Glad you're feeling a lot better now! I suffer from TMJ due to a bad car accident. I didn't realize that the muscles in my shoulders would impact it so much, but I had a massage therapist and my chiropractor work my entire back, neck and shoulders and my TMJ was brought to manageable levels. My shoulders were so tight that it took nearly 20 minutes to loosen them, and I was sooo bruised up afterward!

My chiro also adjusted my hips, which were a bit twisted. That, in turn, caused my back muscles to tense, working it's way up into my neck, which was causing me to clench my jaw so tight it flared up the TMJ, which caused me facial pain.

Crazy how it's all interconnected. Keep up the massage, Faron...you'll be amazed at how great you feel.

Never personally, but i've heard some great success stories thru the years, mostly from guys who worked out wayyyy to hard than they should have, known as the 'no-necks'. LOL

I had a broken arm 3 years ago, and 5 months of therapy, but after stopping therapy, my range of motion became less and less, i'm guessing from built up scar tissue. Do you think a chiro could help w/that? God, I would love to be able to straighten my arm *almost* completely! ;o)

A-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y!!!! Love my chiro. He's my go to guy when a 'motion problem' springs up. You need to keep active to retain health - and when you remain active you often develop motion issues. At least that's the way it's been for me, but I work out a lot and have overuse issues.

There are a few 'body therapies' that I find useful. Massage in it's many forms is always helpful to me, mentally and physically. ART - Active Release Therapy. My chiro does this one in addition to the more traditional work but there are practitioners who only do ART . The name escapes me at the moment but there's another one - my pilates instructor also does body work and uses this alpha/beta nerve work to correct imbalances. I thought it was voodoo the way she talked about it but changed my tune after one treatment. I'd try just about any body work once - you never know.

PC-
YES...from what I know NOW, you should interview a couple. The longer you go "motion-LESS", the worse it's gonna get. The "adhesion-tissue", as my Chiro describes it, forms in and through muscles, limiting their movement.

Faron

I have friends who rave about them. But I'm a shoulder expert so let me give you some advice.

I say that because both my dh and ds had shoulder surgery, and I have a torn rotator cuff that I'm choosing to live with for now.

If you have a tear in soft tissue, nothing will show it unless you have an MRI done. Any type of "treatment" will only make matters worse if you haven't had an MRI.

Sounds to me like you have a torn rotator, which is fairly common as we get older.

Just be careful, it may not be a muscle!

I was in two car accidents (neither my fault) a few months apart and I had terrible pins and needle feeling in my arms, legs, back. The chiropractor fixed me up. I have family that swear by them also.

I've also benefited from my kinesiologist/chiropractor. I thought the muscle testing seemed quack but with explanation and positive results from other people, I gave it a try and it works as well.

I'm having some issues that are really messing with my workouts. Last year I tore my left calf muscle pretty severely. It took about three months to heal and I don't think I stretched enough because now it seems to be shorter/tighter. I can't flex my foot as much as the right foot.

Anyway, this year I've stepped up my workouts significantly and I have constant tight calf muscles on both legs and on the left side I have plantar fasciitis & achilles tendonitis. My podiatrist and orthopedic doc just keep telling me to stretch but I feel like there must be something more I can do. Would a chiropractor be able to help?

I also used to be a skeptic until I started going to chiro last fall after my car accident. I also have degenerative disc disease in my lower back. I am amazed at how much he has helped me.

Kelly, I'd definite give a Chiro a chance since your other doctors seem to be blowing you off.

Good luck, sounds like you're in a lot of pain when you exercize!

kellyeng, I saw this comment in the NY Times Well blog in relation to an article on cortisone shots & tendon injuries ( LSS: cortisone shots don't heal the injury):

"Plantar fasciitis (as my orthopedist niece informed me while advising me to resist surgical intervention) is relieved by careful and consistent stretching of the Achilles tendon. Standing with the ball of the foot on a 3-inch thick board and lowering the heel slowly (not bouncing) 5 or 6 times, twice a day, relieved my pain and that of a number of friends."

I've linked to the article & comments below. A number of commenters mention plantar fasciitis.

I'm with dlm2000 on the benefits of Pilates. I have much more range of motion now in my hips & shoulders.

