Freebirdmac checking in

[freebirdmac]

I've lurked around every so often to see how everyone is doing but haven't done much posting. Mostly I've been bummed by upper back/neck pain and my usual food issues. But! I think I finally have an answer or at least a real diagnosis for my injury issues! Scapular downward rotation syndrome. It explains everything! Shoulder impingement, hot spots near my shoulder blades that were attributed to tendinitis/bursitis, and my recent trap and neck pain. Basically the downward rotators get worked and shorten up leaving one all out of whack. So the answer is to work on the upward rotators. My doc confirmed my own assessment and has offered to send me to a physio. For now we both agreed that I try this http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/pushups_face_pulls_and_shrugs.

Unbelievable! I've had this bookmarked for a long time but as my shoulders weren't bothering me I didn't use it! Pox on me for skimming the article. I missed the rhomboid/levator/scapular downward rotation syndrome part!

Since the spring I've gone from a 4 day split to a 2 day split because of the pain. The worse part were the tension headaches. I've adjusted my posture at work, used ice, Motrin, massages... everything to get the pain down to manageable and sometimes hardly there status. For awhile, don't know how long yet, my upper routine will only consist of pushups, overhead shrugs, face pulls, and arms.

Legs are doing ok. Slow growth. But I've finally gotten to the point where I am squatting again. I'm doing zerchers to keep my upper back happy, using very low weight and going very deep, and basically just sucking up the ego bruise. It's been a couple of years since my last groin pull so my number one goal is not get another one! Stabilizers, hams, and glutes are definitely the weak links!

Food wise, I've switched soap, toothpaste (fluoride is horrid stuff!!), and laundry detergent. Believe it or not this means I can eat a bit more. I've resurrected my magic muffins and other tabled foods and am trying to see how I can cycle them to help get my calories up. By limiting each food to once or twice a week maybe I can skate by for awhile.

Anyway, that's my update. Still kicking and still lifting!

[Baldiewonkanobi]

Glad you are out of the shadows Birdie. Missed you.

Know that neck/back pain well. See my last few entries Last Man. I have cooled the inflamation down about 50% this past week with continued daily improvements. Research and antecdotal referals have me confident that a series of specific Peptides self injected into the traps near the neck will eliminate the pain/inflamation. I will be the guinnea pig for this site.

Baldie

[freebirdmac]

Glad you are out of the shadows Birdie. Missed you.

Know that neck/back pain well. See my last few entries Last Man. I have cooled the inflamation down about 50% this past week with continued daily improvements. Research and antecdotal referals have me confident that a series of specific Peptides self injected into the traps near the neck will eliminate the pain/inflamation. I will be the guinnea pig for this site.

Baldie

Missed you guys too!

I saw your neck/trap post which is one of the reasons I posted about mine. You never know what you can learn. Or re-learn. Doc gave me a prescription for voltaren gel (topical NSAID). The stuff is great for reducing inflammation without having to ingest NSAIDS. However, the gel contains crap I'm allergic to and I ended up wheezing :( If I continue to have issues I'll get that referral. The physio would be the one to come up with injections or other methods to cool the inflammation. However that is only the symptom if we're right about the downward syndrome. I have to build and strengthen the upward rotators.

[HeavyDutyGuy]

Have to be an MD to read some of these threads lately. Good to see you around. Baldies research project sounds like it might be beneficial to keep tabs on. Are we all getting brittle?

[freebirdmac]

Have to be an MD to read some of these threads lately. Good to see you around. Baldies research project sounds like it might be beneficial to keep tabs on. Are we all getting brittle?

Nope. We'd be brittle and in a lot worse shape if we didn't lift! My issues started in my early 30's. Long before I started lifting and long before I got "to that age". :)

[hardgirl]

Just wanted to thank you so much for the link to that article! Have had shoulder pain for the last six months, and with the help of my chiro, have been able to reduce it to about 10% of what it was. Unfortunately, every time I try and go back to certain exercises, I experience the same pain all over again, and have to up my chiro visits to reduce it. After reading that article, I feel very enlightened. I am going to try those exercises, and see if they don't help some. I'm guessing they will. Thanks again!

