I have been told that my shoulder was torn and I could not play hockey anymore. My coach, a tough guy who had coached for several years, said there would be no way to fix it without surgery. He said the only way to fix it was through https://drtonymork.com/back-pain/annular-tear/annular-tears/ surgery. That’s all he knew about it.
In the meantime, I had been playing with pain in my shoulder for months. It seemed like the pain never went away completely and I always felt a little tightness when I stretched or moved my arm. As the weeks passed by, I began to feel less and less able to play. One day during practice, I did something wrong and I hurt myself pretty bad. The next morning, I woke up unable to move my arm at all and I thought I might have broken my neck. Luckily, I didn’t; but I couldn’t lift my head or anything else either.
The next thing I remember is being on a stretcher, with some people around me trying to help me breathe. They were putting tubes down my throat and I kept saying “No… No… Please don’t put those things down my throat.” But they wouldn’t stop pushing them further. Finally, I heard someone say, “You can’t take this kind of stuff lying down any longer. We’re going to call your mother.”
My mother came running over screaming, “Oh my God! What happened?” She ran into the room where my teammates and coaches were, and she started yelling at the top of her voice. At first, none of them would even look at me. Then one of the coaches said, “She thinks you’ve broken your neck.” My mother just started crying and shaking her head from side to side. All of a sudden, everyone started laughing. And then they took me out of the stretcher and my whole team surrounded me to tell me how sorry they were, how much they loved me, etc., etc. The whole time, I was telling them that I’m okay, really. Just give me a minute and let me sit up and I’ll show you. But nobody would listen to me. Instead, they made me lay back down until I stopped screaming.
A few days later, my mother took me to see a doctor, because I still wasn’t getting better. He examined me and told me that he could not find anything wrong with me. Then he said, “Well, if you want to stay healthy, you should start working out regularly. You know, get some weight off your shoulders, loosen up, etc.”
So now I go to a gym every day after school. First, I do some stretching exercises. Then, I run a mile, followed by some more stretching. After that, I climb a mountain. Or, I swim a couple miles. Or, I do some push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and maybe some bench presses. And, every night, I go home and watch TV and read some magazines.
That’s basically all I do. I don’t have any friends or anything. I live alone except for one guy named Mike. He works nights and comes over to my house every day before work. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we don’t. But he does what I ask him to do. And he always makes sure I am ready to work out the next day. And, whenever I need to relax, I go online and spend hours looking at funny pictures.
After two months, I finally feel almost normal again. But, I still feel a little tightness under my left arm when I stretch or raise my hand above my head. And, occasionally, I will feel a burning sensation on my left shoulder when I sleep. But, other than that, everything seems fine. I still have a lot of muscle soreness though. So, I guess I still have a long way to go.
But isn’t it strange that I am able to heal so quickly? I mean, the doctor said that he couldn’t find anything wrong with me. Yet, within a month, I healed. Wasn’t it supposed to take longer? Why was I so lucky? How could my shoulder heal so fast? Shouldn’t I be in worse shape than I am?
The Truth About Annular Tears
An annular tear occurs when a tendon becomes damaged. This type of injury usually happens when an athlete jumps or falls, or hits his or her shoulder against another object. When an athlete has an annular tear, there are actually two tears, one inside (inside-out) and one outside (out-side). The outer layer of the tendon is called the fibrous tissue. The inner layer is the synovial membrane.
When an athlete injures his or her shoulder, the fibrous tissue gets ripped apart, but the synovial membrane remains intact. Once the fibrous tissue heals, it forms scar tissue. The scar tissue is strong enough to hold the joint together temporarily, but over time, it begins to weaken. Eventually, the body tries to compensate by moving the bones together. If the bone ends get too close, the cartilage between them breaks down. Over time, the cartilage wears down, causing arthritis.
So, the best way to prevent this from happening is to keep the fibrous tissue from becoming damaged by taking care of the synovial membrane. The synovial membrane provides nutrients to the injured area, helps to clean the area, and gives the fibrous tissue enough strength to heal itself. The easiest way to keep this from happening is to strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff.
One of the ways to do this is to perform regular exercises to build up those muscles. These exercises include overhead pressing, lateral raises, and dumbbell shrugs. Another way to increase the strength of the muscles is to use medicine balls. By throwing these objects toward the ground, athletes create resistance and improve their muscle tone. A third way to make the rotator cuff stronger is by doing exercises that target specific areas of the area. For instance, a common exercise performed by athletes who suffer from upper extremity injuries is the “bird dog” exercise. This particular exercise targets the infraspinatus tendon, which plays a large role in turning the shoulder internally.
Another thing that athletes can do to keep from tearing their rotator cuff is to wear a properly fitted sports bra. Some female athletes may experience discomfort because of the bra straps rubbing across their shoulders, which can cause irritation. To avoid this problem, you can purchase a sports bra that fits properly and adjusts easily. Also, wearing a shoulder pad correctly is important for preventing injury. In addition, it is essential to wear appropriate footwear.
There is also evidence that certain foods can help to heal the rotator cuff faster. Foods such as fish oil, flaxseed oil, and omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation. However, it cannot be recommended that athletes eat large amounts of these foods. Doing so can lead to health problems that can affect the healing process.
In sports involving flexion injuries, twisting and torqueing motions, and heavy lifting, annular rips and disc herniations are frequently observed. Sports involving tossing and twisting, such as tennis, golf, American football, and baseball (pitching), for instance, put athletes at a higher risk for these wounds. Such injuries are more likely to occur in severe range-of-motion sports and hobbies like yoga and gymnastics.
If you have an annular tear, it is important to understand that the symptoms won’t last forever. Eventually, you should begin recovering. Although it may take a while, you should expect to regain full range of motion in your shoulder. You shouldn’t have any permanent damage to your shoulder.
Although many people think that an annular tear doesn’t heal, you can heal this type of injury if you follow my advice. In fact, I healed my own shoulder in less than six months. If you are suffering from an annular tear, you should visit a doctor right away. Do not wait to see if the pain goes away on its own. It never hurts to ask questions, however. And, if you have any doubts, consult with your doctor.
