shoulder impingement/biceps tendonitis?

[debbydarestobefit]

I was recently dx w/ this and have curtailed upper body workouts and go for PT 3x/week. The worst part is difficulty sleeping - can't get comfortable. I've been reading some on the internet about it. Was wondering if others have had this and how your rehab went? How long did it take before you were able to sleep decently and get back to working out upper body? (I know it can vary between people.) Did you end up having injections/surgery, and if so, did it help?

TIA, Deb

 

[teddy16410]

Deb-
I am just the past 2 weeks coming off of rehab for same (sounds like) injury - my right arm... sleeping STILL causes issues... My PT told me its from sleeping on side and/or sleeping with rounded shoulders... The best thing I can tell ya is that if you're a side sleeper you CAN train yourself to sleep with the arm under and around your back vs curled in front (fetal) ... also if I sleep on my non-injured side I do not allow my top arm (injured) to go towards front. I keep pillows propped up so it must stay on top my body. --- The way I try and fall asleep on painful days is first- ICE the last 1/2 hour before bed... then sleep on back with pillows (each side) and forearms on pillows - this keeps my shoulders from rounding forward.
My PT talked a great deal about most of these issues arising in women from "hunching forward work" Dishes, driving computers laundry... I was told to make sure I was working my back muscles & posterior shoulders more than chest and front shoulder head - This has helped IMMENSELY!
Hope some of this helps- I was in pain for almost a year then took a horrid turn for the worse (nerve damage) about 9 weeks ago... OH- Also another thing AVOID KICKBOXING upper drills- thats actually what pushed me over the edge- but I also went back to that too soon and ended up 2 additional weeks out of commission... Its a slow process...hang in there.

 

[susandean]

I sure feel for you as this is a very painful long lasting condition. I had a frozen shoulder many years ago and they put me under and rotated it loose. Very hard to sleep at night and could not get comfortable. I would sleep on my side with my bad shoulder resting on a pillow. The only thing that helped were pain killers. This was in my late fortys and it took a few months to heal. Then in my late 50's the other shoulder had an impingement. Had surgery on it and it was a solid year of pt 2 to 3 times a week and at home exercising every day. He shaved some bone and cleaned out some arthritis. I would have tears in my eyes it hurt so bad in pt. Again pain killers. The therapist even told me to take a vicodin before the treatment to take the edge off. After a year I quit pt and just did pt at home a few days a week and it slowly got better. I almost think I was over working it and that is way it did not heal faster. It has now been about 3 years and I can say that it is better than the shoulder that did not have surgery but I will not go through it again. My shoulders seem to turn in some and I can't do some of the stretches very well but overall no pain at night. Some people heal very fast after the surgery, I guess it just depends on age.

Best of luck with your ordeal

Susan

 

[kariev]

i'm in physical therapy school right now. we just learned about this. we learned that you should try sleeping on a slight incline to relieve the impingement symptoms. it is a long process to heal but the most important thing i can recommend is rest. you need to let the inflammation process go down. apply ice a couple times a day to help reduce inflammation. good luck

 

[Mckmain]

I was diagnosed with bicipital tendonitis a few years ago. I don't think mine was as bad as what you have because I had no problems sleeping. I just could not do any overhead shoulder exercises, or chest flies with any weight. I had PT for a few weeks and went to a Chiropractor 3 times a week too. It seemed a long time until I could do any overhead lifting or chest flies as I didn't rest much. Probably took me about 4-6 months to fully get rid of the pain. Resting and not working out the area should really help....

 

[Gayle]

Hi Deb,

Just a question about impingement - Has it affected your shoulder range of motion a lot? I recently tweaked my shoulder and had problems sleeping, but my range of motion is normal. Just curious...

 

[debbydarestobefit]

Hi Gayle, it didn't affect the range of motion alot, but some. I have difficulty fastening a bra in back, touching my opposite shoulder, and pulling the arm backward as in a chest fly. The dr said that if I didn't seek tx, it would most likely result in a "frozen" shoulder eventually. So I'm glad I getting addressed now. The PT's measurements indicate I've regained some ROM in just the 2.5 weeks I've been seeing her. I still have difficulty vacuuming and driving long distances with the arm extended in the forward postion.

The most difficult aspect, aside from not being able to do upper body workouts, is the difficulty sleeping.

Thanks to all who replied. I used a pillow to support/elevate the shoulder last night and was not pacing the floor in pain. I did awaken some, but not like I have been. The PT is trying different things to help with the sleeping aspect also.

Deb

 

[andreadaile]

Hi-
I just went through about two months of horrible pain and range of motion restriction due to subscapularis tendinits- have you ever heard of FRICTIONING? Google it. I'm telling you, I am SHOCKED. I had been taking Aleve for inflammation on advice of my doctor, who also prescribed low dose aspirin due to two holes in my heart. Mom was worried, told me not to take the Aleve. I looked it up and found it can indeed increase my risk of stroke, which I have to be careful of, due to the heart holes...

Okay, so I find out about Frictioning because I do not want to take any more painkillers. Find the tender spot. Rub it, rub it, rub it, moving the skin back and forth quickly for about three minutes. Put ice on it for about five minutes. My pain is gone and the range of motion is almost completely back after just two days of doing this once every evening.

I hadn't been able to sleep or dress myself without pain- now I'm ready to start working out again! Hope this helps!