Fragile Rotating Cuffs

By | April 15, 2004

A little over a week ago, I stood up at my desk after a long day of working from home. I had probably been hunched over the keyboard for far too long. I clasped my hands behind my back and pulled my shoulders back sharply. This often results in a slight popping sound that makes the muscles in my shoulders relax and feel better. This time, however, my right shoulder produced a much louder pop.

Since then, when I move my right arm across my body in the front and then bring it back to my side, I hear a similar popping sound (and so does anyone else in the room) and the feeling of a tendon possibly slipping past a muscle or bone. Raising my right hand and arm above my head also results in a similar pop. Sometimes it hurts a little, but sometimes it hurts a lot. I’ve managed to avoid a trip to a doctor’s office for over four years, but my wife convinced me that a week of a painfully popping shoulder merited a trip to a physician.

My doctor thinks that most likely I have a torn rotator cuff, but he can’t be sure without an MRI. Not only is this a somewhat painful injury that will probably result in weeks or months of rehab, I don’t even have a good story, like coming in as a surprise relief pitcher for the Oakland A’s and pitching too many innings without warming up properly. No, all I can say is that I was stretching at my desk. There will be no purple heart for me. I’m just stuck with naproxen, ice packs, and trips to the physical therapist. And, no, there is no useful moral to this story.

14 thoughts on “Fragile Rotating Cuffs

  1. San (Belgium)

    I experienced the same strange noices to my right rotating cuff. After years of not knowing what was going on, I went to the neurologist who send me to a sport doctor. I was sent urgently to operation and am now already home since March this year. The left side of the shoulder is completely thorn of, and is now rebuilt. If you have such injuries, my advise is to not put your arm in the arm, not swing it into more than 45° and certainly not swing it backwards. I am seeing an osteopat now, who told me he could have threated it without having an operation. Sorry for my english, but I thought I could help maybe. Take care of yourself

    Reply
  2. Robert

    No worries about your English. It’s far better than my Dutch or Flemish, much less my French.

    I’m really sorry to hear about the severity of your injury. I hope you recover soon.

    I’ve tried to be very careful with my shoulder, though it is easy to forget about. One quick move, though, and the sharp pain is a harsh reminder. It has steadily gotten better, though, so I’m hoping it is just tendinitis.

    Reply
  3. San (Belgium)

    Hi Robert ! How is the shoulder going ? Have you had the MRI yet? I hope the pain is getting better. You can always try ‘Myolastan’ as a pain killer. It works for me. I also went a couple of times to the osteopathe, who took the pain away remaining at the height of the chest. You know what is so frightening, is that I just discovered that I probably already had the injury when I was a child, falling hard off my bike. It caused a trauma at the shoulder. Anyway, enough of me, .. all the best to you Robert !

    Reply
  4. Robert

    My shoulder is recovering fairly well, although I hurt it yesterday while trying to ride away from a dog that chased me on my bike ride. I had to climb a hill very quickly on my mountain bike to get away from the dog, and the stress from pulling up on the handlebars while I raced away caused me quite a bit of pain.

    I decided not to get an MRI for now. My shoulder has been getting better week by week, so I think that I was lucky to have received not too severe of an injury. My physical therapist felt like it was only a moderate injury, as well, and he said I should recover fully over the next month to two months.

    I think my injury may also be related to an older injury. For the last 15 years or so, whenever I sprint on my bike (just like when riding away from the dog, yesterday) I would get a sharp pain at the same place in my right shoulder. Oddly enough, that was the only event that would cause the pain, up until what happened a few months ago.

    If my shoulder stops improving, though, I will definitely go back to see the doctor.

    Thanks for checking in, San!

    Reply
  5. Fouzia

    Have you seen an ostheopathe for your pain ? If so , tell me where ,because i just moved from france to Los angeles and i am looking as a creazy for an osteopathe for my husband who is really in pain.
    Thank you for your help

    Reply
  6. Robert

    While I probably should have seen a specialist, I never did. It’s been about six months now since the injury, and the pain is mostly gone. My shoulder still “pops” about 10-15 times a day, but I don’t feel any pain when that happens.

    I’ve regained almost full use of my right arm, though the muscles in my right shoulder are a bit stiff and inflexible from lack of use. I’ve tried to regularly stretch the muscles and do light workouts with weights, but I’m not very good about remembering to do this every day. The best news is that I’m back to my regular bicycling routine. Before, pulling hard on the right brake caused me a lot of pain.

