Old Guys & Shoulder Pain

I have the same problems. Mine will wake me at night. I am on my 3rd day of the glucosamine/MSM I'm hoping it can get me some relief. I will be inline for surgery if this doesn't help. Everyone that's had thier's cleaned up say its well worth the scar.

Have you ever tried aqua therapy?

Just being in water can help with the every day aches and pains

Just a thought, i don't know if it will work for you, but it helped me on numerous surgeries. Although it was for broken legs and ankles.

I live with a slightly torn rotator cuff. Overhead work kills me, but riding doesn't seem to aggrevate it. Was scheduled for surgery right before a job change so have put it off. Cant lay on the bad side either. Done therapy, gluso treatments, cortisone shots, and all supply temp relief. The knife seems inevitable. Until then I pound ibuprophin and aleve.

My dad just had a total shoulder two years ago.

It's been a complete mess. The operaton went well and the device took and healed properly, however the muscle pain that has persisted ever since has made him question whether he made the right decision.

I'm real bummed out about it because it's pretty evident that he will be managing chronic pain the rest of his life. He is only 54 and will likely be forced to retire shortly because of the pain.

Your definitely not a pussy. I have a torn rotator cuff, mine is known as a -slap tear- from a dislocated shoulder on Memorial Day. Doing rehab and aqua therapy for the past 5 months has helped but I went yesterday and got a cortisone shot to relieve some pain. It still clunks when I move it but at least the pain has subsided. The knife is inevitable here also when the timing is right. Good luck in getting that thing squared around. "Riding dirt bikes gets you pussy, it doesn't make you one"

Its a miracle!! My shoulder feels great! Going riding...

Stay away from overhead activities; throwing etc. I do sports medicine and here is an article I liked
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/sports-training/a-streng…

I have had a bad right shoulder since baseball days.......I can only push the ball as I am not able to rotate the shoulder without pain. Dirt bikes are easier but they do aggravate the pain. I also find it painful o sleep on my right side with the arm extended.

Never had shots or another intervention. What has worked for me is the gym. I work and rotate the shoulders regularly and only with light weights. Also lots of stretching. When I stop doing this the pain returns.

You might try taking a tablespoon or two of organic apple cider vinegar mixed with water before bed at night. I just turned 49 and do alot of trailrunning and mountainbiking(when time permits). Dirtbikes on hold till I retire in a couple of years. Throw in 30 years working at OoPS and that walk to the coffee pot in the morning was getting pretty rough. Had a friend recommend ACV (apparently has to be organic). Best 6 bucks I've ever spent. Took about 4 days to kick in but haven't had to pop an aleve since. Don't know if it will work in your situation but might be worth a try.

I am 46 and my shoulders are killing me as I type this. Did 80 miles last week and 41 yesterday of tight single track. I pound ibuprofen, but it is all muscle pain, not joint pain. I do have type 2 diabetes. A year or so ago, it got real bad, and I had to go on some lantus insulin to fix it. The other thing is testosterone levels. I am taking the androgel and that helps alot. But we are just getting old and that is all there is too it.

My Dr.'s advice: While in the hot shower "walk" your hand up and down the wall like a spider to get movement in shoulder. It's not everything but a good exercise to free up movement in shoulders.

If you go to a gym, perform rotator cuff work and rear delt work, this should correct the imbalance that occurs in the shoulders and keep them healthy

In powerlifting these are the go 2 moves for keeping your shoulder healthy

And maybe try supplementing with omega 3's to fight inflammation

I have the exact same problem, hard to get good sleep because of shoulder pain, pushing a chair for almost 29 years has just worn them out. Every 6-8months i get a cortisone shot in my right one and it clears the pain right up, in fact im on about 11 months now and havent had another...yet.

I know its a temporary fix, but damn it works good...and i fell your pain bro, that feeling of an ice pick stuck right in the shoulder joint SUCKS!

"Anyone else have shoulder problems or know how to alleviate it some without going under the knife?"


sleep on your back if you aren't already.
this helped me a lot.

Just turned 55, and up until this year I've been almost smug about not having any nagging pain from racing, high school football, or crashing the total hell out of more than one car in my younger days. This year out of nowhere I've developed acute tendonitis in both shoulders that feels like a knife is being jabbed into the joint some times, my knees both hurt a LOT when I ride...and I've thrown my back out a few times doing ultra strenuous work...like putting my socks on or bending down to pick up a tool in my shop. Damn!

