Best books about pain management according to redditors
We found 141 Reddit comments discussing the best books about pain management. We ranked the 32 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 141 Reddit comments discussing the best books about pain management. We ranked the 32 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Don't pull your shoulders back, externally rotate them. If you pull your shoulders back, you will produce hyperextension in your lumbar region.
Check out Kelly Starrett and his excellent recovery book Deskbound. There is probably a lot going on with you (if you are a normal person) that is contributing to bad posture.
This is a big issue with SO MANY points to argue, you could write books, and many have.
So I'm just going to keep to a small subset of this big issue that I have personal experience. People who suffer chronic pain, and this pain could be from a palliative state such as terminal bone cancer, or just someone who on a daily basis and don't receive proper pain management... kill themselves, a lot.
Living and working in the family business (funeral home) back before my current career, I saw this a lot. It used to piss my father off to no extent when patients in end stage, horribly painful cancer were not given adequate pain medication, it was almost like they didn't want this guy who was gonna die in 4 days to get addicted to opioids, it make no sense.
So where am I going with this? People underestimate the effect of how constant pain ravages your mind and body, they just don't have a true understanding of it.
So if someone is in palliative care and the most extreme methods of pain management are failing, and they wish assisted suicide, then absolutely yes.
I'd also recommend a great book to truly attempt to understand the personal hell of pain:
The Pain Chronicles: Cures, Myths, Mysteries, Prayers, Diaries, Brain Scans, Healing, and the Science of Suffering
Melanie Thernstrom
http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Chronicles-Mysteries-Prayers-Suffering/dp/0312573073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425919402&sr=8-1&keywords=Melanie+Thernstrom
From Kelly Starret's Deskbound:
“What about physio balls, BOSU balls, and kneeling chairs? We do not consider these to be great choices. While a bouncy ball does promote small movements with its constant instability, managing an organized spine for sustained periods is nearly impossible. Anyone on a ball chair will ultimately default to an end-range, tissue-limited shape as fatigue sets in or concentration is lost. The unstable surface accelerates postural decay and makes compensatory slouching or spinal overextension worse. Try to stand on a water bed for an hour and notice what happens. Add to this the fact that it is difficult to bear weight on your pelvis and not the soft tissues of your hamstrings. Most important, sitting on a ball is still sitting, with all of its pitfalls. While a kneeling chair does open up the hips, it provides limited dynamic sitting options and encourages spending time in an overextended shape. When it comes to sitting in a chair, your best bet is to go with a simple, rigid chair with a wide, semi-hard seat.”
I tend to trust K-Star on this kind of stuff. Of course, standing is even better than sitting, but if standing isn't an option, I'll often kneel at a standard-height desk (shifting between a one-knee-down lunge shape and a two knees down shape).
I've read so many books that I honestly cannot say that any particular one is the most important. However, here's a list of really good ones:
I've read so many more books than that. Since these are the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head, I'd say that they are the ones that have made the biggest impression from reading them.
Via [1, bottom], this is an excerpt from what seems to be a well-regarded book on shoulder anatomy. The acromion apparently has a bit of flex (emphasis mine):
> More recent investigations have pointed to the importance of contact and load transfer between the rotator cuff and the coracoacromial arch in the function of normal shoulders, including the provision of superior stability. Because there is normally no gap between the superior cuff and the coracoacromial arch, the slightest amount of superior translation compresses the cuff tendon between the humeral head and the arch. Superior displacement is opposed by the countervailing force exerted by the coracoacromial arch through the cuff tendon to the humeral head. Ziegler and collaborators demonstrated this “passive resistance “effect in cadavers by showing that [t]he acromion bent upward when a superiorly directed force was applied to the humerus in the neutral position. The amount of acromial deformation was directly related to the amount superior force applied to the humerus, the load being transmitted through the intact superior cuff tendon.
Rockwood CA Jr, Matsen FA III, Wirth MA, Lippett SB. The Shoulder. 3rd ed Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2004
So it's plausible that repeated application will cause the structures to adapt. The thing is, I can't find any studies that say anything about it (y'all're welcome to flex your Google Scholar Fu).
