Bum shoulder, help me

[mkabe]

How is the right shoulder? Are you right or left handed? Right handed people shoulder the gun mostly using their left hand for the lifting part. If you can somehow do the lifting with your right hand, and then maybe use shooting sticks to support most of the weight of the gun, you might be able to manage it. I've had customers in my store who only have one arm, and they seem to manage.... though I tended to suggest handguns for them... which might be another option for you.

Not to criticize people here who are trying to be helpful, but a forum like this is probably not the best place to ask for medical advice. You can certainly get opinions, but when it comes down to it, you need to ask doctors and physical therapists for advice. Treatment should then come from somebody with "DR", DPT or PT in front of their names, not the pretty girls who speak Mandarin and broken English at the AMP.

I would seek a second opinion of another doctor and then decide what to do. I know it sucks gettin' old, but a painful shoulder is still better than the stage four cancer I got.

Good luck!

You crack me up! Because you are so right and do it in a humorous manner.
Yes physical elements are not a fun part of growing old but better in most all cases than dying. Especially for those you love and love you.
I am 75 yrs. but still have much I want and need to do for my family.
Stay strong, don't let the physical infirmities or the political bastards get to you, prayers to you over your health problems,
Gray Hawk

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

You crack me up! Because you are so right and do it in a humorous manner.
Yes physical elements are not a fun part of growing old but better in most all cases than dying. Especially for those you love and love you.
I am 75 yrs. but still have much I want and need to do for my family.
Stay strong, don't let the physical infirmities or the political bastards get to you, prayers to you over your health problems,
Gray Hawk

Thanks!

 

[mkabe]

Thanks!

"We take a thousand moments for granted thinking there will be a thousand more to come. Each day, each breath, each beat of your heart is a gift. Live with love & joy, tomorrow is not promised to anyone......" unknown

 

[CVA Enthusiast]

Physical Therapy, "Dry Needling" Chiropractic dry needling is acupuncture here in the USA I`d opt for non surgical first but that is me

 

[SOLANCO]

Not to be an alarmist and I'm certainly not a doctor. I'm surprised that the cardiologist here didn't mention this . Whatever the case may be, I had been having Right Side shoulder pain off & on for years and it had been diagnosed as "bursitis".

One night it got so bad that my wife ran me down to the E.R. They did an EKG even and didn't find anything. Gave me a shot of something for pain and sent me out the door.

It really began to hurt as I was trying to leave so the Doc had them hook me up to the EKG again. This time the Doc said, " You're having a heart attack!" Then , next thing I knew, they were shaving me, pushing me down the hallway and then I was waking up with a big white light beaming down on me with a guy telling me that they had put 2-stents in and that I was going to be OK.

So, even though my pain was in my right shoulder, the cardio-guy said that sometimes your brain plays tricks on you and just manifests one of the worst pains you have experienced.

So, go get checked out, a stress test might turn up something that won't show on a normal EKG.?

Like I said, I'm no Doctor of anything and don't even have a bachelor's degree in Percussionologigal Studies. Just something to have checked out. Hope it will soon pass and that you can get back to shootin' !

What he said.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Some ya win. Some ya loose!
Open surgery LHS 10 years ago. Magic! Just a Large scar..
Keyhole on RHS 4 Years ago. C--P!! 4 little scars. Still can't
lift the arm above Horizontal..
Makes swinging a Shot gun near impossible but rifle is OK.
"Sqint" With your Titanium ones can you lift your arms above
Horizontal ?? Was told by Surgeon I would have limited
movement if I had a replacment.. OLD DOG..

 

[popgun54tc]

Why build a lighter rifle, light rifle more recoil, recoil reducer in the stock, will help.

 

[Kentuckyjed]

 

[Kentuckyjed]

Hope its not too inappropriate, but it is funny'

 

[Relic shooter]

Somehow I've injured the muscles in my left shoulder, the rotator cuff. The doctor says it isn't bad enough for surgery to make it right,

Last night I tried to take an offhand shooting position with a rifle I'm putting together. It has a one-inch 54 cal barrel 36 inches long. It's heavy. Lifting it made my shoulder hurt like heck. Now I'm wondering what I can do for the shoulder. Any advice?

