Burly Decides to Bench Again...

[burlyman30]

I think this is a great vid!

Myofascial release and Biomechanics for the forearm, tricep and shoulder - YouTube

I finally reviewed this and a couple others from the same PTs. I knew my shoulder mobility was reduced, but until I actually tried to lift my arm overhead as in the video, I had no idea how much. I cannot get my arms straight up. At all. They veer forward at probably a 20-25 degree angle. Where the guy in the video could get his arm past his ear... mine is about where my nose is.

I think this is beyond my skills, as I don't think the stuff in the video is applicable in my situation. When I lift my arms up, it's not my tricep that's too tight. My pec major/minor isn't really keeping the arm from rising, either. It feels like the actual joint has a stopping point built inside it. There's no pain when I do that. It just stops. Both arms are about the same.

[Sperwer]

I finally reviewed this and a couple others from the same PTs. I knew my shoulder mobility was reduced, but until I actually tried to lift my arm overhead as in the video, I had no idea how much. I cannot get my arms straight up. At all. They veer forward at probably a 20-25 degree angle. Where the guy in the video could get his arm past his ear... mine is about where my nose is.

I think this is beyond my skills, as I don't think the stuff in the video is applicable in my situation. When I lift my arms up, it's not my tricep that's too tight. My pec major/minor isn't really keeping the arm from rising, either. It feels like the actual joint has a stopping point built inside it. There's no pain when I do that. It just stops. Both arms are about the same.

Interesting. Although mine is clearly the result of two injuries - one in a helicopter crash and the other in an motorcycle accident, 20 years apart - I have a similar problem with my left shoulder. I can get it back a little farther than you, but it hurts like hell if I push it, and it makes it almost impossible to do DB Presses (unless the left is way forward). I was aware of all this because of the increasing stiffness and regular pain, but I really didn't appreciate its full extent until I saw my double biceps pose, where the right forearm is perpendicular to the floor and parallel to my body or even a bit to the rear, but my left arm is cocked forward about 15 degrees. Some of the informal pics also revealed just how round and stoop-shouldered I was/am if I'm not thinking about it. As I later learned. My head also was/is thrust forward about 17% from vertical.

This all led me to check out the office of a local chiropractor trained in NY, who also has some massage therapists and yoga and Pilates experts (who specialize in customized therapeutic/rehabilitative techniques in addition to the regular routines). He did a full body scan and exam, which was very revealing regarding the degree of shoulder, general thoracic and especially scapular immobilization I had/have - the result of the damage resulting from the previously untreated injuries, 20-40 years of unconscious compensatory adjustments and age-related calcification of the resulting bone structures and movement patterns.

Since I had a good feeling about the ability of this fellow and his crew to improve things, and I had some extra cash on hand, I signed on for 2 months of Pilates/Myofascial release massage/ chiro 3 times a week - basically to see what could be accomplished before the contest at the end of this month. The usual routine is an hour of very intense Pilates "stretching" followed by a 30 minute massage that targets the areas just worked along with any other obvious problem areas, then 20-30 minutes of (sometimes excruciating) chiro. The chiro is totally hands on - no machines - knows what I need and want and basically works on pulling apart all the muscle, connective tissue and bone adhesions at the very limit of what I can tolerate; I usually go in early in the morning before any other clients, because I invariably end up grunting and yelling in a way that probably would scare off the other clientele. The chiro says I have a very high pain threshold, and we now have a bet about whether he can actually make me cry - I say he can. LOL.

I'm now a month into it, and I am very happy with the results. My left shoulder mobility still is significantly limited, but improved. My posture is now naturally more upright, and after a little loosening up I can put the back of my head comfortably on the ground when I'm lying down on a hard surface (instead of using 2 Pilates blocks to hold it up). Scapular mobility is tremendously improved and is immediately apparent in the scope of the lat spread I can now produce w/out rounding my shoulders forward. General thoracic mobility also is dramatically improved, although there is still room for more work because of the locked down character of my mid-thoracic vertebrae. This morning we worked on my hips - basically a move that is almost a hip dislocation.

This also all is a great workout. I'm usually sweating bullets by the time it's over, and the energy expenditure is so high that I go into fat-burning mode. In order to test that last notion, the past couple of sessions,I've applied Dermatherm before going in. My experience with DT is that I feel nothing when I apply it, but later, when I've been working out or doing cardio intensely enough, it starts burning like all get out. It usually takes about 20-30 minutes of cardio to get the effect. I was there after 15 minutes of the Pilates stuff.

I encourage anyone with any hint of mobility problems to take a close look at these sorts of therapy, especially of you are holder or have had injuries. I wish I had done so at least 20 years ago, if not earlier.