• Just want to say hi!

    Posted by Rebecca Caldwell on 2 March, 2021 at 12:26 am

    I have shoulder impingement syndrome and it has been bothering me a lot lately and seriously getting in the way of my practicing and playing. I went to the doctor today and I’m planning on getting cortisone shots soon. I’ve never gotten them before, does anyone here had them? Do they hurt a lot? I am nervous but I hope they will help me get back to doing my favorite things again.

    Renee Halm replied 1 year, 3 months ago 9 Members · 15 Replies
  • 15 Replies
  • Cynthia Griffith

    Member
    2 March, 2021 at 1:12 am

    Hi there, Rebecca! Christy-Lyn let me know you posted (we’ll all be getting used to how forums we subscribe to come through for notifications)… I can’t help you with this particular issue, but I understand how joints (and pressure points) can cause a lot of pain and also cause limitations. I’m hopeful that if your doctor thinks it will be good for you, it would be a good thing to do and hopefully build up strength and normal movement etc again. I’ve had to give up (or put off, I prefer to call it) things due to pains and pressure points giving me a pain. I hope that you will build up a strength and tolerance that will enable you to figure out how best to re-approach your favorite things again after you and your doctor try to treat this. Like I said, I can’t totally understand your specific situation, but I can understand the frustration of feeling like your body limits you and puts up barriers that holds you back. At least for the moment. Please don’t feel like what hurts or happens now might affect you forever…. it might eventually level out and let you work through things and even improve on them. (I say this as someone who thought she might never again be able to play fiddle, and has re-learned relaxing and not stressing or building tension and can play again with happiness, which I thought might never happen again). That said, anyone else who has actual experience in this situation who could offer advice and tips?

    • Rebecca Caldwell

      Member
      2 March, 2021 at 5:49 pm

      Thank you for responding! I am so glad to hear you are playing your fiddle again after some limitations! Seeing the category of shoulder and hand injuries I got excited (maybe I’m not alone!) I just wanted to post something to say hi and participate in this wonderful new website ?

  • Katie

    Member
    2 March, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Hi everyone! I’ve also been suffering from what is likely shoulder impingement as well as tendonitis in the wrists. I haven’t found it easy to go to doctor or therapy appointments but I have found some useful resources on Youtube that have helped me learn exercises and stretches that have helped me make decent progress in healing and feeling physically better in general. One of the channels that has a lot of information on shoulder impingement is Bob & Brad on Youtube. They are both physical therapists and post lots of videos on different exercises for healing from all sorts of injuries. Another one is Dr. Levi Harrison on Youtube who has some great videos for hand and wrist exercises to stay in shape and prevent straining from repetitive use. His videos are directed toward gamers but the exercises themselves would be beneficial to anyone I’m sure, especially anyone who uses a computer frequently.

    It’s been really hard having my injuries the past few months, especially since it’s at the same time as I started trying to get into harp, and I empathize with any of you who are working through injuries. But Cynthia is right, we can get better! In fact, having these injuries has taught me about the importance of exercises and stretching, and I want to do what I can to heal and become strong in the future so I am more capable moving forward. We hear that suffering can be a blessing in disguise, and though it’s really hurt to go through, I definitely believe that.

    • Rebecca Caldwell

      Member
      2 March, 2021 at 5:40 pm

      Hi Katie, thank you for your response. I will look into the videos, I’m glad to hear they were helpful for you! I am waiting to hear back from my doctor about the cortisone injection, I think I’m just going to do it because it sounds like it can really help relieve the inflammation. I will post an update and let y’all know if they were painful and/or helpful. Every day that passes that I can’t practice my harp I feel a loss.

  • Amanda Munson

    Member
    2 March, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    I don’t have a shoulder injury, but I do have a wrist injury (likely a TFC tear) and received cortisone shot for that. It was quite uncomfortable; you feel more pressure in the joint than pain in my experience, which itself feels really weird. If you’re concerned about pain, you could take a couple of ibuprofen before your appointment and that might help. Any pain I had from the injection didn’t last long after it was done.

    • Rebecca Caldwell

      Member
      2 March, 2021 at 7:36 pm

      Thank you ❤ it’s very anxiety producing to think about an injection into an area that already hurts and you feel guarded about…so I’m trying to muster up all the courage to just relax and not worry so much. I am looking forward to some relief though, so I can get back to doing all the things I like doing! like practicing the harp, which is so healing in and of itself (for stress and anxiety anyway! Not so much for injuries hehe!)

  • Theodore Hagmann

    Member
    2 March, 2021 at 7:51 pm

    Hey Rebecca, I don’t have experience receiving cortisone shots, but I’ve given them before (knees) I can’t comment thoroughly on the pain at the moment of injection, but I can say most patients don’t “jump off the bed” in pain.

    After the first day, nearly everyone is incredibly glad they made the decision. Most people have significant pain relief for anywhere from 3 months to a year. Subsequent injections usually last a shorter length of time than the first, but how much shorter is quite variable.

    • Rebecca Caldwell

      Member
      2 March, 2021 at 8:37 pm

      Thank you so much for your words, they are comforting to hear (read). Gosh, I bet getting them in the knees is even creepier than the shoulders….joints are just creepy places. I have an appointment on Friday morning for the injection so I just have to relax and get through the week and try not to worry. I think the anticipation and anxiety is probably worse than the procedure itself…I hope! I’m sure it’ll be fine (I keep telling myself ?) I appreciate the support Theodore. Thank you for helping others with their pain ❤

  • Helen Gosnell

    Member
    2 March, 2021 at 8:57 pm

    I had one in my wrist. It does hurt, but it also helped a lot. My wrist was sore for a couple of days afterward. I had a hand injection recently (not cortisone) and I played relaxing music through headphones and did some deep breathing and got through it fine. I just had to tell myself the pain is temporary.