[freebirdmac]

Just wanted to thank you so much for the link to that article! Have had shoulder pain for the last six months, and with the help of my chiro, have been able to reduce it to about 10% of what it was. Unfortunately, every time I try and go back to certain exercises, I experience the same pain all over again, and have to up my chiro visits to reduce it. After reading that article, I feel very enlightened. I am going to try those exercises, and see if they don't help some. I'm guessing they will. Thanks again!

I hope it helps! Remember though, it takes time to build and strengthen muscles. So it won't be a fast fix. Dammit.

[Mac]

Glad to see you're back and posting again! I missed your presence and contributions. Sorry to hear about your headaches.

[gman]

Good to see you back, and keep fighting to get totally well!

[Hammerfit]

Glad to see ya back....Lisa says to tell you hey and keep working hard!

[hardgirl]

I hope it helps! Remember though, it takes time to build and strengthen muscles. So it won't be a fast fix. Dammit.

LOL....at our age, nothing ever is!

[axioma]

Mmmmmagic mmmmuffins....yes.
Glad you are back. Have you ever gotten ART treatments? I hope you knock this out!
I just got an essential ingredient for mmmmaking mmmagic mmmuffins...so I will sssshake and bbbake...Take care.

[freebirdmac]

Mmmmmagic mmmmuffins....yes.
Glad you are back. Have you ever gotten ART treatments? I hope you knock this out!
I just got an essential ingredient for mmmmaking mmmagic mmmuffins...so I will sssshake and bbbake...Take care.

Ok, you know they aren't *that* kind of magic muffins right? :)

I did try ART but honestly it was a long drive, too much, money, and very short to be worth anything. Deep tissue massage did more for me.

[freebirdmac]

So far so good. Monster tension headaches are a thing of the past. Occasionally I'll get some twinges to remind me it ain't over yet, but nothing like I was experiencing. I am only doing push ups, overhead shrugs, face pulls, and arms for upper body though. I would assume not doing more typical upper body exercises is why I feel so much better. The true test will come when I start adding typical exercises back in. Not sure at this point when I will do that. Obviously I'd like to start next week. Realistically I'm trying to hold out a few more months.

[Mac]

Glad to hear the headaches are gone.

I said to the Doc, 'It hurts when I do this"

Doc said 'Don't do that'

[Sunnyday]

x2.. Glad the headaches aren't plaguing you.

[freebirdmac]

Yeah, like I'd stop lifting :rolleyes:

[Mac]

Yeah, like I'd stop lifting :rolleyes:

I would never suggest that but maybe find an exercise that doesn't hurt, as much! :D

[freebirdmac]

I know you wouldn't :) I told my doc if I did go see a physio, do not send me to one that will tell me to stop lifting!

[Hammerfit]

I know you wouldn't :) I told my doc if I did go see a physio, do not send me to one that will tell me to stop lifting!

I have a female client 52 yrs old that was having the same issue with the headaches. I finally got it fixed. We have to have her warm up for at least 10 mins on treadmill then start the strength training with a very gradual progression (not much stress in beginning) after about 10 more mins of lite lifting she can go hard and strong. Her doc put her on some drug, she took it one day and told her to stop, after our new protocol headaches went away w no drugs.

[freebirdmac]

I have a female client 52 yrs old that was having the same issue with the headaches. I finally got it fixed. We have to have her warm up for at least 10 mins on treadmill then start the strength training with a very gradual progression (not much stress in beginning) after about 10 more mins of lite lifting she can go hard and strong. Her doc put her on some drug, she took it one day and told her to stop, after our new protocol headaches went away w no drugs.

These were tension headaches brought on by upper back issues. Sounds like your client had some blood pressure issues or something.

No drugs, just strengthening the upper rotators.