I had tendonitis for 6 months. I rested the arm the whole time, played left-handed, typed with pencils, etc. It did little good. On the Internet found the following advice: Every morning and evening for five days, massage the muscle with ice until it is good and cold, then massage it hard, dig in with lots of cross-fiber friction.

That was a year ago, it went away and never came back. It appears that the tendon itself had nothing to do with it, that the problem was that the muscle right below it was chronically cramped and had to be force to relax and allow blood flow back in. Told a friend with tendonitis about it, same treatment, same result.

A few months past I had the same problem with the rotator cuff. It hurt like hell to throw a sidearm, there was some small muscle that had formed a little lump. Rested it for a month or two no luck. Same treatment, same result.

So�.

My osteopath uses a cross-friction technique and has a great politically incorrect term for it. It works with or without the ice. He grabs the forearm with both hands and twists hard in opposite directions, working from the wrist up to the elbow.

Medical Indian Burns, that's a new concept.

Accupuncture worked for me. In 1991 I was exactly in this situation. I actually played left handed for 6 months or so before I went to Japan, where the courses were mercifully short. Still, my shoulder hurt every time I played and for days afterward. Every time I lifted my elbow up parallel with my shoulder I got a shooting pain.

I went to doctors of every kind, sports therapists, and every one I could think of. They offerred treatments from light exercises to drugs, but none of them could say that their treatment would work or not, and surgery was looking more and more likely if I didn't want to live in constant pain or ever enjoy a round of disc golf again.

In 1995 I came home for a vacation and to play in the 1995 Worlds. In playing my home town courses I knew that it would be a rough worlds at best with my shoulder throbbing. My father told me of that he was going to the accupunturist I had told him of years earlier for his knees and suggested that I go along. (Struck By Lightning- long story - Mike Simone - longer story) who was a friend of a friend. Don't laugh, his name was Dr. Dong, and he is an MD as well as being trained in Accupuncture in China.

With 3 weeks to go until the Worlds I figured what was their to lose. Plus in Japan I was made very aware of the healing powers of Shiatsu, Japanese massage.

Dr. Dong, examined me and told me that it was severe tendonitis and the cuff was slightly torn. He said that he could cure it in 8 treatments. !!!CURE!!! Say what!?! No one had ever said that before. Make the pain less maybe, but never cure. Of course I was skeptical, but with my Pappy footin' the bill I decided to give it a try.

Well to make a long story short, I went for only 5 treatments, went to the Worlds, played 8 rounds in 4 days and have never felt even sore since! People it is an honest to you know who miracle.

I can't say that it will work for you, it's important to find someone who is REALLY qualified, preferrably someone trained in China, and a US MD is not bad to have too, but if all else fails, as it did for me, it is definitely worth looking into.

Anyone who suffers from this, I definitely feel for you and hope that you can get it fixed. Playing in pain is no fun.

I spent 22 weeks in physical therapy for a rotator cuff problem. Since that time I have had zero problems with it.

I was treated with ice, ultrasound, and exercise. The exercise was simple and I was told that I was NOT TO work through pain. I was told that for many injuries/rehab it is essential to work through the pain but for my shoulder problem (bursitis, tendonitis, and tear) that it would actually exacerbate it.

The main exercise was simple. Arm at your side, thumb sticking out and pointing at your leg, and lift arm straight up (sideways) until you feel pain. Repeat.

I was also instructed to use bands (similar to the equalizer.

22 weeks of therapy, before I started I could not even support the weight of my own arm, now, 14 years later, I have no problem and have had none since.

Terry, I did the same thing with no effect. I guess different things work for different folks. The main thing maybe is to not give up and stop looking.

Nick, I am glad it worked for me because, as a skeptic, I would have been a little leary of accupuncture. Glad that worked for you as, as you know, torn rotators are a pain in the a.. (arm/msgboard/images/clipart/happy.gif)

surgery fixed my shoulder just fine! it still hurts but the PT has really increased my strength and confidence to rip the disc. deep massaging did really help my elbow though. i wonder which one cost less? good advise Patrick.

Can anyone add more recent experiences with the rotator cuff problem? I have the problem now and am looking for advise of other disc golfers who have experienced this and how to
overcome it.