Have had exactly same problem for over 30 years.
Supporting the forearm of a heavy rifle was pretty uncomfortable & became impossible as shoulder pain & age creeped up on me at about 70.
In the interim years I switched to shooting much lighter & better balanced big bore Jeager rifles with swamped barrels.
One option to consider.
Relic shooter

 

[mkabe]

Have had exactly same problem for over 30 years.
Supporting the forearm of a heavy rifle was pretty uncomfortable & became impossible as shoulder pain & age creeped up on me at about 70.
In the interim years I switched to shooting much lighter & better balanced big bore Jeager rifles with swamped barrels.
One option to consider.
Relic shooter

Ya got to just keep on getting on with adjustments and perseverance! We were never promised a smooth ride. Those things all go away in heaven.

 

[BlackRock52]

Both of my shoulders are titanium, and it sure solved the problem of pain. I'm only allowed to lift 30 pounds each side, and I know at times I must hit 35 to 40 but they haven't giving any trouble. It's reverse ball operation and I have real good movement. I did buy a lighter percussion without 24 inch barrel, one and 48 to use for offhand shooting, but being in my 80s, I wasn't real good Offhand before. I couldn't raise either arm above my head before the operations. One was four years ago and the other two years ago. I was a little scared of recoil, but I don't load superheavy and it hasn't been a problem.
Squint

My offhand is like either of yours. Freehand remains a problem but maybe mostly deconditioning in the 3 years I had to wait for the procedure (Thank you Wuhan lab)...My doc says no restrictions except for bringing hand up my back -- might cause a dislocation but otherwise do whatever....

 

[Mad L]

Somehow I've injured the muscles in my left shoulder, the rotator cuff. The doctor says it isn't bad enough for surgery to make it right,

Last night I tried to take an offhand shooting position with a rifle I'm putting together. It has a one-inch 54 cal barrel 36 inches long. It's heavy. Lifting it made my shoulder hurt like heck. Now I'm wondering what I can do for the shoulder. Any advice?

I hurt my Right shoulder about five years ago. I too have had heavy lifting all my life, a few other bad injuries here and there, but five years ago I fell of a truck, went smak down on my side, knocked the wind out me, last thing I remember was my Head hitting the pavement and bouncing, I was knocked out.
When I came tru I couldn't breath, I had broken a rib as well.

Once the herald I realized I could not lift my arm, the doctor Ex-rayed me further and tried telling me I had "Arthritis in my shoulder" and said it was "normal" for one my age...???...my shoulder was Fine before the fall..

Well they put me in Physical therapy, I got authorized for about 8 weeks. Little by little it got better, the pain anyway, but still could not lift past half way before I had to Stop from the pain.
The Therapist at the end said only thing that could fix it would be surgery but recommended Against it at this point and told me to just deal with "getting old" unless it got worse.
They set me up with some rubber band devises and a series of exercises and told me "Don't lift your arm higher else the rotor Will got out".

....well, after about a year I was sitting one day and without thinking I Raised my arm up and over my head (just stretching as people do) and realized No Pain?!? I called my wife and "Look at this!" and showed her, she growled at me, I continued, slowly, to work with it and do the exercises the Therapist gave me...today my arm is..well, 90%.

Now mind you, this is my Right arm, it don't 'lift' much when shooting, I also have another I jury to my right forearm that almost cost me my arm (another story for another whiskey) but my advise would be:

Seek a Physical therapist and take the word of a doctor with a grain of salt.

BUT DON'T PUSH IT! Some things just take a long time to heal, don't want to make worse.
My 'forearm' injury took nearly EIGHT YEARS before I could even lift a glass with my right had to make a toast...today I tell people and show the scare and they think I am making it all up.

Physical therapy and Don't Give Up.
(plus I pray a little from time to time)

 

[Relic shooter]

Cortisone injection has provided me with 3-months of pain relief !!!
I'm 80 & due to health issues am not a good candidate for getting my bum left shoulder replaced.
Might be an option for some of you folks to consider.
Relic shooter