It's been a while since i had issues with my right shoulder. It first appeared two years ago, and got this bad that my right arm even got numb. After attending several doctors and being examined for all kinds of problems (spinal,joints, nerves), and no solution, i had the luck of finding a physiotherapist that led me on the right way.
After two years now, it's obviously it's mostly stress causing this issue.
It's still a up and down, and when times get tough, like tons of overtime at work, or other things that limit my time to do my workout, things tend to get bad.
Besides having pain 24/7, and being barely able to sleep through when things go wrong, the worst part to me is that it hinders me playing guitar. Music is the one thing that helps me keep my sanity, so i'm sometimes quite on the brink.
However, over this period of time struggling with this issue i have found a few things that really help me, even if i did some of them before i had the problem.
One thing i do for 15 years now is Tai Chi (the non combat version). It really makes a good warm up and also has it's benefits on the mental side, as it's a form of meditation too.
Another thing to get circulation going is the spinner. I usually combine that with easy Theraband exercises. But it never replaces Tai Chi.
One of the things i was a little hop on and off over the years is Iaido. The exercises related to warm up and mobility really help (me) a lot to improve my shoulders situation.
Of course swimming makes a good fit. Be aware that you have to keep your head under the water to prevent overstretching of the neck.
One tool that's really great is a sling trainer. You can do several different exercises with that, and it's easy to adjust the strain by simply changing angles, as you always work with your body weight.
In the end it's down to reducing stress and getting more time for workout, and specially music :)
I hope this short introduction helps some of you addressing this issue, who also got led astray by several diagnosis.
For a few points:
Don't go into pain when exercising.
Take it slow, and results will come fast.
Try to reduce stress.
Stay safe and healthy my lovely ones!
