Rotary Cuff Tendinitis - Suggestions?

[Hank_Z]

I've developed mild rotary cuff tendinitis about 5 days ago. I believe I caused it by doing push-ups from a different angle. I had a severe problem with the rotary cuff in my other (right) shoulder about 10 - 12 years ago. I finally gave up tennis because of it.

My present rotary cuff problem is very mild. It hurts when I do any push-ups and when I do some upper-body isometrics. DVRs/VRTs don't cause any pain.

I'm thinking of continuing DVRs/VRTs and eliminating upper-body isometrics and all push-ups. And doing more bodyweight squats and more walking/light jogging.

I'll be seeing my Costa Rica doctor Thursday, but I doubt that she'll understand the importance of my continuing to exercise while my shoulder heals.

I'll appreciate any suggestions on how I can continue to work out rigorously while my rotary cuff is healing. I'll understand that any and all suggestions are only ideas of what you might do if you had the same problem. I will consider absolutely no suggestions as medical advice.

-Hank

[Alan_OldStudent]

I've developed mild rotary cuff tendinitis about 5 days ago. I believe I caused it by doing push-ups from a different angle. I had a severe problem with the rotary cuff in my other (right) shoulder about 10 - 12 years ago. I finally gave up tennis because of it.

My present rotary cuff problem is very mild. It hurts when I do any push-ups and when I do some upper-body isometrics. DVRs/VRTs don't cause any pain.

I'm thinking of continuing DVRs/VRTs and eliminating upper-body isometrics and all push-ups. And doing more bodyweight squats and more walking/light jogging.

I'll be seeing my Costa Rica doctor Thursday, but I doubt that she'll understand the importance of my continuing to exercise while my shoulder heals.

I'll appreciate any suggestions on how I can continue to work out rigorously while my rotary cuff is healing. I'll understand that any and all suggestions are only ideas of what you might do if you had the same problem. I will consider absolutely no suggestions as medical advice.

-Hank

Hi Hank,

You might see if you can get to the capital San José and see if they have a sports medicine specialist there. Maybe your local doctor can refer you on. Or although it would be a bit of a hassle, it is possible you could find one in Mexico City if you could hop a quick flight northbound to DF. In Spanish, the specialty is known as "medicina del deporte" and the doctor might be called something like "especialista en deportología.

Good luck.

Regards,

Alan

[EyeDoc]

Essentially, anything that doesn't hurt while you're doing it or afterward is okay. Anything that does is causing more injury to your rotator cuff. So, some experimentation is probably in order. I'd keep the DVR stuff for now and drop the push ups and isometrics. If everything goes fine with that and your shoulder keeps getting better than you can try adding back the isos. When you go back to push ups I would try doing them with a slow cadence and avoid using a wide grip and going below parallel.

[GB]

Hank,

Here’s a few links you might find helpful. These should not take the place of professional medical advice just in addition to.

http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/PatientEd/Materials/PDFDocs/exer-reh/upper/isometric-shoulder.pdf

http://goortho.net/pdf/HomeExercises/ShouldeR_Isometric_Exercises.pdf

http://www.shoulder-pain-management.com/shoulderrotatorcuffexercises.html


GB

[Jon88keys]

Hi Hank- In my experience (which is not to be confused with medical advice) DVR protocols work very well for gentle healing.

Last February while skiing I had an argument with a tree (which I lost). One of my problems was a very screwed up shoulder (I suspect I inflamed my rotator cuff, but since there were more major issues and since I've no health insurance at this time, the exact nature of the injuries is unknown).

Anyway immediately out ot the hospital I started gently performing the M7 at every opportunity, plus I tried to specifically find out *which* aspect of shoulder function was the most painful (in my case it was lifting something straight in the air with my hand palm down in front of me). Once I found the "ouch"spot, then I would apply GENTLE DVR tension and slowly work through this painful motion. Concentration, breathing, and gentleness is very important, because I'm not trying to "disrespect" the injury; I'm trying to bring attention and energy to it for healing.

Anyway through this sort of work, eventually I got back into Tiger Stretch pushups and the like and now the shoulder rarely bothers me now. Sometimes I think (again not medical advice) it's possible to "re-teach" our nervous systems to deal with joint and muscle injuries in more productive ways through concentrated work.

I have also also used this method for little joint strains in my hands as well (this is pretty important, because I'm a pianist by trade)

Anyway just my two depreciated cents. Good Luck to youj.

Jonathan

[blackbelt]

Having personally dealt with rotator cuff issues over the years, and even now, I really like Jon88keys “remedy”.

Back when I had a relatively simple tendonitis in my right infraspinatus muscle, the Tiger Moves worked very well. Although much of that was due to a strength imbalance, which made even more sense.

I’d definitely recommend you follow the advice of both Jon88keys, and EyeDoc. With the combined techniques, you really can’t go wrong.

[Hank_Z]

Thanks for the info and suggestions, guys. The Mayo Clinic's website says that most tendinitis responds to "home remedies" and does not require treatment by a doctor.

I've used gentle DVRs, including the M7, today and have found the position that causes the pain in my left shoulder. It's when the upper portion of my arm is at 90 degrees to my torso. So I've been especially gentle there.

Also, I remembered that during my tennis-playing years sports medicine practitioners always prescribed several sets of exercises with rubber tubing when I had tendinitis. Now...I'm simply doing the same exercises with DVRs. Being able to control my shoulder contractions and to use (light) tension in only one direction seems better than using the rubber tubing.

And I'm also working in some of the isometrics to help strengthen the relevant muscles.

Thanks again!

-Hank