[bloogrssgrl]

Ok, I know I'm is going to sound like a big whiney baby but here goes.

I have had a back problem for years. It's kind of in the shoulder blade area. Things got progressively worse and I would wake up after a few hours or sleep with my left arm mostly numb except for the pain in my elbow and first three fingers.

After a bit of research, I found a wonderful chiropractor who also incorporated deep tissue massage. She explained to me what was happening and why. After the treatments I felt like a new person. The pain and numbmess were gone from my arms and I was able to sleep through the night.

However... our health insurance is not exactly generous on this type of treatment and I stopped going. Things were fine for the most part until just recently. The pain is back with a vengance and I am waking up with a numb arm again. I started a new job this week which has me on my feet and doing a lot of reaching and stretching for the entire 8 hours (soon to go to 10 hours) that I am there. Well minus lunch and two 15 minute breaks.

I need to find a way to try to do this massage thing at home. To really dig down into the muscles on my shoulder blades and get at those knots. And I don't want to put the burden on DH. (He has been a wonderful sport about it but I know he needs a break.) Can any of you think of anything I can do? Something I can attach to a wall or lay on on the floor that might get the same effect? Something nubby so it digs in.

I'm afraid I am just going to have to bite the bullet and go back to the chiropractor but, if I can find a way to self treat, maybe I wouldn't have to go as often.

 

[Strange Bear]

You can try lying on a tennis ball or if you need something smaller a golf ball. The tennis ball will give a little but the golf ball will be pretty tough. Try not to over do it, I tend to get sorer for a while after I do this.
Good luck

 

[RLStewart]

I have the same problem and use the tennis ball treatment. If you lay on the bed to do it, it isn't as intense. My dh gets tired of rubbing my back too! Another thing that helps me when I've overdone is to take grape seed extract. Its not very expensive and it really seems to help. I just buy it at Walmart.

 

[Jeff54321]

Go back to the person who helped you and ask what you can do to help yourself at home. Finding someone who truly helps with a back/muscle problem can be a real challenge and I would be very hesitant to readily abandon such a person. If they are unable to give you satisfactory instruction for help at home then I would look for a massage therapist who could help.

 

[Sherrynboo]

Ann, check out this site. I have not tried the pointer thing but it is not too expensive and might provide you with some relief. http://www.pressurepointer.com/SCM_trigger_points.htm

Sherry in GA

 

[farmer_nurse]

I have used something similar to the pressure pointer with great success. The one we had in our physical therapy department looked more like a cane with a few more appendages for getting at different spots. It allows you to press on the pressure points or the muscle knots by yourself. Also try ice...ice is your friend.
Cindy, the farming nurse

 

[bloogrssgrl]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I know I have some tennis balls and golf balls around here somewhere - I'll start with those.

Jeff, I will eventually have to go back to the chiropractor. She did show me some stretches but they don't help nearly like the deep tissue massages do. I hunted for a while before I decided on going to her. The thing that swayed me was that I read that she is a chiropractor but with a specific focus on the nervous system.

Sherry, thank you for the website. I will definitely explore that

Farmer nurse, thanks for your suggstions also. Although, I am only going to be able to use ice for a short while longer. It's way to hard to put ice on your body in the winter when you don't really have much heat in your home to speak of. I should be good for another few weeks though.

 

[Buttermilk]

Try an Inversion table, you hang upside down on it . Every one that has used mine ended up buying one of their own. I will never be with out one. Jay in N.C.

 

[mammabooh]

I was going to sugget the inversion table too. We have one and simply love it.

 

[Baba]

I picked up one of these at my massage therapist. They aren't expensive and I can do it myself at home.

http://www.relaxtheback.com/thera-cane-product-6380210-1851?gclid=CNzEq9mj-JYCFRlRagod5UD5YA

 

[Buttermilk]

Inversion tables are normally $150. Last week K_Mark advertise one for $104. dollars.Thanks for you comment MAMMABOOH i LOVE IT TOO.Jay in N.C.

