|
|
| Medicine Information |
|
|
|
|
7 Tips to Immediately Reduce Rotator Cuff Pain
1. Support the affected arm during activities of daily living. This includes driving, typing at the computer, sitting in a chair and relaxing in your lazy boy at home. Gravity pulls the arm down when it is unsupported, and this increases strain on the rotator cuff. It is best to use a soft pillow or cushion when available. 2. Use ice along the top of the shoulder daily. I always suggest a frozen bag of veggies or soft wrap that conforms to the shape of the shoulder. Be sure to support the arm as mentioned previously while icing. Keep the ice on for 15-20 minutes and then off for an hour. You may ice more than once per day if desired based on pain. I usually suggest icing before bed to improve sleep. 3. Avoid raising the arm overhead in painful ranges of motion unless absolutely necessary. The rotator cuff gets compressed when the arm is elevated above 90 degrees and this often further aggravates the symptoms. This is problematic with getting dressed, fastening the seat belt or placing carry-on baggage in a plane. Overhead athletes will simply need to rest for a given period of time to let the inflammation subside. 4. Do not perform single arm or overhead heavy lifting during periods of inflammation. This position coupled with external loads will prolong your pain and slow the recovery process. 5. Perform arm pendulums (clockwise and counterclockwise circles) with arm hanging down in a dependent position to reduce pain and loosen the shoulder joint up. This gentle motion stimulates receptors in the shoulder joint and helps to increase joint space and reduce pain. This also a good warm-up activity prior to shoulder exercises. You can eventually add a small weight or soup can to increase the effect. 6. Use a pillow under the arm at night to better support the injured arm. I also recommend trying to sleep on the other side if possible, as lying on the sore side compresses the bursa and will typically increase pain and wake you. Another no-no is sleeping with your arms overhead or on your stomach with arm tucked above your head. This is sure to create a shoulder ache. 7. Perform a routine rotator cuff strengthening program within a pain free range of motion. Lower intensity and higher repetition exercises designed to work the rotator cuff muscles are essential to promote healing, reduce inflammation and return you to pre-injury activity levels again. You will not be able to break free of the pain cycle without this type of exercise. More importantly, effective rehab exercises will prevent future injuries and more damage to your shoulder. Brian Schiff, PT, CSCS, is a respected author, physical therapist and fitness expert. For additional information and a proven exercise program for solving rotator cuff pain and related shoulder injuries, visit http://www.rotatorcufftraining.com Copyright © 2005 Brian Schiff
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Why R.I.C.E.? What is R.I.C.E. and why do you need it? One of the most recommended icing techniques for reducing inflammation and treating minor injuries is R.I.C.E., an acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation. It is best used for pulled muscles, sprained ligaments, soft tissue injury, and joint aches. Applying R.I.C.E. treatments will decrease pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, swelling and tissue damage. It achieves this by reducing blood flow from local vessels near the injury and decreasing fluid hemorrhaging as a result of cell damage. Catch The Wave There has never been a better opportunity for chiropractic medicine?and it's going to get even better! Comfortable, Affordable Lab Coats for the Health Care Professional When a health care professional uses lab coats it conveys several different messages. First, lab coats give an appearance of professionalism. It's very important in the health care setting to be professional and new, clean lab coat portrays just that image. Second, lab coats are very functional because they have so many pockets. As silly as that seems, health care providers usually have many different tools and papers in their pockets and lab coats that have the pockets for these different items are beneficial and necessary. UltraCET: The Dynamic Duo Of Prescription Pain Control Medications Remember the last time you stubbed your toe? OUCH! It's painful. But a stubbed toe usually doesn't send us running to the medicine cabinet, since we know that the pain will pass within a few minutes. Rezulin Liver Failure Causes FDA to Recall Drug Rezulin, a prescription type 2 diabetes drug has been withdrawn from the market by the FDA. New drugs have come out which offer the benefits that Rezulin provides but without such damaging side effects. Rezulin caused extreme damage to the liver that often resulted in liver failure. Liver failure was so widespread amongst Rezulin users that there has been progressively increasing encouragement for these people to have frequent liver function tests to monitor liver damage. In fact, Rezulin users are 1200 times more likely to have liver failure than non-users of the drug. Serevent Side Effects Put Serevent in Top 5 Most Dangerous Drugs Serevent is an asthma inhalation medication, a bronchodilator, that relaxes the muscles in airways. It is preventative and not effective when taken during an asthma attack. Emollients and Lubricant Drugstore Laxatives Stool Softener Laxatives - Emollients Army Report Validates Prediction of Vaccine-Induced Epidemic "The more we do to you, the less you seem to believe we are doing it." - Joseph Mengele Bextra and Vioxx Withdrawal Spurs Price Increase Among Rivals The market for painkillers is huge. People don't like pain and inflammation, and last year Americans spent nearly $4 billion on just two of them ? Vioxx and Bextra. Those two drugs, part of a family of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors, were