Strange Collar Bone Phenomenon ...

[WAYNO]

It's been roughly 8 years since I had my rotator cuff surgery, That surgery involved repairing the actual tear in the shoulder, a relocation of my bi-cep, and a clavicle (collar bone) release.

Mostly, the surgery was successful.
However...
Over the past few months, my collar bone has been extremely painful, without cause. It keeps me from sleeping. Living with it has been simpler than trying to see a doctor. Medicare advantage plans are at best difficult for me. At worst, impossible. I have given up.

Just yesterday, while in the bathtub, whatever movement I was attempting resulted in quite a snap in my collar bone. I felt it and heard it.

Then, just that fast, my collar bone quit hurting. A day later and it still doesn't hurt.

Anybody else have such an episode?






.

 

[Mobuck]

Best guess is there was some sort of displacement of your 'collar bone' that finally resolved itself. Good for you. Sometimes things like that happen.
After returning home from the hospital and recovering from the burns in 2022, I developed a serious pain in my right shoulder and arm. One sleepless night I was tossing around trying to find a more comfortable position when I heard a POP at the base of my neck. The pain was instantly gone.

 

[eveled]

Crazy stuff. Glad you both got release from your pain. I wonder if it was a bone spur or a muscle that fused to the bone? No way of knowing.

In my bycept. If I move wrong I can feel what can only be described as 2 bungee cords bound up on each other. If I continue the movement they stretch and go "spronggggg". It is excruciating.

If I stop and reposition I can feel them un tangle then I can move pain free.

I've learned not to do anything too fast.

When people ask advice about living with bad shoulders. I say be polite and ask for 2 pairs of handcuffs.

 

[Mike J]

I hope whatever was out of place has returned to where it is supposed to be & stays there. I had a shoulder that bothered me for years. I went to see a Dr. They told me I would be better off to leave it alone & just deal with the pain. I prayed about it for literally years. Then one day I realized I couldn't think of the last time it had hurt me. Thank God it hasn't bothered me since.

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

10 years ago, my left arm's rotator cuff tore completely (while I was doing yard work). I did lengthy self-proscribed rehab, including 360 rotational dumbbell lifts, tension cord stretches in multiple directions, lat pulls, etc. Regained the strength in my left shoulder except for one "special" motion (holding a gallon milk jug at shoulder height), for which my shoulder has zero strength - zip, nada, none. But it's OK. I can live with 95% functionality in that shoulder - my fastball just doesn't have the same zip as it used to.

5 years ago, I tore one of the bicep muscles in the other (right) arm while lifting weights in the gym. The torn bicep muscle wadded up in a golfball-sized knot at the elbow end of the humerus bone. Fortunately, each arm has two bicep muscles that work in tandem. So, I did (self-proscribed) rehab exercises to build up the other bicep muscles. Again, I can live with that.

3 months ago, I fell and landed on the back side of my right shoulder. Searing pain. I had zero range of motion for a couple of days, but thereafter very slowly began to regain range of motion. So again, I began self-proscribed rehab exercises. Interestingly, the best rehab exercises I do are in the shower. I direct showerhead hot water on the joint, then exercise it in as many range-of-motion exercises as I want. There is virtually zero pain while the hot water is on. Afterwards, those same exercises produce some pain, but each day the pain is less. So I've theorized that my shower exercises are allowing me to stretch muscles/tendons whose functionality was reduced during the period I didn't exercise them at all. Still, sleeping remains a challenge.

At age 75, I resist seeing an orthopedic specialist. It may be stupid, but I think that (a) a specialist is prone to recommend that which makes him the most mone - surgery; (b) the rehab, whether surgery is performed or not, would be lengthy, and uncomfortable; and c) at my age, I'll never need to have100% functionality. So I just live with the discomfort.

So now I have a torn rotator cuff and torn bicep muscle in my left (dominant arm), a torn rotator cuff and disfigured wrist (old military-days injury) in my right arm. Collectively, I'm not as strong as I used to be, and this makes holding a pistol steady challenging. But it's still fun.