 

[benevolance]

Actually... the health insurance is likely the problem..

One of my best friends is a chiropractor and he has explained to me that the waste of the insurance benefit payment system... He set his business up so that his cash price for an adjustment and a massage is less than what a co pay would be from someone with insurance... He charges $30 for the adjustment and the massage...

He increased his business by doing this and he increased his profits.. What I would look for in your area is a chiropractor that will give you a discount for cash.... They are out there everywhere... It is a colossal pain to file the paperwork for insurance and there is a wait time for the doctors offices to get paid from the health care insurance company.... It is cheaper and easier to accept cash and to offer a discount for it.

I make no claims as to the state of your finances, but if you can find someone that will give you an adjustment and a massage for what the co pay would be... It might help and allow you to afford to go maybe once a week...

I have 2 compressed disks in my lower back and I started going to the chiropractor 2 years ago....One of the best decisions of my life...I have a better range of motion and less pain now that my spine is perfectly aligned... the adjustment for me is more important than the massage... The better I take care of my spine the more I find that all the other problems go away

 

[MorrisonCorner]

I use a physical therapist, but chiro, massage therapist, or PT.. if you're dealing with a chronic condition my personal goal has been to get the appointments down to once a month. I really push for stretches, exercises, etc, that I can do at home.. but if I don't make myself do the updates on a monthly basis, two things happen: things tighten up/get out of whack so far that I'm back to a once a week or every other week (expensive) rotation, and I fall off the stretch/exercise bandwagon... which leads to things getting out of whack.

Making a monthly appointment keeps me honest (I do the exercises) and makes sure if something is going out of whack it is caught before it rolls into Major Problem.

This "50 and older farmer" thing pretty much requires a support network!

 

[bloogrssgrl]

Again, thank you all for the comments and suggestions.

I've tried doing some stretching and the pain has eased up a bit but it has pretty much become my alarm clock - when it starts, there's no staying in bed. The only thing to do is get up and get moving.

Benevolance, thanks also for the suggestion of negotiating with the chiropractor. As it turns out, the deep tissue massage is what seems to make the most difference. Like MorrisonCorner, I don't mind going but I would like to get to the point where I only have to go once a month as opposed to the once a week that I was doing.

 

[Backwoods Momma]

Buttermilk,

What brand of table is it? I was looking at the Teeter Hang Up and it was much more expensive. This sounds very good to me.

 

[marinemomtatt]

I also have an upper back issue...pain, burning and numbness.
A Yoga instructor advised me to 1: since I am a side sleeper I should put a pillow between my arms 2: Build up my upper back strength with Sun Salutation poses 3: Shoulders kept back neck kept straight with chin toward chest and 4: make myself apply Tendon Rescue Gel (Peaceful Mountain) 3x a day.
Let me tell you the Gel is a TRUE miracle cure, well worth the $13.99 cost. It is Rosemary (increases circulation), Arnica (analgesic and healing) and Comfrey (restores torn and damaged tissue) in a water based gel. My husband used it for his Plumbers elbow and a torn rotator (doc wanted to cut him open...no need for that now)

 

[GrannyCarol]

I have had great success with deep muscle soreness by doing a good overall exercise program. By moving for an hour 2-3 times a week, including stretching, aerobic movement, strength and flexibility, my deep hip pain was just gone (it was muscular) and I feel and move so much better. I don't know if this program would be useful for the shoulders, though mine are happier than they were, but I was using Billy Blank's Boot Camp (Tae Bo) workout and just love it. I'm old, fat, stiff and sore, but that really got all of me working better. I couldn't do it all, but just have done what I can and am glad for it. I noticed some improvement the first time I went through the program with a friend.

I suggest you get a good overall workout going along with whatever else you are doing, Blood flow and muscle strength will help back aches, headaches, sore shoulders, sore hips, etc. If massage helps, then a workout will too.