Here is a link that might be useful: Do Cortisone Shots Make Things Worse? NY Times

I prefer a physical therapist to a chiropractor. Just my own personal choice. Some of the things they do are the same or similar to a chiropractor. I had some muscle issues a few years back, went to a PT and received wonderful treatment. Massage was a big part of the treatment, and yes, it can hurt - at first, when they are working those knots out! I had deep tissue massage and even ice massage when the knots/imflammation was at it's worse. Ultra sound and TENS also were part of the treatment. Once they get you over the worst, they work with you (exercise, etc.) so you don't get in that shape again. It sounds like you have a good one if they are doing that Faron.

Kelly, I have some exercises from a physical therapist I could scan and email you if you are interested. A friend gave them to my husband. Do you have any stretch bands?

tina

Tina-

Yeah, it seems like a good office that I go to! They're very busy; young & old people coming and going.
Yeah, they have me doing a half-dozen exercises. A couple are with bands.

* One is arms stiff out in front of me, bringing wrists down to hip, and finishing with a "squeeze" between the shoulder-blades. The TRICKY part is to do the last few inches WITHOUT using the actual shoulder muscles much...but trying to isolate the squeeze to just between the blades...tricky!!
* The other "band" ex. is- Elbows in front of me, with palms facing me. Forearm/upper-arm angle = 90deg. Now, arms are rotated outwards/back, so palms are facing your ears at the finish. Viewed from the back, it looks like you're making the letter "W". Again, the tricky part is to keep the shoulders "Low & quiet", and just squeezing the S-blades together.
* There's some "Floor" ex's. for balance & hip strength thru the back. A couple use a balance-ball.

Overall, I'm SO glad I went thru this!!

One of the Techs is a smaller young Woman. When She gets into working some of the smaller R/C-muscles/tendons at a deeper level though....%@**UWY&(#...it hurts!
Today...they went a little deeper, per the Chiro's orders....Oh joy....!

It's helping though!! At least I can "comfortably tolerate" some of the massages that used to damn-near make me scream! The muscles now seem softer and more pliable when they're working on me.

Faron

Thanks Tina, but I have a few key stretches I do a few times a day and I have a stretch band as well as a splint and a few other torture devices!

It sounds like I'm doing what I need to be doing.

Faron, just do me a favor. If it's not getting better and still hurts during therapy, go to an ortho and get an MRI done.

If you have soft tissue damage, like a torn Labrum or something, then you'll only make it worse by exercizing it.

I know MRI's are expensive, but I don't see how a Chriopractor or Therapist can work on soft tissue until the patien has had an MRI. Because it's just a guessing game to them at that point.

You're welcome Kelly. It does sound like you are doing what you need to do. Hope you see results soon.

Faron - I'm wondering if the girl working on you might have PT training? I don't like the idea of "adjustments" LOL. The old thought of "cracking" something. Crack my back!

Glad to hear you are seeing some results!

tina

Gosh!
Tina & Oakley, etc...Thanks for the concern guys!

(my issues are pretty minor compared to what some of you have weighing on your minds. I can appreciate that.)

I'll watch my shoulder condition!
Range-of-motion is SO much better, and the pain is lessening.
* During an appt., the C-P Dr. checks out my back/neck area with some fingertip-pushes on/near the spine.
* He's done some "back-cracks" but they don't hurt at all; along with a couple upper-spine adjs.
* Next, he checks out the shoulder itself. The movement that's the toughest is with me on my back on that funky Chiro-table, and he's seated beside me. With one hand, holds my shoulder still, and rotates my arm backwards, as if I'm doing a swimming-backstroke. He's pushing on my elbow area, backwards, at a couple different rotation angles. This is a rough one, but he stops b4 it's too tough! ROM has gotten better here too though.
* Then- It's back to the Therapist/Techs who do the "muscle rubs"! As I mentioned, I can feel a BIG difference in the pliability of most of the muscles. I can well-tolerate some of the massaging/deep-muscle therapy that made me wince b4.
* It's funny how much difference there is when they find a "tighter chord" of muscle, and start massaging thru it!! Yikes! They're not THAT tough with me, but I know...."It's gotta be suffered through to get better!"

...and it IS getting better!

Faron