The "Dr Kirsch" turns out to be John M Kirsch, MD, an orthopedic surgeon (book) so he ought to know what he's talking about. However, this dismissal makes me nervous (in response to a query on scientific rigor) [1, top]:
> Thanks, Suspender. I understand the limitations of protocols to "scientific" outcomes etc.
The book also refers to a "Kauai Study" in which the protocol is tested on 92 patients (with positive results for 90), but I can't find the study.
So as far as I can tell, it's in the realm of theoretically possible, little hard evidence that I can find. I also can't find anyone saying that dead hangs caused them shoulder pain, so it's probably safe. At the very least you'll improve your grip, and it does feel good...
[1] http://physicaltherapy.rehabedge.com/printable.aspx?m=3879&mpage=3
Absolutely, though not box breathing. I follow the pattern laid out in this book, which is basically keeping the ratio 1:2:pause, in versus out. So while meditating I'll do 3 seconds in, 6 seconds out, 1 second pause. It's been a game changer tbh and especially helps when off the cushion. Reprogramming my mind and the way I breathe. If I'm doing basically anything at all challenging or stressful, controlling my breathing gets my parasympathetic activity up, which promotes critical thinking, which helps with awareness. I can verify this effect with data since I wear an Oura ring which tracks HRV, a strong signal for parasympathetic vs sympathetic activation.
Phenomenal book btw.
>How can you relieve severe pain for a body part that is no longer there?
With mirror therapy! I first heard of it when I read The Pain Chronicles, which is an excellent book if you're interested in the subject.
If they are concerned about your joints, perhaps picking up Saint Pavel's book, Super Joints, and adding those drills to your morning routine will help, especially if you do the drills with them?
I am going to guess that you are a teenager and living at home, thus your parent's conerns have more impact on your life than they might otherwise. Do your research about the long term benefits of strength training. Performing your prayers as a teenager actually helps build up your bone density and can protect you from breaks up to your 70's. Adding muscle mass when you are young also protects you as you age.
Possibly, also, finding articles about aged body builders (such as the gentleman in India who just passed away at 104 years of age), and talking about how the leading indicator of mortality in the elderly is a lack of muscle mass- regardless of other health concerns.
If their concerns are really for your joints, ask them to join you on your joint mobility drills. Be cautious of your knees, mine are long gone and I miss them- my right knee is in nearly constant pain, so that is a very valid concern, as a parent, but there is much bad information out there on how our prayers are bad for joints. They are not. If you do, and present your research well, hopefully your parents will respect that you are making an informed decision.
NSAIDs can make it worse, if taken long term. They prevent inflammation, part of which is necessary for healing to occur. When the inflammation is really bad, it gets in the way of healing, but if you just try and shut it down, then you can't recover either. NSAIDs block both parts of the inflammatory process - the inflammatory 'attack' part, and the recovery part, driven by tnf-reg cells. Neither prolonbed NSAID use, nor leaving things as they are is ideal. Shitty, I know.
I'd suggest
twothree things, which will help, regardless of whether you are dealing with RSI, arthritis, or something else.Contrast Baths
Set up two long shallow tubs of water in your bathroom, long and wide enough to fit both arms up above the elbow comfortably. Fill one with cold water, the other with warm water. Extreme cold and extreme heat isn't any more useful - just make sure the cold one is cool, and the warm one is warm enough to stay nice and warm for more than the ten minutes you'll be using it.
Set a time for 1 minute and submerge both arms in the warm one, then a minute in the cold one. Do this for 11 minutes, so that you end with the warm one.
Do this 2-3 times a day, and ideally before you are going to use your hands for anything. If you empty out the cold one, and let the other sit until it is cold, then the water won't get stale and have things growing in it.
This does a bunch of good things: increasing circulation, which increases the flow of nutrients and the cells that fix cellular damage. And, the heat also reduces inflammation via shock protein emission, which recruits tnf-reg cells. It also reduces pain.
