TENDONITIS AND OLD SHOULDER INJURY ACTING UP

[Muddy]

Hey Fellas; Doc finally gave me a prognosis. I have some issues from a collar bone fracture and shoulder separation from when I got hit by a car many years ago and some tendinitis.

 He had me do some exercises and not pick up any weight to speak of for a while. I went back yesterday and my range of motion has increased but I am still in a lot of pain

 He told me no heavy baits,no long rods and I need to stop fishing if it gets to the point I am taking Motrin to get through the day, to avoid surgery. Have any of you dealt with these issues? Was surgery inevitable in the end anyways?

[BrianinMD]

Well, I guess you will get some time to work on your finesse fishing....

As for the injury, personally the shoulder area is about the only one I haven't found a way to mess up, yet. So, I really can't offer to much knowledge other then if it comes to surgery don't back away or delay it to long. Better to get it fixed then let it get worse....

[rondef]

Muddy, I have similar issues, I have tnedonitis in my right arm.  I went through a round of cortozone shots, they helped for a while and then I eventually had surgery to repair it, that was 6 years agao.  Recently the problem resurfaced and I believe it may be due to scar tissue from the surgery, it is vary painful again.  I go see the doctor today and I will see what he says.  I will let you know later on today but my guess is I need to go back under the knife again to repair it.  I also just had surgery to repair a torn tendon in my left hand and it is not looking to good.  I will also get answrs on that.  If I were you I would look into the cortozone shots first.

[drmnbig]

My friends dad had the same thing several years ago.  He went through therapy, shots, etc. with no luck.  He got the surgery and has been good for the last few years.  He retired which helped some but he still works on vehicles and fishes with us with no problem.

[Catt]

If you can't handle pain don't grow old

Lower back: 2 ruptured discs & torn ligaments

Both shoulders: arthritis/bursitis, calcium depots, fluid build up

Right elbow: arthritis/bursitis

Right knee: Arthroscopic Surgery to remove pieces of cartlidge & smooth torn cartlidge

Enjoy old age  

[Muddy]

Geez Catt your a mess! It's hard thinking young and growing old.

[nick76]

Just a thought.  I know a while back I was having some shoulder and neck problems, not from an injury but from the work I do.  I cannot change my line of work, but needed some help to keep me out of pain.  I went to the doctor and he actually told me to go see a chiropractor.  I thought he was full of crap, but after going for the lst two years I feel great.  I can tell when I overdo it at work, but for the most part I feel 10x better.  I also had a problem with my hips and knees hurting after fishing for long periods at a time.  My chiropractor also has taken care of that.  Just thought it was worth mentioning.

[Muddy]

I may  do just that! Elaine has had great results with a chiropractor , I may investigate that route. What I have to understand first is my problem skeletal or muscular I believe chiropractors only help skeletal alignment problems.

[nick76]

For the most part you are right, but a skeletal problem can also lead to a muscle problem as well.  I have been through 4 or 5 knee doctors who all wanted to do surgery (before they seen an MRI), got the MRI and now nobody wants to do surgery.  They have all sent me to do physical therapy with no real results.  They have all said it was in my head and even had one accuse me of asking for drugs (I can prescribe my own medications of I wanted them, do not need another doctor to get me my meds if that was the case).  I went to my chiropractor....she found that one of the bones in my leg was rotated about 20 degrees from where it should be.  She adjusted it, adjusted my foot (it was out from compensating for my knee) and I have had no pain for the last 4 months.  I was in pain about a 6 or 7 out of 10 everyday before that.  

I used to think they were voodoo witch doctors.....and some of them are, but if you find a good one that will listen and do what is right then you should feel better.  Best of Luck!!

[rondef]

I got my corotozone shot today and my arm feels quite a bit better.  One the swelling from the shot goes away I should be back to normal.  Muddy, the cortozone shots do help.

[fishfordollars]

Here ya go Muddy:

6 neck surgeries(4 front-2in the back)(3 plates & 12 screws)

Rt. Shoulder(2X)

Both knees

Rt. elbow

R. hip(Three screws)

Now ask Catt if I can stand in the boat all day.

[Catt]

Jack handled it better than me; does have kind of a funny hook set but it works

[J Francho]

I had some tendinitis over a year and a half ago, so I can sympathize.  My doctor said to stop fishing - not an option.  I ended up adjusting to all two handed casts, letting my right hand merely guide my stupid left arm.  Since most of my BC rigs are right hand retrieve, hooksets were not an issue.  Spinning wasn't so bad, but power sets struggled a bit.  Anyway, a very cold January and February slowed my fishing enough to give my shoulder the time to recover.  If you can let it rest, it gets better.  All hail Team Ibuprofen!

