Clicking rotator cuff

[dharmama]

I have been really jammed up on the left side of my neck for a few weeks now.

Tonight when I was practicing yoga, when I held my arms at shoulder height and turned my palms up and down, I noticed that my left shoulder is clicking/popping.

My DH says it sounds like a rotator cuff injury. I don't have any pain when I make that motion...just clicking. The pain is dull and constant up and down my neck.

Anyway....just wondering what anyone knows about this. Should I try to work through it (keep practicing yoga to release whatever is in there) or stop practicing and let it rest?

I wonder if carrying/lifting DD has contributed to this. Hmmmm....

Any info/experiences/suggestions are appreciated.

~Erin

[dharmama]

just a little bump in case any of the early morning crowd know about this kind of injury.

i keep reading that i need to imobalize (sp?) and rest my shoulder....ummmmm...how do i do that with an 11 month old??

[Earthy~Mama]

Hiya Erin,

My shoulder sounds like that. I have the whole clicking thing. About 5 years ago I tore a tendon in my shoulder due to a car accident. I couldn't raise it at all. So anyways I ended up having Laporoscopy done to repair the tear. I can move my shoulder but I still have the clicking and quite often it hurts after a long day. I hope you feel better soon!

[bartleby]

My right shoulder does the clicking/popping thing when I lift my arm over my head. I also have pain with it, which sent me to the doctor a couple of weeks ago, after putting up with the discomfort for months. She diagnosed tendonitis, due to constant carrying of my baby. (I had trouble using a sling for the first four months or so of my baby's life, so I carried her in my arms as much as I could.) The doctor recommended the following:

--taking an anti-inflammatory medication (e.g., ibuprofen)
--icing your shoulder a couple of times a day for 10-15 minutes at a time (a bag of frozen peas works well for this)
--a brief set of exercises, preferably with a light set of free weights (Doc said 5 lb weights would be too heavy); the exercises include bicep curls, raising your arms straight over your head, and a shoulder-shrugging kind of move that is hard to describe in words
--AND, most importantly, use a carrier (sling, front carrier, etc.) as much as possible around the house.

My doctor, wise woman that she is, did not tell me to stop carrying my baby. She knows that's not possible. But, she did advise being more mindful of how I do it. I'd gotten very careless about holding my baby with one arm and doing things around the house with the other arm. That'll mess you up right quick!

Feel free to PM me if you want more details. I don't know if I described this very well. Also, please know I'm not diagnosing you. Maybe it's not tendonitis, so my advice wouldn't work. But, this thread jumped out at me because I was certain I had a rotator cuff injury too, so I had to respond.

Good luck!

[dharmama]

thanks for the replies mamas.

i've been putting arnica on it and taking advil before bed for the last two nights and it's feeling a lot better. still clicks when i rotate my palms from down to up (with arms at shoulder height) but the pain in my neck is a lot better. i e-mailed my chiro and she's going to look at it on saturday.

the other thing i'm doing is transitioning dd out of our bed (sniff...sniff). i sleeping with her but she is really starting to be a bed hog so i end up sleeping in awkward uncomfortable positions all night.

the last two nights we've started her in her crib and when she wakes around 2-3 ish dh brings her into bed with us. it's made a big difference being able to relax and stretch out.

ok...must go finish making dinner. thanks again for the replies.

~Erin