shoulder issues - here i go again

[SoonerBill]

I used an ice machine after my rotator cuff surgery and got through it pretty much pain free. Maybe you can get one through your insurance and try it out?

I got one in 2018 when I had my hips replaced a month apart. I don't know how I could have done without it. I still get it out once in a while when something hurts.
One thing I quickly learned was to freeze 12 and 16 oz pop bottles of water. Mine holds 3 16oz and 12oz bottle. They last much longer than ice cubes.

 

[el jeffe bass]

Please take this advice in the spirit that its intended. I have a lot of physical and cognitive disabilities due to multiple sclerosis. My muscles don’t always respond as well as I would like but I still have a driving desire to make music. I have started playing keyboards in general and keyboard bass in particular. A midi keyboard controller like the M-Audio key station 49 can be had for approximately $120.00 and synth VST’s are free or cheap. You can make some very cool synth bass sounds very easily. Also, keyboard synth bass is a very marketable skill. No doubt it would be easier on your shoulders. In any event good luck continuing to make music in spite of your disabilities.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Please take this advice in the spirit that its intended. I have a lot of physical and cognitive disabilities due to multiple sclerosis. My muscles don’t always respond as well as I would like but I still have a driving desire to make music. I have started playing keyboards in general and keyboard bass in particular. A midi keyboard controller like the M-Audio key station 49 can be had for approximately $120.00 and synth VST’s are free or cheap. You can make some very cool synth bass sounds very easily. Also, keyboard synth bass is a very marketable skill. No doubt it would be easier on your shoulders. In any event good luck continuing to make music in spite of your disabilities.

Good for you for figuring ways to make music, and to develop work arounds enabling you to do so. Yes, it does not matter how you do it, as long as you don't turn it over to an AI to do it for you. I think many of us have had to make adjustments so we can continue playing. I hope you can keep doing it for a very long time.

 

[Bikeguy57]

I have had nothing but great results going to a myofascial release massage therapist. Regular orthos and PT did nothing for me, just seemed to prolong everything. Shoulder, knee, wrist--I'm a competitive offroad cyclist so things get jacked up from time to time. Myofascial release FTW in my book!

Totally agree. Myofascial is life saving. 28 years of aggressive mtn biking, racing motorcycles before that. Numerous broken bones and injuries. Weekly MR keeps me going at 68.

 

[pbass2]

Totally agree. Myofascial is life saving. 28 years of aggressive mtn biking, racing motorcycles before that. Numerous broken bones and injuries. Weekly MR keeps me going at 68.

Yes!!! Same here, 65, cyclocross, MTB'ing, competitive gravel racing, and generally not acting my age. Regular orthos and PT never did squat for me. Myofascial FTW. I also learned some great techniques from the therapists and I can often work out the small stuff myself.

 

[Bikeguy57]

Yes!!! Same here, 65, cyclocross, MTB'ing, competitive gravel racing, and generally not acting my age. Regular orthos and PT never did squat for me. Myofascial FTW. I also learned some great techniques from the therapists and I can often work out the small stuff myself.

Tennis ball?

 

[pbass2]

Tennis ball?

I have various little toys they recommended. I have several different size massage therapy balls, one is tennis ball sized, but these are denser and firmer. I really dig in with those suckers. Foam roller is always good to have around. Also a fascia scraping tool. I've treated my own knee and arms/wrist successfully with that thing: Amazon.com: The Wave Tool, The Ultimate Soft Tissue Release Tool. Patented, Ergonomic Scraping and Massage Tool for Trigger Points, fascial Release, Muscle Aches, Pain, tendonitis, Scar Tissue, Athletic Recovery : Health & Household

 

[BassicJazzy]

I have various little toys they recommended. I have several different size massage therapy balls, one is tennis ball sized, but these are denser and firmer. I really dig in with those suckers. Foam roller is always good to have around. Also a fascia scraping tool. I've treated my own knee and arms/wrist successfully with that thing: Amazon.com: The Wave Tool, The Ultimate Soft Tissue Release Tool. Patented, Ergonomic Scraping and Massage Tool for Trigger Points, fascial Release, Muscle Aches, Pain, tendonitis, Scar Tissue, Athletic Recovery : Health & Household

Pretty soon we will be displaying our collection of massage and pain management tools and gizmos next to our collection of basses? Which will we focus more attention on, and give more "likes?" It sucks getting old.

 

[Mustang Surly]

Before I got the bone spurs ground out of my shoulder, I tried two full courses of PT and also Cortisone shots. The PT did nothing. The Cortisone gave me almost immediate relief, but the pain would come back within a few days. Only the surgery provided a permanent solution. I had that surgery almost 20 years ago and my shoulder is still fully functional with full-range-of motion and pain free.

