Holy shirtballs, It's Haikoo?

[bigm141414]

11 hours ago, Haikoo said:

My old shoulder wound is creeping back into my life

 

Ugh, shoulders are the worst. Have you contemplated other pre-hab-y type stuff to do once you get in the groove with your pushups? Shoulders need constant attention or else they get very cranky. 

[Haikoo]

1 hour ago, bigm141414 said:

 

Ugh, shoulders are the worst. Have you contemplated other pre-hab-y type stuff to do once you get in the groove with your pushups? Shoulders need constant attention or else they get very cranky. 

 

I definitely do need to do some things with it, I just need to figure out what it needs.  There are so many aches and pains it's hard to decide what exercises to prioritize.

 

[Kishi]

On 2/23/2020 at 12:52 AM, Haikoo said:

 

I definitely do need to do some things with it, I just need to figure out what it needs.  There are so many aches and pains it's hard to decide what exercises to prioritize.

 

 

Any chance of seeing a physical therapist? You might be able to get a custom program that way...

[Haikoo]

2 hours ago, Kishi said:

 

Any chance of seeing a physical therapist? You might be able to get a custom program that way...

 

I have been to a PT multiple times over the past few years for shoulder (before and after surgery), SI joint issues, and knees. I have various exercises he has given me. I can try to dig  up the post surgery exercises for that. Last time I went to the doc (Nov) and mentioned the knees, she basically told me to do my PT, but didn't suggest I go back TO the PT.

 

Basically I'm tired of the going to the doctor, telling them I hurt and getting the, "well, do pt" answer.  Apparently it's not alarming to be young and have all your joints falling apart/hurting. She did at least do couple x rays at that time, but didn't see anything off other than some wear. As to the shoulder, no I didn't mention it. Because I feel like they're going to say "Well, you had surgery." It's just another ache to add to the list.  Add in the hips (mostly right), too. 

 

I know I need the exercises. I need to make a plan. perhaps do them for x amount of time and then be able to say "This is what I've done" if it's not helping." But for pete's sake, I can't spend my entire day doing PT exercises.  I have a mental block right now because I don't even know how to approach doing them all--shoulder, calves (will that help knees?), and SI joint.  And I have to find some of the papers from the previous stuff. The shoulder surgery was 3  years ago.

 

[Kishi]

24 minutes ago, Haikoo said:

 

I have been to a PT multiple times over the past few years for shoulder (before and after surgery), SI joint issues, and knees. I have various exercises he has given me. I can try to dig  up the post surgery exercises for that. Last time I went to the doc (Nov) and mentioned the knees, she basically told me to do my PT, but didn't suggest I go back TO the PT.

 

Basically I'm tired of the going to the doctor, telling them I hurt and getting the, "well, do pt" answer.  Apparently it's not alarming to be young and have all your joints falling apart/hurting. She did at least do couple x rays at that time, but didn't see anything off other than some wear. As to the shoulder, no I didn't mention it. Because I feel like they're going to say "Well, you had surgery." It's just another ache to add to the list.  Add in the hips (mostly right), too. 

 

I know I need the exercises. I need to make a plan. perhaps do them for x amount of time and then be able to say "This is what I've done" if it's not helping." But for pete's sake, I can't spend my entire day doing PT exercises.  I have a mental block right now because I don't even know how to approach doing them all--shoulder, calves (will that help knees?), and SI joint.  And I have to find some of the papers from the previous stuff. The shoulder surgery was 3  years ago.

 

 

Wow, no kidding. And here comes some stranger on the Internet, saying, "Hey have you heard about our Lord and Savior PT?"

 

So, uh, maybe don't go to PT.

 

That being said, FWIW it's been my finding that you don't have to spend all day doing PT exercises to get some kind of benefit. I find that concentrated exposure to just one or two can actually have a load of benefit, and further that they can be done in such a way that they benefit the other parts of the body. The trick's just to find the right one or two that get you 80-90% of the benefit.

[sarakingdom]

Yeah, that's annoying. What Kishi said, and maybe try some of these: boost the collagen/gelatin in your diet, supplement magnesium orally and topically, and find something like hiking on uneven ground that also works for the upper body - very slow, gentle endurance stuff that puts all the joints through their paces without stressing them. It may just be that unexpected muscles are weak and have never recovered. Maybe swimming? A good front crawl might do wonders.

[chemgeek]

Haikoo - have you tried a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedic specialist? I find primary care physicians don't really have much to offer beyond referrals to pt, but sport medicine and orthopedic specialists are very useful in finding the root cause of pains

[Haikoo]

On 2/24/2020 at 5:10 PM, Kishi said:

That being said, FWIW it's been my finding that you don't have to spend all day doing PT exercises to get some kind of benefit. I find that concentrated exposure to just one or two can actually have a load of benefit, and further that they can be done in such a way that they benefit the other parts of the body. The trick's just to find the right one or two that get you 80-90% of the benefit.

 

No, you are right, I SHOULD be doing PT.  I know I will benefit from the exercises, it's just the finding the right ones that is overwhelming. 