I would suggest surgery but since I had it, I got a new nickname. It's Chris "used to be a real good golfer but he had surgery and then lost a bunch of weight and now he sucks" Hysell. That is a true nickname. Thanks JG

Surgery was good. Chris was bad. You should have given it more time. :p

What do you mean? I waited 16 days before I played in a tournament.

I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow night. I haven't played since New Years day and my Rotator Cuff really hurts. I went to the Doctor and he gave me some drugs that did not help. Going to try the Chiropractor hope it helps, the snow will melt soon

for rotator cuff problems don't bother going to a regular Dr or a Chiropractor. You need to see an orthopedic surgon. They can determine more precisely what is wrong with your shoulder and how to treat it best. If nothing else at least find and a NATA certified Athletic Trainer. They can do similar things, get you started on a rehab program etc, they just can't order x-rays or MRI's if they find something major.

MRI's are fun when your shoulder hurts and they wedge you into the chamber for 45 minutes with your elbow above your head. I want to do that a few more times in my life.

it's even more fun when they think you have a SLAP lesion (cartilidge tear) and they inject you with die before putting you in the machine.

Tendonitis can easily be relieved through friction massage. Rotator cuff problems can not. Sounds like you had bicep or tricep tendonitis(more likely).
Screw chiropractors, go to a physical therapist for your own sake. They are more in tune with reality. They also have a better working relationship with surgeons.

I had slap lesion and bursa sack tear. I have video.

I hurt my rotator cuff a couple summers ago playing baseball. The first thing I learned was, don't go out and play more baseball. That made it worse. So did Frisbee (didn't play DG yet), swimming, football, etc.

Rest helped a bit. I let it go about two months, during which time the pain decreased, but the underlying problem didn't seem to get much better.

Finally, I started a stretching routine based on something I'd found online. That worked wonders. My shoulder felt good as new within a few weeks!

I should add, though, that my injury wasn't too severe. A worse one might have needed surgery. I also consulted with my girlfriend's aunt, who's a doctor, and her partner, a physical therapist, before I tried anything from the Internet.

it's even more fun when they think you have a SLAP lesion (cartilidge tear) and they inject you with die before putting you in the machine.



My conversation with a technician before getting scanned for possible chest injuries:

Tech: Your shellfish allergy means you could have a reaction to the dye, so we're going to try not using any. If anything's wrong, it'll probably show up.

Me: Ok. So, uh, what's the worst thing you could find?

Tech: Well, you might have damaged something major in there . . . liver, kidney, something like that. Depending on the extent of the injury, that could be pretty bad. [Pause] Ok, great, let's get started!

Then you realize that your liver and kidneys don't belong in your chest. That's when you really get scared.

The scariest part was lying on my face in the snow wondering if I'd be able to breathe again. After a few seconds, I could gasp in a tiny bit of air, and the threat of immediate death seemed to diminish.

The impact was the trunk of a medium-sized pine tree hitting right below my nipples. Not exactly liver and kidneys area, but by the time I got to the ER a couple hours later, everything hurt.

I can highly recommend Chinese massage, from first-hand experience.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with 'frozen shoulder.' It was so severe, I could not put on or take off a shirt or jacket
in any normal way without excruciating pain. Could not lift my left arm much higher than mid-chest and could not put my arm behind me at all (made certain toilet functions impossible with my left hand, and I'm primarily left-handed :o).
A doctor told me the condition might go away IN A YEAR OR TWO! Otherwise, surgery was an option.
There was a Chinese medicine center near where I lived at the time so I decided to try acupuncture. All the acupuncturists were busy the day I went, but the receptionist suggested 'Chinese massage.' I tried it. Very painful (they beat the crap out of me) but cured me completely IN THREE HALF-HOUR SESSIONS!
I was supposed to have four sessions, but didn't need the 4th.

One of many problems I had with my throwing shoulder was that my bone from neck to shoulder (chronium?) was hooked near the end of my shoulder, upper arm. Two years ago my surgeon went in and sawed it off, reduced the bursa sac and fixed a rotator cuff tear. Shazam!! lots of exercise and time later I feel great. I can now throw a baseball and disc full power. It was well worth the time invested. My two cents I hadn't heard anyone else chime in on this surgery. Oh yeah, my elbow used to hurt all the time. I give it a serious rub down and all is well. Stretching, massage and light work out will be a golfers best friend.