[Muddy]

I may be using a Rascal to tow the tinny pretty soon

[nick76]

Be careful with those cortisone shots.  I have had a couple of friends who used to play baseball end up needing major shoulder surgery because of cortisone shots.  They make you feel great, they allow you use continue to use your arms and such......but they also allow the damage to continue until it comes to a grinding halt.  Short term use is fine, but long term these things are not  the answer.  Both of my friends had promising careers in the Major Leagues (baseball), until the shoulders just plain gave out.

[fourbizz]

Chiropractors can help. But make sure they are a good one. My good friends dad had a broken collar bone and after it healed he went to the chiropractor  and the guy RE-BROKE his collar bone!

[paul.]

i have a separated shoulder and messed up right wrist from a motorcycle crash that gives me trouble on occasion.  i thought seriously about learning to fish left handed it was so bad for a while.  don't know if that woulda been any better though 'cause my left side didn't survive the crash too well either.  i guess i just love fishing more than i hate hurting so i stick with it and take a break when it gets too bad.  

i'm not really sure what to tell ya muddy, but i sincerely do hope you are able to get some relief and fish unhindered by pain.  get well soon buddy.

[Muddy]

Thanks All. I had a bariatric bypass ( lost 230lbs!) 5 years ago. I take a 50,000IU dose of Vit D every other week and a mega dose orally 3 times a week , but I will always be Vit D depleted.This is where the cause of some of these issues are with old injuries

Hey Paul, I suggested to the DOC about learning how to cast with my other arm, he really strongly was against that . He said there was a high probability i would blow both arms out that way!

[Long Mike]

Muddy, if you could bring yourself to stop throwing Pink Floyd CDs your condition would improve dramatically.  It's the side-arm motion that's aggravating your shoulder.   ;D

[Micro]

Muddy, I'm an insurance adjuster that handles injury claims.  I see your condition a lot.  I have the opportunity to read the medical records of people that have injuries and conditions lile yours, read the records of the various medical providers they see, and assess the outcome of that treatment.  After all the years I've been doing this, one type of doctor stands out in my mind as having a consistently positive impact on the outcome of conditions like yours.  For only $25, I'll tell you what it is.

Only kidding.  

In all seriousness, I have been impressed by Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).   Doctors of Osteopath are real doctors that have gone to medical school.  They can perform surgery and prescribe medicine.  They often do manipulations like chiropractors, in concert with medicinal therapy.  They don't focus solely on the injury, but the injury and the whole body, with special emphasis on the muscular/skeletal system.   Often times DOs will be partnered in Orthopaedic practices.  

I've reviewed (and I'm not exaggerating) thousands of injury claims of all types.  DOs seems to have a very high success rate with getting folks back to functioning, pain-free levels.  

If I were in your condition, I'd seriously consider seeing one.

http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ado_whatis

[Muddy]

MY primary care physian is an osteopath, he has tried his deal,he is the one who suggested a chiropathic  approach.

[Micro]

There are specialized osteopaths.  Osteopaths that work as primary care physicians, and those that specialize in orthopaedics (among others).  I would suggest the latter.  

I don't have anything against chiropractors, but they are only qualified to treat the spine.  Despite whatever they advertise, they are not trained or qualified to treat any other portion of the body.  

[Muddy]

Thanks Micro I appreciate all the info.

[cart7t]

Muddy, if you could bring yourself to stop throwing Pink Floyd CDs your condition would improve dramatically. It's the side-arm motion that's aggravating your shoulder. ;D

If he'd use the Pink Floyd CD's as they were originally intended, in conjunction with a popular herbal inhalant,  he'll never even feel his shoulder pain while fishing...... at least he won't care.

[cart7t]

Seriously Dom,  I've had bouts of rotator cuff problems due to work issues that stopped after stopping the work issues that were causing them.  I've also had a long standing problem with tendonitis in the elbow which hasn't flaired up in a long time due to proper exercise.  I learned those elbow exercises after reading an article on Larry Nixon and the problems he had with his during a fishing season.

I've got other problems now,  bad carpal tunnel.  It's gonna be surgery for me.  Hands are mostly numb.  I'm now getting pain and stiffness in the right ring and middle fingers.  Weird shooting pains from the wrist into the right thumb.  I'm just trying to figure out when I can afford the surgery.