Healing Back and Shoulder Pain.

When I went to bed on Sunday night I was in excruciating pain. My upper back and left shoulder were in pain ( more of my shoulder at this point). Over the weekend I had felt achy and felt as though I just needed my back cracked and I would be okay. Ever felt that way? But that wasn't the case. The pain continued. It felt as though my arm and shoulder were bruised ( although they weren't) and I couldn't remember doing anything that would have resulted in this pain.

So in an effort to see if I could "fix" the pain. I resorted to these tools.

I did some back exercises on the yoga ball and it actually felt quite good, but did not "fix" what was wrong. I then thought a good massage with theses other tools might hit the spot, but I was wrong. Using those tools was quite painful ( but then again I think they are suppose to be. Does that mean it was working?)

I then resorted to putting a heating pad on it. That gave me enough relief that I could fall asleep for the night.
When I woke up on Monday I thought maybe the heating pad had done the trick, but with in a few minutes of being awake, the pain persisted. I then slathered on the Bio Freeze to see what that would do.
My afternoon then consisted of sitting with the back massager. This was probably the greatest relief I had found ( although it was only temporary).
This massager by Dr. Scholl's has several settings. It targets two areas, upper and lower back. Since it has a remote, you can set it so both areas are being massaged at the same time, or just one of them.  you can also set it to have the roller balls move up and down your back,  have a vibrating type motion, or both. I prefer the roller ball motion.  It is like the shiatsu massager. Having that rolling motion dig into my shoulder gave me the most relief without being painful.


This was my buddy for most of the afternoon. He sat beside me while I massaged and watched repeats of Grey's Anatomy. Life Time was playing the very first episode of Greys. They all looked so young, and aww, to see George again!
Because he's not a Labrador, this guy hasn't been properly introduced, but he is part of the family.  We'll get to him in a later post!

SO, My question today is: Have you ever had such shoulder pain? If so, what did you try ( before going to the doctor)? My shoulder pain is actually moving down my arm too.

Thanks for any advice you have ~M

15 comments:

  1. That sounds like no fun at all. Unfortunately, I have no advice to give since I have never experienced back/shoulder pain. One of my neighbors is going through this now and has seen a few doctors with no firm results yet. Good luck and hope you are feeling better soon.

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    1. Thank you. This will be day 3 with this pain. I hope something starts to work!

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  2. I have had shoulder pain before - not sure to the intensity you feel in yours though, but I highly recommend a firm swedish or maybe even a deep tissue massage before going to the doctor. Maybe also try lots of icy hot? I wish I could help more... feel better soon!

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  3. Thanks Lauren, the biofreeze I am using does seem to help temporarily. I guess I will continue to slather that on. Insituations like this it's hard to determine if a doctor is needed or just a professional massage will do the trick. I'm seriously hoping it just works it's self out though.

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  4. I've had frozen shoulder/impingement for over year. It started in the right and moved to both, now it's just in the left. I think the pain is probably different in that I only feel pain if I move it certain ways. Heat always makes it feel better. I'd try a massage, maybe a warm Epsom salt bath...but if the pain is acute it will probably go away fairly soon. If not I'd maybe get it checked out. Hope you feel better!

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  5. Oh no, I hope this pain doesn't persist for a year! Epsom Salt Bath, what a genuis, why didn't I think of that??? Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to do that right now! Hope your should pain eventually goes away too! Thanks Tonya!

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  6. What a pretty Weimaraner puppy! I have a Weimaraner who loves to run with me.

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    1. Ahh Thanks. He doesn't do much running these days, I have a Labrador for that. He's mostly my "lay around and cuddle dog". I'll be stopping by your page to check out your puppy too!

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  7. Oh my goodness, what a handsome pup!!!
    That sucks about your shoulder/back pain, It hurst me just reading about it! I hope you find some relief soon and recover. Fortunately I haven't dealt with this type of pain before other than a pulled back muscle and I know exactly when it happened and how. Sending you loads of healing vibes!

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    1. Thank you Maria! I'm thinking a Doctor's appointment might be my next step!

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  8. Such a good looking dog! I really hope your shoulder pain goes away soon. :( The doctor might be the best option to help you heal quickly.

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  9. Oh no! Most radiating pain in the arm comes from dysfunction in the cervical spine, (sometimes as subtle as a teacup sitting slightly off-kilter in the saucer). Many times, there is no direct injury, just many "straw that breaks the camel's back" moments; posture, running technique, sleeping position, work habits, etc can all factor in. Anti-inflammatory medicine (Motrin/Advil) can help until you can get to a chiropractor. (Even though I'm a PT, I would suggest this route in your case.) Fingers crossed and keep us posted!!

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  10. I had some significant shoulder pain in July. I ended up resting it and using ice (not heat) and started taking systemic enzymes. It was much improved in a few weeks and I never ended up going to the doctor. But I don't know if my pain is the same as yours

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  11. I hope your pain has improved! LOVE LOVE LOVE your pup! :)

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