13 months ago, I somehow partially tore a couple tendons that are part of the RC that attach to my ribs just under my arm, trying to increase my power with the new forehand shot I learned. Needless to say it still hasn't healed completely. I have those knots at my ribcage where the tendons tore from the muscle that throb somtimes after a round or two. I'm going to try some of the massage/acupuncture stuff you guys have talked about. I hope it works, cuz this arm is only getting weaker with age. :D

Waking up this old post from the past, hope it is OK...

I have been diagnosed with a "Frozen Shoulder", and have not met anyone else with the same problem in the discgolf community. An ortopedic surgeon have injected cortisone three times, and the pain is substantially lower now. But the pain when reaching back or above as in a forehand or thumber, geez... I have not touched a disc for 2 months now, but will try to play with 60% RHBH throws and stay out of trouble that would need a sidearm or thumber.

However, chinese massage or acupuncture seems to have had some effect on the guys posting a few years ago on this subject. Are there any other discgolfers out there that have some experience from a Frozen Shoulder?

Thanks,
Mike, Sweden

There seem to be two types of frozen shoulder and I've had both. The first one occurred on my non-throwing shoulder. It came on suddenly where I couldn't lift my left arm above level. Apparently this isn't uncommon where this can occur unprovoked by injury although they say it happens mostly in women over 60. You can do exercises but the prognosis is it will last 6 to 9 months and suddenly disappear.

The other frozen shoulder I got from a rotator injury to my right shoulder that I didn't seek care for until my body naturally protected the shoulder joints with collagen that essentially reduced my motion flexibility quite a bit and it was sore, unlike the first type of frozen shoulder which was more of a nuisance than painful. Probably 9 months after the injury, I sought help because it wasn't healing on its own. I had a chiropractor working on healing the tendon inflammation with heat, cold, elctro stim and laser. At the same time, a physical therapist was having me do certain stretching exercises and then physically manipulating my shoulder at the right angles to break up the collagen which eventually released my frozen shoulder to regain almost full movement. Seems to have worked.

If I were to have a frozen shoulder I would avoid chiropractors and see a seasoned physical therapist. Joint mobilization/strectching and friction massage accompanied with easy exercises will do the trick. Don't be in a hurry to be cured because there is no exact time frame for healing.

anyone care to share these exercises (chuck? ptero?)

Im 28 and had bursitis in my right shoulder since ive been 11 (submarine pitcher in youth baseball)

I would love to start doing these exercises as a preventative step.

The ones I have are specific for supraspinatis tendon issues and not necessarily for general shoulder exercises, or at least I'm not knowledgeable enough to know if they are appropriate otherwise. You might be able to find exercises online that are for specific shoulder issues with the diagrams to help get things lined up. The one exercise I do before the stretching ones is to lean over forward and brace on a chair or ledge with my arm that is not being exericsed. Then swing a 2 lb weight side to side 15 times (like you're faking an elephant trunk swinging) while relaxing the shoulder so the weight feels like it's pulling out your shoulder socket toward the ground. Then, swing the weight in a circle clockwise 15 times and counterclockwise 15 times. This sort of loosens up the shoulder for the next phase of stretching.

throwing golf discs is good therapy

anyone care to share these exercises (chuck? ptero?)

Im 28 and had bursitis in my right shoulder since ive been 11 (submarine pitcher in youth baseball)

I would love to start doing these exercises as a preventative step.

Rotator cuff exercises were developed by Dr. Jobe. I'd bet that if you googled him/them you would be able to find pictures and detailed examples. I'm not going to try to explain them; they may not make sense without pics.

One of many problems I had with my throwing shoulder was that my bone from neck to shoulder (chronium?) was hooked near the end of my shoulder, upper arm. Two years ago my surgeon went in and sawed it off, reduced the bursa sac and fixed a rotator cuff tear. Shazam!! lots of exercise and time later I feel great. I can now throw a baseball and disc full power. It was well worth the time invested. My two cents I hadn't heard anyone else chime in on this surgery. Oh yeah, my elbow used to hurt all the time. I give it a serious rub down and all is well. Stretching, massage and light work out will be a golfers best friend.

