17 replies to this topic

[steve_45]

I have been a para T10 for 21 yrs. and my body is falling apart. My fingers need cortizone shots and my shoulders are in a lot of pain. My range and motion is awful any advice???

[rollingpix]

Maybe you should use a power chair every so often. Less stress on your joints.

[kanga2433]

Sorry but this is the price we are paying for not being able to use our legs. I get a lot of shoulder pain and in the elbows and wrists. I am not as far as finger problems. You don't say how old you are, but I have been at this since I was 34 and I am now nearly 57. I think finally, people like us are going to have to move to a power chair for the majority of what we do. If the docotor thinks we are bad enough, the wheelcahir service ought to provide a powered chair.


meanwhile, try to avoid too much energetic pushing, like up hills if possible. I take Celebrex, one of Cox 2 inhibitors for joint pain and it works rather well. However it is the same family of drugs as Vioxx but seems not to have caused as much problems.

[steve_45]

I use a power chair for work, I just started. I was hoping for some exercises.

[steve_45]

Oh and I'm 45 21 years post. I was VERY active when I was younger and I'm paying for it now!

[Jilly]

My guy is 28 years post and also has shoulder and joint pain. He had x-rays and it is arthritis. he was offered cortizone shots but at nearly $50 each plus doctors fees decided to try without. looks like the price you pay for getting old!! Lots of massage seems to help.

.... He's as blind as a bat as well!!

[Chilepepper]

Hi steve_45

I do not know much about you so I will just give my two cents.
There is not much that can be done to correct these problems. It sounds like wear and tear to the joints. I have the same the problems but with my elbows. I had to stop the long distance wheeling. This seemed to help overtime, though at times I still get flare ups, but thank god they go away. So my suggestion to you if you have not yet done it is slow down strenuous strain too the joints.

If at all possible stay away from the power chair, that will just put you in worse shape physical overall. If you went the means of power you would also have to watch your weight even more than you do now, and that’s if you do. If you are over weight try to lose weight for that weight put a lot on your joints when transferring.

So far there is no treatment that can reverse this problem though I sure wish one comes soon as this would help a lot of people.

[Chilepepper]

I found this article is one of the health forums. This is for tennis elbow.

There is help for tennis elbow! For more than two years I suffered painful tendinitis in my elbow, from grating beeswax of all things! I had three cortisone shots (which really hurt and are not good for you), and acupuncture therapy. I also tried wearing a tensor bandage and applying heat/cold, all to no avail. I had despaired of relief when someone at work told me of the following exercise: Take a sturdy rubber elastic and place it over the knuckles of the affected hand, near the fingertips, just below the nails. Then spread the fingers, as far apart as comfort will allow, using the elastic to provide resistance. Do this several times at once, several times a day, whenever you remember. I kept the elastic on my wrist to remind myself. After about a week, the relief from pain was surprising. My elbow is 85 percent recovered. I still do the exercise when I think of it, but without the elastic.

Edited by Chilepepper, 12 January 2006 - 03:57 AM.

[goodsteez]

I always try and go with natural remedies so i'd suggest accupuncture and massage. Some people have amazing results with accupuncture and the massage will definitely help but only for a short time. It also helps to do excercises that go thru the opposite range of motion we do so much with pushing a chair. This constant 'pushing' leads to imbalance in the muscles which leads to problems which you may be experiencing from years of being in a chair. Diet can also play a significant role with flare ups or pain in the joints. Try using a thermaband to excercise and strengthen the opposite muscles....using a pulling motion.

[joisliniad]

Can you get a set of arm pulleys, those would help you with rom, and also with decreasing your irritation in the joint. You should do stretching of the arm toward whole flexion, and internal and external rotation. At the beginning you probably would not be able to complete the whole range, but a little by little would increase some of the elasticity that you had lost. You should also getyourself a piee of theraband and do some strenthgtening exercises...

Neck / Trap Stretch
This stretch should be performed any time you are working with your shoulders or traps. It stretches the traps and side of the neck. Take one arm and hang it by your side, then twist so the palm is facing out, away from your body. With the other, grasp your head and pull your ear towards your shoulder. Do this slowly and gently and stop when you start to feel discomfort. Repeat with the other side.


This stretch will mainly affect the front of the shoulder, or deltoid. Place one arm across the front of your body. With the opposite hand, grasp your elbow. Now, pull your arm across your body without twisting your torso. You should feel the tension in the front of your shoulder, and possibly in the chest area.

This stretch is best done with a towel, rope, or other item that you can grasp and pull. For this example, we'll use a towel. Take one arm and dangle the towel over your back. Reaching behind you, grasp the other end of the towel with your opposite hand. Now, pull the towel upwards as if you were trying to touch the back of your neck with the lower hand.