withdrawn from the market recently amid concerns that they can cause heart attacks and strokes. The loss of these two drugs to the marketplace is huge, as they were the two largest sellers in a fairly narrow field. COX-2 inhibitors differ from traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in that they inhibit production of the COX-2 enzyme that causes inflammation but do not interfere with COX-1, the enzyme that protects the stomach lining. Patients who use these drugs are thought to suffer less from internal discomfort and bleeding than those who took traditional anti-inflammatories, such as naproxen and ibuprofen. Electric Wheelchairs When you search online for Electric Wheelchairs, like any other things, you will face a situation, where you will need to choose a provider out of so many companies that offer the service. The search engines will bring you thousands and thousands of results when you type the phrase "Electric Wheelchairs." Which vendor or provider to choose? It is important that you make an informed decision. Chicago Drug Rehab: Long Term Help For a Real Recovery The central location of the city of Chicago has made it a hub for the distribution of drugs in the Midwest, though much of the problem remains upon the city's streets. The use of crack cocaine is the city's biggest drug problem - since 1990, admissions to Chicago drug rehab for the treatment of this drug have more than doubled. The use of heroin has also increased in recent years, meaning that the drug rehab system now has to work harder than ever before. Nasonex And You: Breathe Easy, Not Sneezy While everybody else is wandering around enjoying the spring weather, are you hiding out in your hermetically-sealed house? Do you dread the start of poolside parties because your date is going to be a box of tissues? If so, like so many of us, allergies may be running your life. Medical Billing PDA: 21st Century Convenience for Medical Practices Medical Billing PDA A Look at the Different Acid Reflux Symptoms Acid reflux symptoms vary in degrees of discomfort, from person to person, and within different age groups. The most common and persistent symptom is a burning sensation centered in the middle of the chest and/or throat, brought on by stomach acid that churns up onto the lining of the esophagus. This is due to the relaxing of the esophageal sphincter (valve), which remains open when it should be closed. Acid reflux also leads to one of the most unpleasant symptoms known as regurgitation of acid into the mouth, often due to overeating, or bending down after a meal. Naturopathic Medicine Naturopathic Medicine is an holistic approach that relies on natural remedies. Sunlight, air, and water are thought of as natural healers; this, along with nutritional supplements and massage therapies are all part of naturopathic medicine. Medical Malpractice Suits: Death By Medicine A recent report has found that Americans are more frightened of dying at the hands of their doctor than they are of a plane crash. The overwhelming majority of those who participated in the survey said that information about malpractice suits and medical errors would be the single most deciding factor in trusting a healthcare provider. These people must have heard that medical errors cause more deaths in the United States every year than car accidents, AIDS, or breast cancer. Zicam Side Effects: Shortens Colds But Permanently Destroys Sense of Smell Zicam is a homeopathic intranasal zinc remedy that is intended to reduce the length of a cold. It is either taken in a spray or a swab. However, many users of Zicam are complaining of anosmia which is a loss of smell and consequently diminishment or loss of taste. Although scientists have long know about the potential harm of zinc and that applying zinc to the nasal cavity damages or destroys nasal nerves, Matrixx Initiatives, the manufacturer of Zicam, has not properly warned users about this life-altering side effect. Anosmia symptoms (loss of smell and taste) have lasted for years after the cold subsided, negating the argument that since diminished sense of smell is a symptom of the common cold, that the cold and not Zicam was to blame. Cetyl Myristoleate Seperating Fact From Fiction I am a strong believer in Cetyl Myristoleate for the treatment of arthritis. For the last three years I have been researching and writing about Cetyl Myristoleate. I am constantly searching for new research and contact and interview every doctor I can find that works with it. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the claims made about Cetyl Myristoleate on the myriad of web sites that sell it. It you want more information on the research that documents the effectiveness of Cetyl Myristoleate then do a search for my article, "Cetyl Myristoleate: Science or Speculation". Orthotics: Prefab or Custom-Made? If you take a simple stroll down the foot product isle at your local drug store you will find an array of foot products and inserts. You will find inserts for cushion, for comfort, for support and for control. Many questions may cross your mind. What are the differences? Is the $15 insert better than the $7 insert? Are these orthotics? Will they help my foot pain? You may take the time to study the package details closely, but in most instances it doesn't really matter which pair you grab. Most of the inserts at the local drug store are essentially the same. An Introduction to Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition, but in some ways it is still a mystery. There are many different theories about what causes the syndrome, and different doctors will give you different reasons for your illness ? anything from stress to bad bacteria to food intolerance. And once you have been diagnosed, there is no set form of treatment ? instead, sufferers tend to try two or three supplements or therapies to find a combination that works for them.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |