SHOULDERS

[serenity79]

I've had a course of general physio but there weren't a awful lot of shoulder exercises involved - made no difference with the 'percussion'.

[PhillMc]

Well my new physio (who was great, but i only got two sessions NHS rules blah blah blah) was brilliant. She took note of everything i told her and looked at everything! Feet, knees, pelvis, spine, shoulders the lot. She had a really good look at my shoulders and told me that they don't sit in the right position, they are just out of the socket coming forwards, she's said it's because in the shoulder the muscles have more to do with keeping them in place than the ligaments etc and that because i'm bendy the muscles have probably always worked in the way they are so my joints are where they should be. She's given me exercises to try and shorten and strengthen the muscle at the back of my shoulder which she says should help with the pain level but my shoulders will probably never sit where they should. She did ask me how many times i had dislocated them but i don't think i ever have, i think i'd remember wouldn't I?

[Rosie]

Hi all

Phil, I have a similar situation with my shoulders. The physio at UCHL explained that my shoulders do not stay in their sockets when I raise my arms. The muscles across the tops of my shoulders are continually tense and spasm (rock hard) and over-developed, and the mucles in my back under my shoulder blades are under-developed. Instead of my humerus rotating in the shoulder joint it is rising up and subluxing (partially disclocating) when I lift up an arm. I did not know that this was what was happening, kust that my shoulder muscles are so painfula ll the time.
There is a good article about this here, and it is one thing I am hoping to address at my Stanmore rehab course. It is something that needs to be sorted, nnot left as it is, not because it is not the usual way that shoudlers work, but because it is contributing me pain and spasms, and I have no idea what it is doing to the wear and tear of my shoulders.

Rosie

[warriormaiden]

I have some idea of what you must be feeling, but don't worry. My DD 13 is on her first week Rehab for both shoulders, which have got progressively worse since it all kicked off big time in January. She has been suffering from continual spasms (jumping in and out like a nervous tick) in her shoulders for the past couple of months with sublux between 2 a day to metronome speed.
Physio and OT have been wonderful trying out lots of different things to try and find out what makes her shoulders tick 'literally' like a clockwork. They are very honest and say they're not there for a miracle cure she won't be fixed by the end of the 2 weeks. But like you there is a lack of muscle control at the back. If you're prepared to follow what they suggest and do the many small exercises they give you, you can feel a sense of achievement and feel like you are gaining some control back in your life.
I hope that helps a little, knowing my ramblings probably not
Let me know if you want to hear any more.
Whenever you go take some food with you, it is dire.
In the meantime you could try acupuncture really helped give s her a break from spasms from 1 to hours usually depending on the time of the month.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Single Mum to DD finally confirmed EDSIII and Irlens syndrome

[PhillMc]

Thanks Rosie, it's actually because of that article that the physio figured out my shoulders, Gila sent it to me a wee while ago when i first posetd about my shoulders, it's a releif to know whats wrong as well as to have a way to help reduce the pain. The physio took to time to show me the workings of a shoulder and show me how to exercise the muscles in the back of the shoulder which was really good.

[thalia]

I'm still waiting on a physio appointment for my shoulders. Saw GP on 6th June and he said he'd refer me, but the letter didn't get written til the 20th, and there's an 8 week waiting list *sigh*

I have very tight muscles across the top of both shoulders, and I tend to sleep in a way that seems to pop the shoulder joint out every night (my arms seem to end up one under me across my front so it's pulling on the back of the shoulder joint). so I wake with the soft tissue behind them hurting. Add in to this mix that something in my shoulder/neck area is causing my middle fingers to get sore, or just feel 'odd' all the time, and that part of my isn't doing well.

I'm really hoping the phsyio's going to help with all this - has any had similar stuff and got help with physio?

I'm definitely going to print out and take that article when I do go - past experience of the physios at my GP's practise tells me they're not likely to have much knowledge of hypermobility

[Lauren]

Are you going to a hospital physio this time thalia rather than a GP one? It seems I was lucky and my physio was very well informed on hypermobility, showed me his textbook on it and everything.

I'm not sure if its just a case of luck as to whether your physio will know much about hypermobility, many people on here seem to have trouble with their physiotherapists, but this forum probably isn't very representitive as it will be people who've had little support who seek it out. (I'm just an internet addict. Aside from the next appointment I'm having being 6 months late, my care has been very good.)

Be prepared to receive a lot of exercises to do. By the end I had 12 different exercises to alternate between two days, three times a day. I don't manage that most of the time, but I can really tell the difference when I make an effort. My shoulders became a lot more stable and my upper body strength improved a lot.

[thalia]

It's a physio at my GP surgery, Lauren.

I actually saw her for the assessment appointment last Friday, sooner than I expected, and discovered she is knowledgeable about hypermobilty, fortunately. I saw her again yesterday for my first proper appointment, and she did some muscle release work, then gave me 3 exercises to do. I also asked for a back muscle strengthening one because, despite lots of core strengthening, I'm still having trouble sitting upright for long. She took the extra time to show me how to do one, and checked I was doing it properly.

Last Friday she also gave me two wrist braces, so I stop the hyperflexion of my wrists in my sleep, and yesterday gave me some crutches to use when my back and hip are really playing up.

I could not be more pleased with her.

[mazza111]

Certainly makes a difference when you have physios who understand the condition thalia. We've had 2 now, who have been absolutely brilliant. The 2nd one actually asked us if Stacey's being investigated to see why this is happening. Explained that the GP wants ortho to have a go at fixing her before referral to rheumy and she just rolled her eyes. I said, well I think it's quite obvious what's causing it, she replied with a "most definitely!"

Feel really lucky to have had 2 great physios on the NHS. Going to get my niece over too, she's a newly qualified physio so is hoping to have a look at Stacey, although she had learned about it, she had never seen anyone who has hms.

[Lauren]

Ah, my GP made the mistake of sending me to an ortho when I was younger, but when I went again he seemed very sure that I had hypermobility syndrome and that I should go to a rheumatologist.

He gave me the impression that he had very little experience with hypermobility, but he must have heard about it or something in the time between the appointments, which was, after all, about 7 years.

The ortho told my mother something along the lines of, "It got that way by itself, it will go back to normal by itself." He didn't even look at my shoulders.

[mazza111]

Guys as you know I've still got my head in the sand with regards to my own HMS, but last night I reached over to turn the laptop volume down a bit and felt something go in my shoulder. When I say reached over, the laptop was on my bedside cabinet, so right next to me The pain is nearly all to the top of my arm and the shoulders at the back feel very tense and lumpy. Does that sound like a sublux or do you think it's probably just a wee pulled muscle?

[kmc82]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone else has problems with muscle patterning causing instability in their shoulders? I am sure many people have! What I am wondering is has anyone actually been able to overcome this and get their muscle sequencing back to normal? I am finding this very difficult and what started out as only one shoulder is starting to happen with the other shoulder too

K x

[madmum]

My shoulder blade has felt wrong for a week,it feels out of place and is causing pain in my upper arm and upper back. Any ideas what I can do to help it? I cannot use my arm properly.

[mazza111]

Not so clued up on that madmum. But I've just bought one of those electric blankets for round the shoulders. It's wonderful!!!! The heat is really helping with the pain. Someone said Lidl are going to have the heated back braces in next week for those with problems with the spine if it helps anyone. This one was £16.99, and worth every penny. I do feel like an old granny with it on tho

[mahdryburgh]

Ice pack, if you can stand it?