Can't over emphasize the importance of doing the prescribed post-op exercises to anyone who has this surgery. That keeps range-of-motion-limiting amounts of scar tissue from forming.

 

[teyor399]

Stop going back to the same ortho if they’re just pushing cortisone and your PT failed. It's so frustrating trying to get to sleep with that dull ache, I know. You need a dedicated shoulder surgeon, not just a general orthopedist.

Generalists miss the subtle stuff that causes recurrence. I spent too long doing physical therapy that actually aggravated my AC joint. If you're based near Hanover/York PA, look up Hanover shoulder surgeon Dr Bercik. He doesn't even touch other joints, which means his assessment of your specific recurring pain is going to be way more focused on procedures that actually fix the root instability or tear.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Stop going back to the same ortho if they’re just pushing cortisone and your PT failed. It's so frustrating trying to get to sleep with that dull ache, I know. You need a dedicated shoulder surgeon, not just a general orthopedist.

Generalists miss the subtle stuff that causes recurrence. I spent too long doing physical therapy that actually aggravated my AC joint. If you're based near Hanover/York PA, look up Hanover shoulder surgeon Dr Bercik. He doesn't even touch other joints, which means his assessment of your specific recurring pain is going to be way more focused on procedures that actually fix the root instability or tear.

Yes, correct. Pcake, the OP, is in Los Angeles, where I am. I recommended the top ortho doctors at Kerlan-Jobe, which is part of the Cedars network she is a member of, in a previous post. You are correct about needing a specialist and they have some of the very best. Google them if you are curious.

 

[SoonerBill]

I can second finding a good specialist from the beginning. And having good communication with them. I'm not going to go into the long story of my hips but back in 2016 when the pain first started I handled it all wrong.

 

[pcake]

Ok, since you are in L.A., and already a Cedars patient, one of their subsidiary practices (Kerlan-Jobe) has a really good female orthopedic specialist who evaluates shoulders. You might want to check her out. She is at their facility next to the Hughes Center, off Sepulveda and Sentinel, in Westchester/Culver City area. The specialists at KJ are a far cut above the majority of Cedars orthopedic practitioners. They originated the Tommy John surgery that many athletes get. They did my hip. Top notch.

thanks - i'll call tomorrow. they're 10 minutes from my home. do you have the name of the shoulder specialist?

to those who asked, i've got PPO and already have an existing MRI.

 

[pcake]

I can second finding a good specialist from the beginning. And having good communication with them. I'm not going to go into the long story of my hips but back in 2016 when the pain first started I handled it all wrong.

this time around, i handled it right - just found the wrong doctor. too bad it's possible for patients to handle this sort of thing wrong - i've run into that with my BP, which led to serious issues.

 

[SoonerBill]

this time around, i handled it right - just found the wrong doctor. too bad it's possible for patients to handle this sort of thing wrong - i've run into that with my BP, which led to serious issues.

Without great detail. I convinced a couple of doctors and a chiropractor that my back was the problem. For almost 2 years. Then a back surgeon's PA took x-rays lower and found I had no hip joints. They weren't bad. They didn't exist any longer. I think that caused a lot of nerve damage I'll forever have to deal with.

 

[BassicJazzy]

thanks - i'll call tomorrow. they're 10 minutes from my home. do you have the name of the shoulder specialist?

to those who asked, i've got PPO and already have an existing MRI.

They only have 20 doctors at Kerlan-Jobe. They will get you to her, just tell them your problem. Don't let them confuse you with Kerlan-Jobe Institute doctors, those are Cedars doctors in Marina Del Rey and S.M. who have attached themselves to Kerlan-Jobe, but not the core members of the staff. All the core doctors are at the Hughes Center location, near the 405.

 

[BassicJazzy]

thanks - i'll call tomorrow. they're 10 minutes from my home. do you have the name of the shoulder specialist?

to those who asked, i've got PPO and already have an existing MRI.

I DM'd you the doctor information.

 

[wissler]

Had that same issue. Wasn't my shoulder. It was my neck. Have three severely herniated discs. One of those nerve roots runs under the shoulder blade causing pain and all kinds of mobility issues.

As it worsens, the shoulder pain dissipates, and you start experiencing numbness in the fingers while still having mobility issues in the shoulder. Albeit quite a bit better.

The numbness starts predominantly it the thumb first, moving outward. My current state. Shots are an option in the nerve root, mainly steroids like cortisone or Prednisone. Not a fix. Need a fusion surgery in my neck.


Buy a comfortable chair, or don't play.

 

[wissler]

Edit..
The shoulder was misdiagnosed in 2007, the doc at my local VA hospital made the proper diagnosis in 2024. I had a long painful manufacturing career. No meds.

Silver lining. Can't work anymore. Can't draw until I'm 67. But I can at 59, but kinda broken.

I just gotta sit to jam. With a lot of time to enjoy it. Stay positive bro. Mike.