The other thing
Get this book and do the exercises in it, specific to the pain you are experiencing:
https://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Carpal-Syndrome-Repetitive-Injuries/dp/1572240393
The third thing
Avoid using it if when it hurts. Carefully exercise it (this isn't 'using it normally' - you'll need to figure out how the tendons and muscles are involved - they will be involved regardless of the root cause - and very lightly stretch/strengthen them) when it doesn't. If it hurts afterwards but not during, you need to back off. Immobilization can be as bad as overuse. You may be in so much pain that you need to exercise it a bit regardless - if the pain is never going away, you have to start somewhere. Sorry to be so vague, but I can't be more help without coming over for a visit.
Good luck.
This sounds a lot like Pete Egoscue's method. I took a basic fitness class in college and his book was required reading. It's a great book I would recommend to anyone interested in fitness. It's chock full of exercises designed to correct these "imbalances" and restore posture to correctness.
here's the amazon link
here's a youtube link
Most of us are here because we have trusted our intuitions and value "connecting the dots" above receiving credentials.
In case you haven't noticed the credentials that TRP holds are squat. I'm sure all of us would love to have our posts headlining nightly NBC, but instead we are "banished" here on reddit.
Odds are that a degree in Psychology will leave worse you off then where you began. Modern psychology in deeply entrenched in the BP brainwashing engine. You are better off studying the Humanities or the Classics if you want to learn about the human condition.
Psychology has fallen. Comparing today's pop psychology nonsense to Freud and Jung is like comparing the Founding Fathers to today's so-called "statesmen".
Not exactly related to the post, but I highly recommend you read this. A great book on an important issue and it's where I learned much about the unconscious.
https://www.amazon.com/Divided-Mind-Epidemic-Mindbody-Disorders/dp/0061174300
https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
I back the foam roller/lacrosse ball recommendations, and some focused area yoga. Also look up some of Christopher Somers' Gymnastic Bodies programs, they have a lot of exercises for shoulder strength and mobility.
Another thing that might help you are deadhangs from a pull up bar. Dr. John Kirsch wrote a book about his studies treating shoulder pain, and as I understand it, the crux of it was that he found that doing consistent dead hangs (with the thumbs disengaged) helped alleviate a lot of the issues over time. I have rotator cuff syndrome in my left shoulder and doing the hangs has definitely been helping the pain from it https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
Hang.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1589096428/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_j9sszbEJ7JJHT
Myofascial pain and CPTSD are enormously comorbid.
I would suggest the following books for your friend. They don't talk about pain in terms of CPTSD but they do talk about pent-up rage, the people pleasing personality, anxiety and things of that nature and their influence on pain.
Unlearn your Pain
The Mind-Body Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing Pain
The MindBody Workbook
The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mind-Body Disorders
What your friend should understand is that pain is a side effect of chronic hypervigilance from her trauma. And that treating the trauma will, in turn, treat the pain.
Disclaimer: I'm not a PT, I'm just on these boards because I'm considering switching careers into it.
I am/was a chronic pain sufferer for many years, with the past 2 years being drastically worse and debilitating. However after making serious dedicated effort I am making huge progress and am at this point fully convinced that I will not only entirely beat chronic pain, but also be even better off than I was.
IMHO, by the time you reach chronic pain > 6mo-year things have become much more complicated than your average PT/MD is going to be looking. 'Climbing out of this hole' is very possible, 'very soon' is unrealistic. What is more realistic is something like 'I will crawl, and walk, and climb from the pit of this ravine until climbing is my friend and I won't even realize I've reached level ground until I look down from the mountain I have climbed.'
You are likely going to have to do a lot of learning, because an MD/PT/Ortho/Chiro whatever is not going to be able to change enough aspects of your life to 'cure' you. Additionally it would be unwise for them to try because the time it would take they could of prevent so many more people from entering chronic pain to begin with. That is not to say that they will be worthless by any means. They will always have the insight that their degree and years of experience have given them, and are in fact invaluable in this way.
While you may or may not have lower cross syndrome, this is not where I'd recommend starting. At this point it would be my guess that you're very tight in may places over your body, and have developed a plethora of compensation patterns. That's totally fine, they are very likely all reversible in time. One problem this presents though is the idea of 'of if I fix compensation X then I'll feel better' but they are all interacting with each other, so as you fix one another will change. But after you work over the entire body over significant periods of time it will start to come together. This is mainly because once you learn how a single compensation is happening you will eventually be able to get more and more corrections on 'auto-pilot' so that these corrections will be happening as you try to correct other patterns.
