mc5aw
Member
I wanted to pass along an experience that I have learned a great deal from … hopefully others will too.
In September 2011, my town was devastated by a once-in-a-generation flood. During the ensuing clean up, my right shoulder began to hurt; attributing the discomfort to simple muscle fatigue, I paid little mind to the pain. Within a week, the pain had become so intense that I was compelled to visit the local ER at 1:00am early one morn … I thought that my deltoid had exploded. My arm was useless, and the pain was so great that my entire body was listing to the starboard side. The ER doc took some x-rays to confirm that nothing was broken, then sent me home with the advice "take some Ibuprofen and rest". Well, suffice it to say that a visit with a specialist was in order, and after another week of severe pain, I visited an ortho doc. After looking at the x-rays he informed me that I was suffering from calcific tendonitis, a calcium deposit in the rotator cuff tendon. There was a calcium deposit the size of a quarter causing inflammation and the accompanying pain was now traveling from my neck, through my shoulder blade, down my bicep, and into my forearm. My arm was literally hanging by my side, unable to move, and feeling like bolts of electricity were running through it. The doc gave me a cortisone injection and said to come back in two weeks.
Jump forward to June 2012. After a second cortisone shot, several months of PT, an endless supply of Ibuprofen, and a continuing-to-malfunction right wing, I stopped hoping for healing and opted for arthroscopic surgery. Six weeks ago I got scoped … in the whole scheme of surgeries, it was very minor and everything went perfectly. However, my right arm was immobilized in a sling for a month (forcing me to try to sleep in an upright position), I had zero range of motion until the fifth week post-surgery, and the pain was worse than any pain I've experienced except for a lower back injury I sustained in a car wreck decades ago. It's now six weeks after the scope, and I'm slowly getting back to normal, with a minimal, but positive, range of motion in my upper arm. It's going to be while before my arm is back to 100%, but the experience has been an enlightening one.
Think for a moment how dominant you are with one hand/arm. I know I am. Well, eliminate that dominant hand/arm and consider retraining yourself in very basic every day activities with your weak hand/arm … activities that are normally taken for granted. Showering, shaving, dressing, opening doors, retrieving items from pockets, driving/shifting, carrying groceries, walking the dog, cutting the lawn, even hugging my daughter … the list is endless. It made me also think about self defense, and whether my weak hand/arm could adequately do the job if the need arose. Guess what? I'm not sure it could. Don't get me wrong, I can shoot okay lefty, (even work a knife fairly well), but drawing, holstering, reloading, are skills that I definitely need to work on. It's easy to go to the range and ignore the weak hand training, but believe me, it's not an option anymore. Mr. Righty has been on holiday, leaving significant responsibilities to Mr. Lefty, and I won't overlook him ever again.
The way I see it, an incapacitated limb is just that, irrespective of cause. Whether gunshot, stabbed, struck with a blunt instrument, or merely broken from a fall, once the arm (or leg for that matter) is useless, Plan B goes into full effect, and if Plan B hasn't been practiced it's going to be a problem. And I'm not just talking about two-legged critter planning … my weak side needs considerable work to get where I'm suitably comfortable skill-wise in that area. But I do a lot of hiking also, and I'm forced to think about being injured and in need of four-legged critter defensive skills as well.
The point of this rambling? I guess just some friendly advice from a regular guy, not LE or military, about the importance of training the weak side. Believe me, it's a vital component of one's health and well being, in addition to common sense preparedness.
I consider myself extremely fortunate ... this injury has been an inconvenience, nothing more, and it's opened my eyes to maintaining an acceptable level of physical fitness for any unforeseen obstacles that lie ahead.
Thanks for reading.
In September 2011, my town was devastated by a once-in-a-generation flood. During the ensuing clean up, my right shoulder began to hurt; attributing the discomfort to simple muscle fatigue, I paid little mind to the pain. Within a week, the pain had become so intense that I was compelled to visit the local ER at 1:00am early one morn … I thought that my deltoid had exploded. My arm was useless, and the pain was so great that my entire body was listing to the starboard side. The ER doc took some x-rays to confirm that nothing was broken, then sent me home with the advice "take some Ibuprofen and rest". Well, suffice it to say that a visit with a specialist was in order, and after another week of severe pain, I visited an ortho doc. After looking at the x-rays he informed me that I was suffering from calcific tendonitis, a calcium deposit in the rotator cuff tendon. There was a calcium deposit the size of a quarter causing inflammation and the accompanying pain was now traveling from my neck, through my shoulder blade, down my bicep, and into my forearm. My arm was literally hanging by my side, unable to move, and feeling like bolts of electricity were running through it. The doc gave me a cortisone injection and said to come back in two weeks.
Jump forward to June 2012. After a second cortisone shot, several months of PT, an endless supply of Ibuprofen, and a continuing-to-malfunction right wing, I stopped hoping for healing and opted for arthroscopic surgery. Six weeks ago I got scoped … in the whole scheme of surgeries, it was very minor and everything went perfectly. However, my right arm was immobilized in a sling for a month (forcing me to try to sleep in an upright position), I had zero range of motion until the fifth week post-surgery, and the pain was worse than any pain I've experienced except for a lower back injury I sustained in a car wreck decades ago. It's now six weeks after the scope, and I'm slowly getting back to normal, with a minimal, but positive, range of motion in my upper arm. It's going to be while before my arm is back to 100%, but the experience has been an enlightening one.
Think for a moment how dominant you are with one hand/arm. I know I am. Well, eliminate that dominant hand/arm and consider retraining yourself in very basic every day activities with your weak hand/arm … activities that are normally taken for granted. Showering, shaving, dressing, opening doors, retrieving items from pockets, driving/shifting, carrying groceries, walking the dog, cutting the lawn, even hugging my daughter … the list is endless. It made me also think about self defense, and whether my weak hand/arm could adequately do the job if the need arose. Guess what? I'm not sure it could. Don't get me wrong, I can shoot okay lefty, (even work a knife fairly well), but drawing, holstering, reloading, are skills that I definitely need to work on. It's easy to go to the range and ignore the weak hand training, but believe me, it's not an option anymore. Mr. Righty has been on holiday, leaving significant responsibilities to Mr. Lefty, and I won't overlook him ever again.
The way I see it, an incapacitated limb is just that, irrespective of cause. Whether gunshot, stabbed, struck with a blunt instrument, or merely broken from a fall, once the arm (or leg for that matter) is useless, Plan B goes into full effect, and if Plan B hasn't been practiced it's going to be a problem. And I'm not just talking about two-legged critter planning … my weak side needs considerable work to get where I'm suitably comfortable skill-wise in that area. But I do a lot of hiking also, and I'm forced to think about being injured and in need of four-legged critter defensive skills as well.
The point of this rambling? I guess just some friendly advice from a regular guy, not LE or military, about the importance of training the weak side. Believe me, it's a vital component of one's health and well being, in addition to common sense preparedness.
I consider myself extremely fortunate ... this injury has been an inconvenience, nothing more, and it's opened my eyes to maintaining an acceptable level of physical fitness for any unforeseen obstacles that lie ahead.
Thanks for reading.
