Being a slightly older dad with young kids I try hard to be fit, active and in shape so that I canstill play with the kids as they grow uo. I also enjoy a game of golf, a good walk ruined as they say. I’m not a great player as I never get to play as often as I would like but I do like a round every now and again, so was really hacked off when I developed a shoulder problem that stopped me playing.
It wasn’t actually as simple as that. The problem turned out to be a torn rotator cuff which really stopped me from doing any kind of activity. It was very painfull when I ran or walked, even though I am right handed, any movement could cause serious pain in my left shoulder. If I forgot and made a sudden movement I could end up crying with in agony. I know exactly how I did it. I was being impatient and trying to lift some furniture on my own rather than waiting for help, felt something go in my shoulder and that was that. Shoulder messed up| The next day I woke up with shoulder pain and it got progessively worse with each passing day.
I couldn’t reach much above shoulder height, reaching for anything was impossible. I couldn’t reach behind me. Sleeping was impossible because I couldn’t get comfortable and doing anything with the kids was impossible. Golf was just not going to happen for the forseeable future. So I took myself off to the doctors who sent me to a shoulder specialist. He diagnosed my torn rotator cuffand confirmed it with an MRI scan. The shoulder joint is a basic ball and socket joint. It is different to the hip joint in that the socket is made up predominantly of cartilage and not bone like in the hip, and doesn’t grip the bone of the arm in the same way that the hip holds the leg in place. Instead, a group of four muscles help to hold the arm in place and stabilise the shoulder joint. These form the rotator cuff. I had managed to tear one of these muscles which had caused. Because all the muscles fit snuggly together any inflammation can cause an impingement or pinching.
The muscle that I had torn is called the supraspinatus. I had torn a tendon that runs under my collar bone or clavicle and the end of my scapula or shoulder blade. Because it became inflammed, each time that I moved in a certain wayit got pinched or impingedpinched and was aggravated. I was recommended for surgery to cut away part of my collar bone to release the trapped tendon and allow it to heal without any more damage. It all sounded very simple but I was a bit nervous.
Being in the UK we often have to wait for surgery so I used the time to find out about rotator cuff problems while I waited for my surgery date. Having studied my injury extensively I finally discovered that most rotator cuff problems are fixed with simple physical therapy .Even a torn rotator cuff can be fixed in this way, as long as it is only a partial tear. You start off by resting the joint to allow the inflammation to calm down, treating it with anti-inflammatory drugs and using ice packs. Once the inflammation and pain have reduced you can start gentle exercises aimed at strengthening the rotator cuff
In just six weeks my shoulder was pain free and the movement had returned to near normal. A few more weeks saw me return to full fitness. I have postponed the surgery and will probably be cancelling it altogether if I remain pain free.
In the meantime I am back playing golf, still losing but hey, I do have a bad shoulder!