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Rotator Cuff Tear vs Muscle Strain

Posted , 5 users are following.

Kaptain
Kaptain

Damaged the internal shoulder rotators of my right arm and external shoulder rotators of the left arm including the left latissimus and left rhomboid, and it has been five months now and the injury does not heal.  I don’t have pain, just loss of function, muscle tightness, and loss of range of motion.

Is there a way I can determine what the exact injury is? 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • mia98887
    mia98887 Kaptain

    Posted

     Every time I read somebody else’s story about what they’re going through, it makes me feel better about what I went through. Mine is nothing compared to the stories I’m hearing here. I’m so sorry you’re going through that all I know is shoulder pain is difficult. But you said you don’t have pain? 
    • Kaptain
      Kaptain mia98887

      Posted

      Thank you Mia.

      Yes, I do not have much pain.  The right shoulder has an occasional deep achy pain, while the left side has muscle tightness (spasms) amd some loss of function in my upper back.  

      Also, when I roll the back muscles on a tennis ball to release scar tissue or to release trigger points, there is a sharp burning pain when I go over the infraspinatis and teres major/minor muscles, basically muscles above and around the scapula.  I suspect there is tissue damage, but what is frustrating is it has been five months now since the initial injury.

  • arj50436
    arj50436 Kaptain

    Posted

    I saw a video on youtube that tells you how to diagnose yourself.  I believe that it was by the user physicaltherapyvideo. 
    • Kaptain
      Kaptain arj50436

      Posted

      Thank you.

      I will check out the video, any information helps!

    • arj50436
      arj50436 Kaptain

      Posted

      Did you come up with any ideas as to what the diagnosis is?
    • Kaptain
      Kaptain arj50436

      Posted

      I’ve spent a couple hours on the Frozen Shoulder forum reading patient symptoms.  I also spent about an hour googling the condition, and about another 20 min watching YouTube videos.

      I’ve come to the conclusion, at this point, that my problem might be a muscle strain due to overload of an already facilitated (over active and strong muscle).  And thus my neurological system is spasming  to protect injury site from further injury.  

      When I compare my symptoms to what I read about other people,  it is not consistent.   I don’t have much pain.  I have no problem sleeping.  I can raise my arms to side, and above my head, albeit the tight lattisimus muscle pulls the arm back down.   And I can use the left arm if I want, it just doesn’t feel right because the muscles on the back are so tight. 

      I won’t know more until more time passes, or when I finally get it looked at by a PT sometime next month, but for the time being I’m guessing my L latissimus Dorsi is strained and is causing tension on the rest of my kinetic chain.

  • henpen1980
    henpen1980 Kaptain

    Posted

    Have you tried the exercise ball? Huge ball/stability ball? If not try it. Worked wonders for me.
    • Kaptain
      Kaptain henpen1980

      Posted

      I don’t have one now, but I’ve had one in the past.  

      I did some lying prone (facedown) lateral arm extensions (3 sets of 10, no weight) to test and see if the rear delts, rhomboids, low traps, and shoulder rotator cuff muscles activate and function and they did, with no problems.

      So based on that, I’m deducing my problem is the latissimis dorsi which is chronically tight and in spasm.  Which I’m guessing is from overloading and straining it obver 5 months ago.

  • henpen1980
    henpen1980 Kaptain

    Posted

    I highly recommend that ball...works wonders!!  GOOD LUCK
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