    Reply
  7. Stephan Klose

    Well, my mother has a similar problem. First, after working long hours in front of the computer she can´t move her head left very far. I Tried to massage her Cervical (Neck) and on the far left side it makes an audible cracking sound. This usually happens when you have a small node, which is usually very easy to loosen up. (Normally after a few cries it´s over. But this one was a hard one… I was not able to correct it. No she got “Myolastan” which is of the benzodiazepam family. (Products she usually doesn´t use but after probs. with her husband she began taking “lexotanil”. I don´t know in how many countries it´s called that but it´s active agent is “Bromazepam”. And now she got that “Myolastan”. And it seems to relax her very good. And I know my why around Benzodiazepam Products. I use or better used: Diazepam, Flunitrazepam (Illegal in the us but helped me sleep when I was younger.. My doctor prescribed it when I was 16 (thats not ok or?), Bromazepam and Cinolazepam. But I don´t use that stuff anymore. Especially because my body is resistent now. after a use-span of over 15 years. But I definitely know that some Benodiazepam prodructs relax the muscles. (Like Diazepam (Valium, Gewacalm does). But back to my mum: She never took pills (aside from Aspirin) and once I sliped her 1/4 of a 10 mg valium and her body became so relaxed that she was unable to drive. she had to wait 2 hours. But That Myolastan she got yesterday seems to be optimal for her. Since she takes Benzos very seldom there is no Barrier in her body and the Problem zomes are getting relaxed. impossible mission accomplished.. (For the moment.. I saw her X-Rays.. and there has to be done something..)

    So after you read the story and fell asleep: Taking Myolastan will help for a short time: 6-9 month but then you will have to have done something medicly. A torn rotator cuff is treatable. OH and if the Myolastan are not named Myolastan in, where ever you come from, Tretrazepam. Because when I entered “Myolastan” I found 1 German Site and this site and aside from that only sites in spanish, from which I guessed it might not be legal in the U.S.. Well they are sometimes strange with there pills. Like Rohypnol is illegal because of it´s date raping possibilities. Man the pill Is GREEN and as soon as you mix it with ANY Fluid the fluid get´s (No Matter what color it had before “BLUE” So if you are aware of that you can avoid that date rape stuff altogether… But I heard the Mexicanversion that gets smuggeld in the us is still white and dissolves completely? Is that true?

    OK I was a little of the subject but in coclusion I Think that “Myolastan” is the right medication for you! (Sorry for my wandering of… oh and sorry for my bad English, I am from Austria so my native language is German. If anyone want´s to talk to me about anything feel free to email me at [email protected]

    Reply
  8. Robert Post author

    Thanks for all the info, Stephan! Your comment was originally classified as spam, because of all the medicines you mentioned. The Spam Karma plugin I’m using (and the built-in WordPress anti-spam features) tend to classify drug related comments as spam. Many of the spam comments I do get are from spammers who run online pharmeceutical sites.

    Google brought up a couple medical sites describing studies of Myolastan, though like you mentioned, I couldn’t find much about it in English.

    My injury was later diagnosed as a torn right biceps tendon. It has now been nearly a year since the injury, and while I am not 100% healed, I am mostly back to normal. My shoulder occasionally pops, but it is not painful. The main thing I still cannot do is play tennis.

    I had no problem understanding your English. I actually went to a German class tonight. My wife and I are taking German classes, since we will be in Germany next year for the World Cup. We got tickets in the first round of the lottery. I studied German when I was a University student, but that was a long time ago.

    Reply
  9. Alice Frangello

    I had a serious fall while in France and the hotel doctor prescribed Myolastan 50mg. I was then able to move my arm without pain. As I have osteoarthritis, I would like to be able to order Myolastan in the U.S., but no one prescribes nor dispenses it. Is it possible to order it from overseas? As it is a muscle relaxer and not a pain killer, I think it may be possible, but do not know how to go about it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Alice

    Reply
  10. Stephen Shephard

    I’m taking Myolastan at the moment for a bad back. Its sometimes called Tetrazepam, its part of the Benzodiazepine group. Vallium is another member of this group. I have also seen is described as 1,4, benzodiazepine (BZD). Hope this helps. I live in Spain and Myolastan is a strictly controlled drug, you have to present some form of official ID when you collect your prescription. The chemist then takes a copy and attaches it to the prescription and it gets sent somewhere, probably some central register.
    Sorry I couldn’t be any more helpful.

    Reply
  11. Nicole

    I have read all of your comments and would really like to know where i could get myolastan from, My mother suffers terribly with back pain, she has shatterd discs in her back, and was recently takin a chinese rememdy which helped her grately. But now the chinese tablets have ran out we are unable to find any more, we were told about Myolastan and would like to know where to get it from. We are from the uk and I have been told it is illigal here.

    Reply
  12. Arnie

    My mother is always in pain in her back also with her two knees. I was hoping that she will have an knee operation but the doctor gave her Myolastan and XEFO. My mother is already 66 years old. Do you think this medicines will still help my mother? By the way we are here in Austria and it is a prescribe medicines.

    Reply
  13. Robert Post author

    I never took Myolastan, so I’m sorry but I don’t have any experience to say how effective it may be.

    Reply
  14. Cristina

    I have curvature of the spine and a worn out disc. I suffered from a lot of pain, especially at night. My Doctor prescribed MYOLASTAN 3 weeks ago and I now sleep all night as it relaxes the body and I have not yet noticed any side affects.Also, I don’t suffer as much pain during the day.It is only obtainable through a doctors prescription.

    Reply

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