    • Rebecca Caldwell

      Member
      3 March, 2021 at 12:52 am

      Thank you. I think I will have to do something similar to stay relaxed. I still feel very nervous but I will be brave. ❤

  • Rebecca Caldwell

    Member
    11 March, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    So glad the site is back up! I just wanted to update my thread here, while the site was down I was getting a cortisone injection in my shoulder and resting a bit. I would like to report for those who may stumble on this thread that the injection was not painful. It was unpleasant and anxiety producing, but not ‘painful’. The injection location was numbed with some cold topical stuff, then she prepared me for the possibility that she’d have to move the needle around once she was in there. Right before the injection she told me to breathe in, then out, then she asked me about my dogs! Perfect question for me because I love talking about my dogs, so it was the distraction I needed. The unpleasant feeling of the needle in the shoulder felt like a worm wiggling around (creepy! it was a dull creepy sensation but not pain) but once I got done naming and describing my beloved dogs, it was over! Unfortunately It has been almost a week and I’m not feeling much relief (yet?). So I don’t know that it works for everyone. Maybe it’ll take more time. I’m starting physical therapy (again) next week. Meanwhile, I practice my harp in short sessions and try to focus on my good (right) hand/arm.

    • Cynthia Griffith

      Member
      11 March, 2021 at 5:55 pm

      Thanks for the update, Rebecca, as well as describing how it went for you! Sorry to hear it’s not working yet, but I hope that soon you will get back to feeling better. Good idea to limit practice so as not to over do it. Best Healing Wishes!

    • Anna Ritchie

      Member
      20 July, 2021 at 6:15 pm

      I have what i thought was an impingement but after a couple weeks of physical therapy, it became clear it was something more akin to “frozen shoulder”. Good news in that it’s not an “injury” per-say; bad news in that i just have to keep moving as much as i can and work on convincing my body to stop being silly (easier said than done). After nearly 9 months, i’ve a lot more mobility and i don’t want to curl up into a ball if my friends dog yanks on the leash to hard. I still struggle playing my Eclipse harp, with it’s wider soundbox at the shoulder connection. I’m starting to wonder if it’s just the wrong shape for me as harps that get narrow up there are fine.

      Though every injury and body is different, i can tell you that moving my arm and shoulder as much as i could and stretching (gently in directions where it was stiff) and time seem to be key. Physical therapy was definitely helpful (though i always felt a bit sick after the manipulations) and the therapist helped me key in on areas that needed work. For me, the arm was literally being pulled out of it’s socket by the tightness of the arm muscles; a bit wild.

      I wonder if those of us suffering from autoimmune like “injuries” would benefit from a meditation practice associated with practicing. The harp is therapeutic, but perhaps, as practitioners, we need to center and be mindful of what we need to hold onto before sending it all away.

  • Grace Huffman

    Member
    12 October, 2022 at 10:01 pm

    I’m glad to see this forum – and sorry that some of you have had joint problems! I agree with the poster who said they had given steroid injections – patients usually are very appreciative and they don’t say that they’re painful. And then I have had two (R elbow and L shoulder), both of which were helpful. But now I’m here with my own shoulder problem (shared by another poster, I see) and some questions (maybe Christy-Lyn, a former OT, I think, may want to weigh in!).

    I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with adhesive capsulitis (so-called “frozen shoulder”) in my left shoulder. It’s a condition that waxes and wanes, and it isn’t really helped by physical therapy or steroid injections. It just runs its course and then can flare up again. Which it has!

    So, as far as harp playing, what I have noticed is that I can’t really get my L elbow away from my body – certainly it’s much less than 45 degrees. I had a harp teacher about 10 years ago who wanted elbows at almost 90 degrees! The effect of this limitation is that I have a hard time positioning my left hand properly (thumbs up, palms and fingers down) because I can’t really pronate my hand because of limitation at the shoulder. I can still play (um, I’m learning!), but I notice that the lower the notes, the worse the positioning. That is, when my left arm is stretched out farther, I have to compensate by turning my forearm and what THAT looks like is that, when playing a 4-2-1 or 4-1 shape (for example) in the bass, my third finger does NOT hang down in a relaxed way – instead, it sticks up like a claw!

    So, my questions:

    – Would it be better to just try to play less in the bass register? I have less problem if my left hand is playing above middle C, but miss the rich tones of the bass!

    – Stop practicing until this shoulder gets better? (No!)

    – Not worry about it, because most people watching harp playing don’t know what the hand position SHOULD be? That is, how detrimental is poor positioning likely to be on future learning of more complex pieces?

    – Something else?

    Thanks for reading this long message and for any ideas!

  • Renee Halm

    Member
    21 December, 2022 at 10:26 am

    Hi, Rebecca! How did everything turn out with your shoulder? I also had a shoulder impingement in my left shoulder, about the same time as you did, but physical therapy and a cortisone injection didn’t help. When they did an MRI it was discovered that in addition to the impingement I had a tear in my labrum (sort of like the rotator cuff, but where the shoulder attaches to the arm, where the bicep muscle is attached). I had surgery Nov 10, 2021. It was a pretty long recovery, but I’m glad I had it done. It was hard to stay away from my harp that long, and I had some music from Laurie Riley that can be played with one hand, but I was pretty exhausted. So that’s better now, but other issues are cropping up with joints, ligaments, lumbar discs. Aging is no fun. 🙁

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