Pain in the Shoulder

I am active but the aches and pains from early injuries from my youthful activities have caught up with me.  My right shoulder is severely arthritic and the pain when trying to sleep just makes me a nasty person in the morning.  My left knee has had two major reconstructive surgeries, from contact sports.  I was playing football on the beach and got clipped cleanly, the leg was just dangling, heard the ligaments go snap, snap.  Still not done with my contact sports activities, a few years latter I was introduced to rugby; another bad tackle on the same knee left me in the similar situation as the football injury.  The Doctor, after surgery this time expressed his opinion that I should end my contact sport activities.  He did not have to pressure me to make my decision. I could get some strong pain pills, be pain free, a narcotic high and to be quite honest, a prescription pilled junkie.  The key phrase in the last sentence is “could get”; I didn’t and don’t want to be in a drug haze to deal with the pain.  But the pain after shoulder surgery and the swollen shoulder neck and lower back pain tell new ideas are needed.

I am fortunate to have a pool close by and I try to swim every morning, weather permitting.  It feels good to loosen up without putting stress on the joints.  The weather is warm and so is the water, what a treat.  The dogs come and swim with me and the activity for the old dogs (pun intended) is exciting.  The pool is an old style, rectangular shaped, almost Olympic size with plenty of space for all of us to swim and get to the tennis balls as quickly as possible.

I’m not complaining just trying to deal with a knee that is going to have to be replaced.  I am trying to function without looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, dragging the left leg and the right side of my body on a tilt with the gimpy shoulder. With the pain after shoulder surgery and swollen shoulder neck and lower back pain cold compresses form my freezer (Packs & Wraps) offer relief.

I have found that moist heat has been a helpful with stiffness and has offered pain relief as well.  There are packs and wraps that I can put on and around the shoulder and the knee. The arthritic pain can be tolerated with it being at a minimum amount of uncomfortably.  I have used hot/cold packs and have found the cold side reduces the swelling and the inflammation and that helps with the reducing the pain factor.