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Soft tissue rheumatism syndrome?
First of all I wasn’t sure where to put this story, since I am not sure in which group it belongs.
Since the early nineties I have had trouble with what I thought were my joints but now I think it have been the tissues around it. My wrist started to get pain full first. Physiotherapy and injections didn’t help. I was diagnosed with DeQuervain tendinitis. Since I worked in healthcare at the time my wrist kept bothering me and after many times complaining to my doctor, I finally had surgery. About two years later my shoulder started hurting and it felt like it was on fire. I had several visits to an orthopedic specialist and he told me it was a rotator cuff tendinitis. I had surgery and they removed a little piece from my clavicle. Over the years I had carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, ischial bursitis, a cyst at the back of my knee and bursitis on the inside of my other knee. Many of these painful episodes come and go. But I suspect that in the beginning it was caused by repetitive movements. Now I don’t have to do much repetitive movements to get the tissues irritated. I go to the gym but have to be careful what I do, because I don’t want to irritate anything. I know many people get the same complaints like tennis elbows etc. I just seem to get it a lot faster then the regular person. But I wonder what I could do to avoid these pains? There is a huge shortage of doctors where I live, and for orthopedic appointments you have to wait almost two years. The doctors for rheumatism don’t accept any new patients at this moment. I don’t have much help from that side. So I hope there might be people here with the same challenges and we can give each other advice?
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I visited a chiropractor last month who told me that I could use a few treatments. Unfortunately it is too expensive for me. He had Xray's done from my spine and it showed that I have a slight curve (scoliosis) but it never bothered me before. It was the first time I heard that. In 2012 I broke my ankle ripped all my tendons and ligaments and ever since I have wondered if one leg is shorter than the other. It really is all a mystery to me. Without support from my family physician I try to read research articles on the internet and learn from that.
Gosh, barring something else medically going on, it really does seem that if your spine is all off, it's causing other problems mechanically and muscularly.
I'd think a broken ankle might cause some long-term muscle/ligament healing, so stretching and then exercises to strengthen again would help from getting re-injured. I doubt that could cause one leg to be shorter. However that could be an issue from scoliosis, if your back is misaligned.
My daughter was in college and complaining of low back pain but hadn't done anything. Sitting too much doesn't help matters, but we took her to a chiropractor for an adjustment and he pointed out how much shorter one leg was. We ended up getting her custom orthotics for her shoes (she has 1 pair and just moves them). She's never had to go back to him, the orthotics worked like a gem, balancing her leg length solved the back/leg pain. They're sturdy also so she didn't need to get the orthotics adjusted (they'll do it free early on), and she's had them for several years.
If you can try go to the chiro a few times. It might make a world of difference to all of the pains you are having. I'd also suggest gentle yoga, which has been recommended to me. Just this weekend someone told me they met a man in their class who had almost been crippled for years, barely moving from different pains and after doing 24 months of yoga is like a younger person, agile and back to sports and enjoying life more. That you could do at home free.
@momof2gems I love that name. Do you have an insurance that will cover chiropractor ? I,m on an HMO insurance and they cover so many ,maybe the chiropractor will give you a discount? @stowe
No, unfortunately, but the place I am now going to for my back gives a huge discount if you pay cash and they don't have to deal with insurance.
@stowe is that your 🐕 so cute ,yellow,lab? Good glad to hear hope this helps Merry Christmas Happy New Year in 2019
Should mention that often one of my legs is shorter than the other. I think it is common and is caused by the hips being crooked. I go to chiropractors and they can be helpful but I don't use the type that crack me especially the neck. I also use heat a lot and have a heated seed belt that I put on as soon as I get up in the morning. I am writing this in the night. My back is hurting so much that I cannot sleep. I must get back to my program of stabilising exercises. Christmas hasn't helped with my routines. One exercise is to lie on the floor, breathe into the abdomen while pushing the back down into the floor. After a few repeats bend one leg towards you one at a time and push against your hand. Repeat both sides several times while still pushing your back into the floor. Sometimes this helps a bit. Then you can lift your head up off the floor and do a partial sit up and repeat several times.
@pollyanne One other thing my chiropractor told me to do for my back problems is get on your hands and knees and stretch like a cat 🐱 raise your back then lower it towards floor .Exercising is so important for backs
Yes that's another one that I do. I also do stretching as I think that is important too, but I still have the back pain. It's bad right now. My groin pain is still much better from the work the therapist did the other day but the lower back and down the outer side of my leg and into my right knee really hurts. I hardly got any sleep last night and that doesn't help. I think I made myself worse by being on my feet a lot cooking Christmas dinner. I don't think I can do that anymore. I may try and get a massage today.
I don't know what caused one leg to be shorter than the other in your body. I do know that all of our legs differ in length a little. However, to much of a difference will cause other physical problems. With me, I had a total hip replacement and six weeks later my leg gave out from under me and I ended up on the floor breaking my femur. After the femur was repaired I was left with that leg nearly two inches shorter than the other. I struggled for nearly thee years with a limp and back problems caused by the imbalance before I found out that my leg could be made longer. (No joke) I WANTED that kind of surgery. I had it done mid-December 2017. It is now just over a year later. I am very happy that I had my leg made longer. My back problem has improved and I get around better without the limp.
That is wonderful news. I'm so glad to hear they have helped you. I know my leg problem comes from my hips being uneven. I also have orthotics to help that difference. Good luck to you in the future.