I had this exact same issue and had the exact same surgery minus the torn rotator cuff. I just had the surgery Feb. 22. My surgeon told me that my acromium had what looked like a hand (bone spurs) grabbing my upper arm. She cut off 3/4 of an inch of this "hand" and excess bone. 3 weeks later and without even starting PT yet I feel like I have much more room in my shoulder and have much better range of motion. Can't wait to start PT next week so I can get back out on the course!

About nine years ago I had nagging pain in the shoulder that was slowly getting worse. When it got bad enough to keep me awake at night I decided to see an orthopedic surgeon who said the X-ray showed bone spurs on the acromion. He ordered an MRI, and sure enough, looks like a nasty rotator cuff tear. Gonna have to scope it to repair it and shave off the bone spurs. While he was scoping it he found more damage and had to do regular surgery as well.

Apparently many years of baseball, softball, tennis, disc golf and an estimated tens of thousands of pitches to my kids' youth baseball teams made small tears in the tendons. As it was explained to me, the bone tends to grow back in an attempt to reattach to the tendon forming bone spurs. Eventually the spurs were bad enough that the tendons were rubbing on them causing more serious tears.

Anyways, after about 12 weeks of physical therapy, and about six months later I was able to play right-handed again. It took about 18 months before I was confident that it was fully healed and maybe 3 years before I was again pain-free.

Not a commentary on the other treatments, just telling my story. Surgery is what did the trick for me. And even with the fairly long recovery period, it was well worth it. The shoulder feels great.

About two months ago on a cold winter day, I decided after three months of disc golf inactivity to head out to a local soccer field and throw some drives. Well, conditions were clear, but again cold and windy. There I am bundled up thinking I'm preparing for the upcoming season. No stretching, some warm up throws though. The goal was to work on technique for a smoother throw, yet still get my same distance if not a fraction more.
One thing lead to another and before you know it, I'm hucking/chucking the discs with all my might. Practicing 360 degree turns on my throws and big rollers.
I must have thrown 100 times and about half way through the throws, I begin feeling this ache on the back side of my shoulder, just about level with and behind my arm pit. Does common sense take hold and compel me to stop throwing? Hell no! I throw through the pain.
I go to sleep that night and what an awful sleep it was. Woke up the next morning with a terribly painful shoulder, throbbing arm down to my hand, numbness and tingling. I give it a few days rest, head out to the course on a nice, warm day (first one of the winter) and can't even get through half a round.
Screw seeing the doctor. Why pay my primary care MD to tell me he's going to refer me to a physical therapist? So, I refer myself.
The PT diagnosis me pretty quick. Pulled or partial tear to the teres minor, one of the four muscles that make up the rotator cuff, and a compressed axillary nerve, which was causing the achiness, numbness and tingling in my shoulder/arm at night, and I do mean the kind of pain that woke me up dozens of times per night whenever I moved.
PT recommends a minimum of 8 visits with ultrasound therapy, moist heat and e-stim, a home stretching program with strength bands, and (thank the Gods above) ASTYM - for a more in-depth explanation of ASTYM go here:

http://www.gosportstherapy.com/astym.htm

My first ASTYM treatment was brutal. The PT left me bruised, not bleeding, but it felt like it. My wife took one look at the back of my shoulder and thought I'd been bludgeoned with a sledge hammer.
However, over the past 7 visits, my body has become used to the treatment, no more bruising, and low and behold, I have been pain free while sleeping for the past five nights. No tingling, no numbness, nothing. I cannot credit this treatment process enough.
Additionally, ASTYM has provided a much quicker rehab for me. My first PT visit was three weeks ago. I have played two rounds of disc golf this week without any pain. In fact, my PT recommended that throwing discs be a part of the rehab process. I spent one week easing my way back into it with throws that were at first 25%, then 50%, then played my first round at 75%. Yesterday, played a round at 90%. Everything is hunky-dory.
One more PT visit to go, then I play my first tournament of the year April 3rd. Couldn't be happier and more excited than I am now.
Guys, as long as your rotator cuff injury isn't an actual major tear or bone spurs galore infest your shoulder, I recommend physical therapy for sure and find a provider that does ASTYM. I am converted on this procedure and you will be too. This link will help you locate an ASTYM provider:

http://www.astym.com/