Strained Muscle

[McD]

I think I strained a muscle. I'm more annoyed at the inconvenience of it all, as I can tolerate pain fairly well.

On Saturday I had to take both kids to the grocery store with me. Wesley enjoys riding in the cool policeman cart so that he can 'under arrest' people for various infractions of his laws. Trust me, the little old ladies REALLY enjoy being told to stop speeding. I have trouble navigating those carts as it is because they are so awkward. My thought process on Saturday was to push him in that and to carry Maggie in her sling. So I did. My shoulder blade area that the sling actually rested on started to ache that night, but nothing bad.

By Sunday morning, it hurt to move it. Now it's to the point where it is a constant ache, even when the muscle is at rest. Using the muscle hurts worst. OTC pain relievers don't really do anything. I've been using a heated rice bag on it. That relieves the pain until the muscle tightens again.

I don't really want to go to the doctor because I don't know what they would do for it, other than prescribe a muscle relaxer. But at the same time, this sucks. It hurts to lift my kid out of her crib. It hurts to lay her in the crib. It hurts to do everything. It hurts when I do nothing.

Any advice?

[Libby]

Not sure how you feel about this or if your insurance would cover it but what about getting a massage therapist have a go at it? If I had a choice btwn meds and the massage...I'd go for the massage first. Its more costly up front but think about it how much are the pills?

ETA: Forgot to add - have you tried those creams? Icy Hot or Ben Gay or A535? Not sure if they're considered cold or hot though?

[Russ]

I was just at my Doc the other day and talked about some shoulder and neck pain I have been having.
The answer I got was ICE, not heat for 30 minutes + some OTC meds. Also stretch the area with excersises found on line.

[McD]

Libby--I don't know that our insurance would cover massages, but I do have a $50 gift certificate to a salon that provides massages. And actually, between Zac's health insurance and the fully-funded health insurance my work provides me, we pay 6-17$ for most prescriptions, which is then completely reimbursed to us. I'm just not a fan of throwing medicine at something to solve it.

Russ, I will try ice and see if that helps. Thanks.

[Nada.Leona]

I worked as a kinesiologist with a physiotherapist for two years. Definitely use ice instead of heat. Why? Pain is inflammation. Inflammation is heat. What does heat do? Nothing -- just keeps the heat hot. What does ice do? Cool the heat down. So grab a bag of frozen peas (works just as well as a gel ice pack) and wrap it in a damp towel and lie on your belly with that on your shoulder. 10-15 minutes should be enough.

The other thing you can do, if you have the coverage, is go see a physio or massage therapist. They work wonders, trust me. If that's not in the equation, how about accupuncture? I love accupuncture. It is so relieving for pain.

And keep stretching it. Pain that is mild and tolerable is fine, but anything that is more than just a dull ache is too much.

Watch it -- if it doesn't go away in a few days (by the end of the weekend, say), I'd be going to a professional. Keep in mind, your two little ones need their mom fully functioning. No sacrifices or martyrdom required.

[Ceashels]

Always ice for the first 48-72 hrs (acute injury). Heat opens up the blood vessels and allows the tissues to swell even more. Ice shuts down this process and is more efficient at reducing pain. After 3 days you can start using heat to open up the tissues, do some gentle stretching and range of motion then ice down after.
You might also want to try an anti inflammatory.

Massage will also help and see if they can do 2 short sessions instead of one long session. Ie, just have your shoulders and back done instead of a full body then reschedule for 3-4 days later.

Hope you feel better soon


After the first 3-4 days you can start using heat to help relax the muscle.

[Russ]

Check around for massage schools. They give massages at a discount rate.

[mauimagic]

You can make a large ice bag yourself - I use the gallon size freezer bags and put in 2/3 water and 1/3 rubbing alcohol. Don't fill it up though - you'll need space for the mixture to move. This allows the water to freeze up, but not rock hard so you can mold it to your body.

Please take care and let us know how you are doing.

[Russ]

How's the shoulder?

[McD]

The pain is gone for the most part. If I move or twist in an unusual way, I am able to tell. The muscles are still a bit tight, but nothing major.

I'm going to have to do a grocery store run with the kids this week and we'll see how Maggie in the sling works out.

Thanks for checking on me Russ. I feel loved.

[Darlene]

Sorry you were in pain. Whenever I really do a number on myself I take 3 Ibruprofin around the clock without missing a dose for 24 hours and it helps me.
Take good care!