 

On 2/24/2020 at 8:52 PM, sarakingdom said:

Yeah, that's annoying. What Kishi said, and maybe try some of these: boost the collagen/gelatin in your diet, supplement magnesium orally and topically, and find something like hiking on uneven ground that also works for the upper body - very slow, gentle endurance stuff that puts all the joints through their paces without stressing them. It may just be that unexpected muscles are weak and have never recovered. Maybe swimming? A good front crawl might do wonders.

 

I do take magnesium, but yes, I should look into collagen. I do like hiking and want to get back to that  once there's not so much snow on the ground.  Sadly, I never learned to swim. I HAVE learned that learning to swim with my face in the water as an adult is the hardest thing I've ever tried. Haven't been successful yet (and how embarrassing it is to try to learn in a public setting).

3 hours ago, chemgeek said:

Haikoo - have you tried a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedic specialist? I find primary care physicians don't really have much to offer beyond referrals to pt, but sport medicine and orthopedic specialists are very useful in finding the root cause of pains

 

Actually, my primary care doctor is only a primary physician 1/2 time. The other half, she is a sports medicine specialist.  She took a look and is pretty convinced I have a patellar tracking issue going on with the knees. I believe her, but just need to figure out what things I need to strengthen/stretch to fix it.  She had sent me to PT for another issue (maybe related? Super tight calves/exertional compartment syndrome), and maybe thinks I should be doing those exercises, but I was flustered enough at that point that I didn't clarify and now it's just bleh. I don't even want to deal with it. I worry she thinks I'm being a hypochondriac or something and don't want to ask anymore. It's probably in my head, but there it is.

 

[mitch_dee]

On 2/27/2020 at 7:53 AM, Haikoo said:

I should look into collagen.

A good bone broth can do wonders.  My mum drinks a ton of broth (mainly due to food issues, it's her secondary source of protein) but 3 of her doctors had made mention about how happy they are with her increase in bone structure and muscle health (no working out besides mild PT).  I make a lot of bone stock for her, and she buys some brands she researched and trusts, but she has been using it for years, so it could never hurt.

 

On 2/27/2020 at 7:53 AM, Haikoo said:

She had sent me to PT for another issue (maybe related? Super tight calves/exertional compartment syndrome), and maybe thinks I should be doing those exercises, but I was flustered enough at that point

PT should always be followed.  I have broke more bones and F'ed up more muscles than I can count, but I learned at a very important lesson at an early age: ALWAYS do your PT, no matter how boring or how simple it seems, do it!  to this day I still draw the alphabet with my big toe in the air for ankle strength (long story).  No matter how frustrated you get, or how boring the exercise might be, always do you PT!!

 

On 2/27/2020 at 7:53 AM, Haikoo said:

I worry she thinks I'm being a hypochondriac or something and don't want to ask anymore. It's probably in my head, but there it is.

always ask!  no matter if it's in your head or not...most are happy to hear questions/comments, shows you are attentive and care. Trust me I have this convo (should I ask or not convo) with my Dr all the time, and they actually tell me they like hearing questions.  So ask, that's why you pay them!

 

 

[chemgeek]

1, seconding always ask. 

2, not sure if I am getting the feeling that you're doubting the diagnosis, but if you are, don't be afraid to seek a 2nd opinion. Doctors are people and vulnerable to all the normal cognitive biases the rest of us are vulnerable to! Which is to say it's hard for anyone (including doctors) to change their mind about something once they have categorized it. An otherwise very good doctor may make a misdiagnosis based on the information they have at the time and then have a hard time changing the diagnosis in light of new evidence - I had that happen both with severe runner's knee caused by ankle hypermobility and untreated severe overpronation / hindfoot valgus deformity (originally Dx as a simple meniscus tear because the first doctor didn't look at my feet or gait or ask me to walk with no shoes on) and my moderate to severe asthma (because I am a genetic freak of nature with horse lungs* that are 3.5 standard deviations above the norm - when I am healthy my peak flow is off the charts and my FEV1 is so large I have the lungs of someone 18" taller than me! - I was misdiagnosed as a mild asthmatic because my baseline lung function is so high that even at only 60% my normal lung capacity in the daytime in absence of triggers my lung function is almost normal or even totally normal compared to the average for ppl of my demographics. But I was varying between 30% and 60% of my normal day-to-day).

 

The doctors who made my initial diagnosis in both cases were otherwise good doctors who fell victim to cognitive biases. When the treatment for what they thought it was didn't work, they blamed me as being non-compliant (I wasn't) rather than reexamining their conclusions. That's super common - everyone is vulnerable to confirmation bias. Not saying that's what's happening in your case but more saying that if you have doubts about what the doctor is saying don't be afraid to investigate. Ultimately you're the person who knows your body best and if you think the Dr is missing the mark it doesn't hurt to investigate further, even if the Dr is otherwise fantastic. 

 

*The horse lungs follow an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern on my father's side of the family. 

[Kishi]

Hey, just thought I'd drop a line and see how you're doing. Hope things have been well!