sedation to get it all the way back in. I had to wait about 6 weeks for the surgery (elective, so you have to wait in line) and had to be careful using a bar of soap in the shower – that’s all it took for it to want to pop out. As I noted earlier, mine was so bad I had to have an open procedure vs. arthroscopic, which made the recovery somewhat more difficult.
I don’t think there is much any PT can do for this type of problem. It is very different from things like rotator cuff tears. You are wearing part of the joint down, and trying to shorten up or strengthen the soft tissue probably won’t do much until after the surgery, when you may have a love/hate relationship with your PT. If you favor that shoulder too much it could wind up frozen, which is usually a 6-9-month recovery. And then there is the worst option, which would be needing a replacement.
So I say… Get thee to the orthopedist! There’s only so much we COTHers can do other than kibitz. An MRI will probably determine what’s going on in there. I’m happy I had the surgery. I have not even had the least little hint that it might pop out when I least expect it and it has been almost 16 years.
I would go to a really good orthopedic surgeon who is also an athlete for another evaluation about whether this is really fixable with PT for how you want to use your arm. Kinesiotape really does help alleviate tendon pain associated with shoulder problems (from impingement, muscle strain, or instability). I tore my shoulder 7 years ago and don’t need it so much anymore (finally), but I do still tape myself up for a week or two when I have a flare up of symptoms.
Just thought I’d update…
I just got back from appt. with plain old ortho guy, the surgeon is on maternity leave. He sent me back to PT for another 6 weeks with NSAIDs and then we’ll reevaluate for surgery. Yay?
Grandprixer, glad you are (maybe) making progress at having your shoulder repaired. Like riding styles, I have no loyalty to MDs --I went to three for my shoulder (first one did shots, second one wanted to “wait” so I went to a third one who would do my shoulder when I wanted it done.) Our hunt club has more than a few MDs in it, one of whom is a top notch Othro --he thought highly of the guy who fixed my shoulder. I would have gone to the hunt club Ortho but he was too far to travel (I travel an hour north to the hunt club, he comes an hour south.). Anyway, between the pack of doctors who hang out at the hunt club bar, one can get a pretty good view of what to expect. One thing I definitely was told by more than one of the surgeons, is they chose surgery because they liked to fix patients, but didn’t really want to “know” their patients --as in a GP who knows you life history and actually cares about you personally. As a group (even at the hunt club) the Orthos seemed to me arrogant know-it-all daredevils --but every one of them can (and does) walk the walk. And, all of them are pilots! What’s up with that? One told me that EVERY heart surgeon he knows has a plane – but anyway --just saying that it may truly be that your ortho wants whats best for you as a person --and may be your best friend, but, I would shop around and find one (ask around -ask nurses at the hospital --ask the hospital --call and say, “Can you tell me which DR does the most shoulder repairs at your facility?” --or ask on-line. I found out that the Ortho who fixed my knees (had two done at the same time) does 100 knees a year --two a week (my middle daughter was an OR nurse and told me he actually does two a day, but only does knees once a week; on Mondays) --with that much practice, my guess was he knew what he was doing. And, while he told me he generally doesn’t do both knees at the same time, I was a good candidate (help at home, good shape, on the thin side).
So shop around --educate yourself on who’s available in your area --ask your GP what he thinks of the various surgeons –
Foxglove
I note that access to the surgeon is quite a ways off, at least when you are trying to hold your shoulder together. Did you have any films or MRI done? If it were me, I’d make sure I had all this done before seeing a surgeon so they have something to look at.
ust thought I’d update…
I just got back from appt. with plain old ortho guy, the surgeon is on maternity leave. He sent me back to PT for another 6 weeks with NSAIDs and then we’ll reevaluate for surgery. Yay?
I am still following your journey. Daughter still is not riding consistently. Hoping your pt works. After reading all the above responses, perhaps we need to look at surgery more carefully.
[QUOTE=walktrot;8565490]
I note that access to the surgeon is quite a ways off, at least when you are trying to hold your shoulder together. Did you have any films or MRI done? If it were me, I’d make sure I had all this done before seeing a surgeon so they have something to look at.[/QUOTE]
I had an x-ray, I’ve had so many scans we’re trying to avoid as many as possible. Depending on how PT goes, I might have to go in for an MRI (fun!). The surgeon I am supposed to be seeing does only shoulders and is one of the best in the area, he was recommended to us by my dad’s ortho.
I have six weeks to go before the follow up, I will most certainly update as need. Thank you all for your support and knowledge!
For me, PT helped a little but it was strength training that got me pain free. If I am religious with my workouts, my shoulder stays put. If I slack off, so do my shoulder muscles and POP! Out it goes again and I’m in misery.
Last month I took a little time off from my workouts and I ended up really paying for it with two weeks of painful instability. The problem is, that when the shoulder is popping in and out, it’s really painful to get through the workouts. BUT once things get tightened up again…ahh, it makes all the workouts worth it. Bent over rows with quite a bit of weight were what my PT recommend but there are lots of moves with and without weights or with tension bands that help tighten the shoulder muscles.
Welp, PT has done nada. He pretty much just told my parents this morning not to waste our money anymore, at this point we’re just going to finish this week with no riding and unless there’s marked improvement, were going back to evaluate for surgery. And the worst part? I took my first lesson since October two days before this all happened, and there’s a show a week after the next appointment.
To make matters worse, it ain’t just this shoulder apparently. It’s the only one I’ve had issues with but just like some of you on here, I’ve got hypermobility syndrome. So I went to the wonderful world of the web (which was a stupid idea, I know) and found out some nice things. A few posts ago, I said that I had some neuro issues. Well, what do you know? They stemmed from a complex Chiari (which we knew about and already tried to fix once), which is most likely caused by the hypermobility. I’m already looking at one surgery, now they want to do another freaking brain surgery.
All this time, I’ve gone through some pretty awful and painful things, I’ve put my riding career on hold, I’ve lost friends, I’ve started struggling in school, all because I was freaking double jointed.
This new surgery they want to do will either leave me in the same place I am now or with less pain and 45 degree ROM in my neck. Plus I have to have my shoulder fixed too. I’m looking at 4-6 months for my shoulder, 6-8 for my neck. Can’t they just kill two birds with one stone and do both at the same time??
Anyways, sorry for my little vent, I’m really confused and a little scared right now. I’ll update again if anything else happens.