I'm also pre-diabetic all of a sudden, and my cholestorol is sky high.

Sounds like a total whine-a-thon compared to what some of you guys are going through, but all in one year? Wow.

Like my Dad says, "Getting Old ain't for pussies."

Age is the No. 1 cause of pain and death. Look it up. I wouldn't lie to you.

go see an othro doc.
I had pain in my left shoulder.
turns out I had a bone spur grow pinching my tendon
doc went in and scoped it out.
pain gone immediately. shoulder is better than new.

I broke my right collarbone in two places and damaged my right shoulder crashing back in '10. The collarbone healed up after 3 months. My right shoulder still gives me grief but not too bad anymore. I blew a disc in my back L5-S1 back in '08 and have had lingering problems with that. I had Sierra-Sil Joint Formula 14 recommended to me last year. It works wonders for my back and mobility. What I didn't expect was it to really help my right shoulder. Sleeping on my right shoulder used to be a big no no, as well as overhead stuff. I can manage now. Being a cabinet maker and riding dirt/moto has taken its toll on this 44 year old body. But I don't take anywhere near the amount of Tylenol and Advil that I used to. That has to be a good thing! I have back and shoulder exercises that I do religiously to keep the surrounding muscles strong. I think that helps too.

Another thing is better life through chemestry. Sometimes a pain pill, medical marijuana and a beer works wonders.

X2 haha i'm using those remedies as we speak

I'm almost 52 and I have just recently developed severe pain and restricted movement in my right shoulder, so much so that it hurts to do just about anything.The pain radiates down my arm and combined with the tennis elbow I have it makes for a painful work day. Keeps me awake at night as well and the ache is very deep, so much so that it is effecting my sleep and my moods. I've had a large muscle lump on the outside of my shoulder for years but it never caused any pain whatsoever so Im not sure it that has anything to do with it. I haven't seen a doctor yet, I guess because I'm in fear of what he'll tell me lol.

Add this to the chronic headaches, neck, back and knee pain and I'm a wreck! lol Oh well, at least I'm still above ground!

Mine are shot. There are days when I would have to reach straight ahead and wobble to get my hand over my head and then my shoulder itself wouldn't go straight. Both ache once in a while and pop alot in cold weather. MRI's show slap type injuries. Riding doesn't bother me too much though. Like another post I have problems doing over head work.

What he said.....

I'm having surgery on my left shoulder this coming Tuesday. I tore both rotator cuffs back in May while working (I'm a bridge inspector). Contractor had left a temp fence laying down on the slope adjacent to a bridge abutment. It was the end of the day and they were outta there, so I went to reattach it at the abutment. I was standing on the slope, holding up a 6' chain link fence, trying to pull it tight enough to loop the wire around a pole and both feet slipped out and I fell while still holding the fence. I felt both shoulders shred immediately.

Forty years of racing and riding and never had a shoulder injury, but I knew immed that I must have torn a rotator cuff. I didn't report it for a few weeks because I didn't want to be the guy that files a worker's comp claim, especially since I was brought on board by a firm I used to love working for, to cover for a guy who went to Egypt to get his kids. Well, the guy came back after a month (without his kids) and the deal was done and they had nowhere to put me. So when I went to return my work truck I had no choice but to report the injury...I felt like a dick, but it was totally legit and the delay was no problem. It's been four months and they've had me on "Temporary Total Disability", meaning the insurance co. cuts me a check every two weeks that was supposed to be equal to 2/3 of my salary, but the state of California has a max cap on what you can get from workers comp, no matter how much you were making. First I got a letter from the insurer saying we are awarding you xxx amount, based on your salary. Then the first check comes and it's like a grand short...ugh. I call them and they tell me sorry, the state has a cap on workers comp. Thank you, state of California. I think Arnold was the mofo that capped it.

Not sure why any of that is relevant, but I will say that they've been great, paying for everything, giving me choice of docs, second opinions etc. Bottom line is I have a full thickness tear on my left, along with the labrum and some other fucked up shit. The right side is torn, but not as bad, so the doc said we'll treat it without surgery and see if that helps. Sleeping at night is a bitch, they both hurt. I'm not looking forward to the recovery process, but I'll let you know how it goes.