For this stretch, you will also use a towel. Take one arm and dangle the towel over your back. Reach behind yourself with the other arm and grab the lower end. This time, instead of pulling up, pull down with the towel. Try to keep your upper arm perpendicular to the ground and parallel with your torso, and pull down and back so you feel the stretch in your triceps (the back of your upper arm).

Well I hope it helps..

[kanga2433]

Steve, just a thought, but have you thought of physiotherpy? Apart from exercises they might be able to help with ultra-sound. Also, if you have osteo-arthritis, then there are drugs out there to help. My wife has a foot problem put down to osteo-arthritis and was prescribed 'Arthotec' and is finding a lot of relief very quickly. Wrth a try?

[wheelie182]

ok....correct me if im wrong here.......but everyone who suggesting try a different chair etc, i wouldn't have thought that you as use much shoulder work in pushing, as you do in lifting or transfering, maybe that is where your problem begins,


so i would suggest that first thing in the morning when you first get in your chair,
,

-use your arms to do the biggest circular motions you can, vertically 2-3 times on each arm

-next stretch out your arm horizontal in fornt of you, and bring it across to your other shoulder, and use your other arm to pull it tight, and then hold for 15 seconds, swap arms, and then repeat so each arm is done 2-3 times

-next put your arm behind your head, so that your hand will be located between your shoulder blades (i use a clenched fist), and then with your free arm, use this to push on the other arms elbow, so you are pushing the clenched fist further down your back, hold for 15 seconds, do both arms 2-3 times

-next put both hands behing your back, hold hands, and just let them dangle, and then whilst holding hands togeather, push as far away from you back as possible, and then hold it for 15 seconds

-next, grasp your knee with your right hand, and then put your left hand horozontal infront of you, and then anticlockwise move that left hand as far round as you can, hopefully ending up with your arm horozontal but behind you, hold for 15 seconds and then swap arms

-next shack you self off

-next go get a beer

your done

hope this helps

(although quite hard to explain)

[Joed]

Some people have had amazing results with taking MSM...a naturally occurring element in our bodies...sulfur. I personally know one person whose quality of life has changed dramatically after taking it. I took it for several months, but saw no changes, but my pain was not joint related either.

[AHolland]

A couple of comments.

Even though I feel real lousy at times I recommend exercise. No matter how lousy I feel, I feel better after exercise than if I avoid it.

I agree with using the theraband (giant elastic bands). You can select a strength to work with and it is fairly cheap.

Can you touch base with the physiotherapy department in the hospital and get a better exercise assessment from them?

You may want to try a TENS machine. While I get no relief from using one of them, many people do. A TENS machine is basically a small battery powered device. You attach pads to your painfull areas and send electronic pulses through your body. They are best used for muscle pains so they may be out of the range for your joint problems.

If you are really sufferring, what is the risk of trying alternate treatments: herbs, acupuncture, etc.

[cartoon1]

I am a para 2 lumbar hangliging in 75. was fifteen and i am now 47.

I know what you are all going through, pain everyware in the joints. Mine was in the shoulders. I have done everything since I was in this chair, I even used to climb trees to scare my folks . I never gave up. thought i was invinsible.... never hung around people in chairs.

But the ware and tare on the body. But i found one thing, it is a spring in the middle, you slip your feet through these foot peddle with straps over the top of your feet, then at the end you have a tube with grips on it and you pull like you are doing pull ups... but pulling it toward your chest... but you are sitting. Then you turn you hands over like you are doing curls... but its different than curls.

You are pulling it like i said toward you chest.... like somone else said in this subject.. he said the pulling helps strech everything it helps you so much. I am not kidding, i have been doing this for years, and i have learned one thing when i stop doing it after a couple of weeks, the pain comes right back.

The device is so simple but it makes you feel so good and strong. The more reps you do and you have to pull it all the way to your chest and fast... and you are helping your heart to... it gets your heart pumping. and really, it helps you to be able to wheel that chair like lts not there.

Thats one more thing, when i would get sick i would not do this exersize. and I would start feeling weak and start hurting in my joints and shoulders going out and about. Then i would say to myself.... you stoped doing the spring exersize.. as soon as i would start again... in about two weeks my strenth would come right back.

I don't know.. for some reason its like it simulates the wheeling motion that we are doing. they should use this devise that i found in a yard sale in the therapy room for fresh paras.

If you want to know more about this me email address is: rnnash1@hotmail.com .

Good luck and take care all of you wheel chair people.

[wheelie182]

Quote

I agree with using the theraband (giant elastic bands). You can select a strength to work with and it is fairly cheap.

where do you get the tube like stuff from, when searching the net i can only find the balls and the flat stuff