Shoulder problems

[chef]

After years of martial arts, have your shoulders started going out on you MA's?

I am not sure if this is from age or stopping for several months and jumping back it too soon.

I messed up my right should almost 9 months ago playing Volleyball, of all things.....I was reaching out from the side when it got injured, but now my left one is starting to do the same thing.

What kills me it when I am reaching for something forward, and over my head. The result, shooting pain causing me to immediately drop my arm.

Who has shoulder problems and what seems to help?

Regards,
Vicki

[eric235u]

hi. my shoulders are wrecked. at 36 and having been into heavy bag work and tons of bench (free weights) in my twenties i'm paying for it some in my thirties. fortunately Glucosamine and Chondroitin help a lot for my particular injuries. do you know what's wrong? have you spoken with your doctor?

more info:
http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/alt ... samine.asp

good luck.

[chef]

Not yet, but I am in the process of finally setting this up. I, like you, have been lifting for years....that may have an affect as well.

I used to be on the GlucoGlucosamine and Chondroitin for my knees and have been off it for a while. I just bought it, will get back on it, but it will take a while before I start feeling the results.

We get so gung-ho, we often do the over kill on our bodies.

Thanks, I will check that site out.

Regards,
Vicki

[gmattson]

My yoga teacher tells me most martial artist develop shoulder problems. Comes from the lack of performing stretching exercises of the muscles we use in the MA.

Stretch out the limbs in exercises that run counter to our MA exercises. I find Yoga stretching covers all these areas.

I created a really nice set of stretches that I do every morning. Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Received a book for review a couple months ago that is also a good book for all Uechi practitioners. "The Martial Artist's Book of Yoga". Ulysses Press. One of these days I'll have to find time to review it. (I do recommend it)

[Kevin Mackie]

My right shoulder has been a wreck for years. Even reaching around to scratch my back is painful.

I went through months of PT working to strengthen it and it didn't help much.

When it was at its worst, I couldn't throw a ball and had to sit out a year of coaching little league.

I work with a guy who lifts most days. He underwent the knife two years ago to fix the damage done. He still lifts.

[Stryke]

get it diagnosed Early Vicki , could be a muscle imbalance , martial artists seem to develop preferances for certain actions .

good luck . ease off and let pain be the guide .

[eric235u]

My yoga teacher tells me most martial artist develop shoulder problems. Comes from the lack of performing stretching exercises of the muscles we use in the MA.

Stretch out the limbs in exercises that run counter to our MA exercises. I find Yoga stretching covers all these areas.

I created a really nice set of stretches that I do every morning. Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Yes please post it.

[CANDANeh]

My yoga teacher tells me most martial artist develop shoulder problems. Comes from the lack of performing stretching exercises of the muscles we use in the MA.

Stretch out the limbs in exercises that run counter to our MA exercises. I find Yoga stretching covers all these areas.

I created a really nice set of stretches that I do every morning. Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Received a book for review a couple months ago that is also a good book for all Uechi practitioners. "The Martial Artist's Book of Yoga". Ulysses Press. One of these days I'll have to find time to review it. (I do recommend it)

Very interested in your set of stretches.
Not just MA thing for shoulders as I can assure you may of those I work with suffer same. I have stretches and looking for more (esp. MA specific)"Counter stretches" are the key

[gmattson]

I noticed the long-term damage karate has had on my shoulders about two years ago when I attempted to throw a golf ball over a pond, to a buddy who had to take a "drop".

Woops... had to throw it underhand after first attempt went into the water!

My arms weren't functioning very well except performing karate moves. Six weeks of stretching got back most of my former flexibility.

[Mary S]

Vicki I had this problem and I let it go too long. I ended up having to have physio therapy on my shoulder and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Had my muscle "popped" out by physical manipulation, ice, massage. had to have it taped up, had to have a TENS machine strapped up to my shoulder/upper arm area and even acupuncture. To this day I still have twinges.

Get it checked and get it taken care of....shoulder problems can lead to some serious problems with serious fixes (yes, I'm talking surgery)

[gmattson]

This stretch is a good beginning. After a few weeks I also added rotation stretches which helped my golf swing a great deal. The clip is abreviated... be sure to take your time on each stretch... also slow deep exhalation through your mouth with the stretch.

http://uechi-ryu.com/vidclips/gemstretch.wmv

[Stryke]

Good stuff George .

Just a word of caution though , get the injurie checked properly first .

while stretching could solve the problem , it also could contribute to the problem if your suffering from some sort of Hyper mobile dysfunction or strength imbalance .

but these too can be fixed , one of the easons I like Scott Sonnons circular strentgh training is the overall joint development .

[gmattson]

Marcus. Just many years "keeping those shoulders down" without any exercise to stretch outward.

Not sure if what Tomoyose sensei told me is factual, but he claimed that it was discovered during the bone cleansing ceremony of Kanbun Uechi's body,(3 years after his death I believe) that his ribs were "fused" together - caused from doing sanchin.

If so, Kanbun must not have been a believer in stretching exercises.

I noticed in recent years that my flexibility was not what it was 10-15 years ago. That is when I started to visit a Chiropractor and began yoga stretching along with my Uechi. For me it has been a good combination of exercise and therapy. Many years ago I took yoga and actually included the "sun" exercise as part of class warmups. At some point I stopped, which was not a good move (for me).

When I was 30, my body could take much abuse and keep ticking. Now I must work hard, slowly repairing the damage caused by an overly specialized training routine.

[Stryke]

Sory George I meant Vicki`s problem

I agree making sure all directions are stretched are an excellent Idea

Interesting tale about Kanbun

[Asteer]

Hi,

I just wanted to add my voice to those who said, make sure you get your shoulders checked out by a health care professional before doing anything to try to "self-rehab" through stretching or anything else. If you are dealing with an impingement or similar problem you may just end up doing more damage.

Once you have been cleared by your health care professional, Stryke's suggestion of working with Coach Sonnon's material is golden. I have run across no better way of pre-habing for injury prevention while conditioning for performance enhancement. I feel at least 10 years younger since I started working with this material a little over a year ago, after spending my entire adult life involved in conventional strength and conditioning protocols. If you are interested you can check it out at RMAX International. The best place to start would be either with the Intu-Flow or the Ageless Mobility DVD.

Best of luck with the shoulder.

Cheers,
Adam