The first thing I suggest is learning about pain science. It's proven to actually reduce pain, and will help you make more informed decisions through the journey. I highly recommend http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Better-Movement-Science-Practice/dp/0991542304/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427501143&sr=1-1&keywords=better+movement . It's a good starting point and requires almost no background. It also has some good exercises at the end of the book based on the Feldenkrais method. Feldenkrais is certainly not a cure all, but I find extremely helpful, as it helps address the motor patterns in a very learning friendly environment.
Finally, if you are depressed don't forget the possibility of seeing a psychological therapist. You are depressed because you hurt all the time. That is inevitable, but being depressed can also prevent you from fixing the pain int he first place. You have to fight the war on all fronts. You may also want to consider picking up meditation (or find a mindfulness based therapist). It's also backed by lots of research and from my experience the way you learn from meditation and the way you learn to be pain free have lots of overlap. By mindfully observing and learning from your moment to moment experience you have greater ability to direct your future moments.
Best of luck on your journey.
Afaik there aren't studies that study this specifically. You'll get results the fastest if you stretch as often as possible, everyday, at least three times a day. In my experience, that should yield noticeable improvements in 1-2 weeks.
But there's no need to be in a hurry. Thrice a week will yield results, too. It'll just take longer. I encourage you to also stretch when you're working. Stand up every hour take 10-15 seconds to stretch each leg, that will prevent some tightness, in my experience.
By the way, the hip flexors aren't the only muscles that influence hip position. So I'd also make sure that you have proper range of motion in other joints and that other muscles aren't excessively tight.
And keep in mind that stretching isn't the only method to improve posture and movement. I'd check out this book if I were you: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0991542304/
You are 100% a good candidate for Ketamine therapy. It could definitely help you. If you decide to do it I highly recommend this book. It has helped many people with their Ketamine journey,
https://www.amazon.com/Ketamine-Infusions-Patients-Everything-infusions-ebook/dp/B07X148Z94/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Ketamine+Infusions&qid=1567526759&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Data in this fields is scarce. All the information I have is anecdotal or unpublished, but I do believe that as we learn more about fascia and develop better techniques for imaging adhesions, facial release will become a commonly taught modality.
I have had facial release performed by two doctors, both of them leaders in the study of the fascia distortion model of injury.
I broke my back in a skiing accident and had difficulty with pain and flexibility.
At my first treatment the physician used his thumbs to push on trigger points in my back. This is not a comfortable massage, it's much stronger and more targeted pressure. It hurt a lot, but after he pushed the fascia around and flattened out the bump, I was able to touch my toes again.
I was fine for months, then I hurt my back again. I had a similar procedure done by a different physician and I was fine again.
I now use a foam roller a few times a week to keep the knots from forming. It works really well to iron out smaller points, but if a big knot forms it needs a pair of hands.
The doctor who first performed on me teaches the method for a school in the Pacific Northwest. I haven't read his book, but it might be worth checking out.
http://www.amazon.com/Does-Hurt-Fascial-Distortion-Model/dp/1592989411
Edit*
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23768283
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24703512
There is a book by Dr. John Kirsch, M.D. Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention
https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
Basically, the point is there are some tendons in the shoulders and due to the bone deformations with age they start to touch the bone and you get shoulder pains and crackling. The remedy is to hang for 15 minutes a day.
Here is a video on youtube and there are more where this came from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae9nW7acekk
If you are looking for something more educational I suggest "A Guide to Better Movement" by Todd Hargrove. It's an interesting read on how the nervous system modulates movement, and it is written intelligently but is still an easy read.
If you are looking for something more along the lines of a novel try "Run, Don't Walk" by Adele Levine. It a story about a PT who worked at Walter Reed Medical Center treating veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. The book is less about the science of physical therapy and more about her interactions with patients. It's also good in that the book is darkly funny and not depressing.
I know Kelly Starrett has a bunch of stuff on this. Not just supple leopard but another book called desk bound.
https://www.amazon.com/Deskbound-Standing-Up-Sitting-World/dp/1628600586
I haven't read it so I don't know what it exactly covers but I assume it at least covers ergonomics and combating sitting for hours
So, I heard about this from Joe Rogan's Podcast after experiencing the same thing. i put a pullup bar in my office just a few inches from the ceiling so at full extension my feet do not touch the floor. Twice a day i hang from the bar. try to disengage your shoulder muscles as much as possible. This is the clip from the podcast. Good luck!
have you tried yoga? I am not recommending this instead of, but in addition to, seeking professional help.
Previously i had a back and rotator cuff injury from a car accident. the doctor has done multiple rounds of imaging, and i've tried many things to relieve this pain Rx naproxen, celecoxib, indomethecin, also physio, chiro, etc. I've had coughing spasms violent enough to pull back muscles, and was given codeine for this. i have gone through the mattress replacement, and pillow replacement ritual.
i found the basic chiro stuff - stretches etc. were not enough. the drugs did not stop acute, breakthrough pain that would keep me up at night, and in the evenings my back muscles were so sore from being sore, they were twitching. I remember crawling to the bathroom some nights because it was too painful to roll out of the bed and stand up and walk. I felt i was lost in physical therapy and at times the therapist was just chasing symptoms, and had even forgotten about the car accident that got me there in the first place. with two physios and a chiro, i felt i reached the point where they were just milking me for repeat visits with no improvements. After faking politeness at my last physiotherapy/acupuncture session with no relief, I decided to take a more active role in decision making re: physical therapy.
i started doing a yoga routine of just child's pose, sphinx, upward-facing dog. i didn't go to classes but looked at poses and gradually learned from youtube videos for me it took weeks to get to the third pose; my back was in too much pain for me to even curl up into a ball, and my knees also had to get their flexibility back over time. i started trying to hold a pose for 30 seconds, and then build up from there. i also did intermediate poses until i could get my flexibility back in my joints.
One thing i noticed doing this solo was i could finally start targeting specific areas based on how painful or sore they were. i mainly picked positions to try, using my back pain as a diagnostic tool. i gradually noticed there were different kinds of pain - the kind of soreness that could disappear after about 30-60 sec. in a pose, and the ones that lasted longer. i worked on the pain i could make go away with stretching poses, and it felt so empowering to be able to see some of my pain could be managed with stretching, and to see improvement over a few days or a week. The more i did yoga, the less i relied on the NSAIDS for pain management.
for my shoulder, i did the pectoral stretches and arm stretches, posture exercises i learned from my physiotherapist. i also read the John Kirsch book on Shoulder Pain: The Solution and the Prevention, which recommends hanging by your arms from a tree, and simple exercises, to slightly remodel the spine and shoulder over months through the normal stresses of statically hanging from a bar. i'd highly recommend this book if you have shoulder trouble; all of the treatments/exercises are free so he it's not like he's selling you on Zumba. When i started seeing improvements in my shoulder, i started sleeping much better.
i think what helped me the most was a good night's sleep. i went from about 3-4 hours of sleep to 8+ hours every day. I think this helps me as much as the stretches. I think once i started getting more sleep every night, i felt i got more benefits from the yoga stretches and hanging from a tree. it took me about a year and a half to get to this point.
n.b re: mattress: i still get a sore back every fucking night, but i am too poor to buy another. but i get out of bed and do my yoga poses, shoulder stretches, and by then the coffee is ready. I still need to figure out how to get less painful sleeps, but otoh i am actually sleeping now, albeit bit sore.
I encourage in addition to the tests, try to explore and restore the flexibility in your back with stretches and exercises. They are free and can be learned on youtube. i also want to encourage you to keep trying things until you can start getting quality sleep. Chronic back pain is a discouraging thing to go through and it has almost broken me many times.
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Pain-Permanent-Healing-Understanding-ebook/dp/B01L2NWZ3S/
If you have the money I’ve heard of people having great results from stem cell injections. Also like FDLife said, hanging is great for your shoulders and I’ve personally gotten good results from this for shoulder pain. The book “Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention” by John M. Kirsch, MD is worth checking out.
You do not need surgery. Rest easy friend.
I am a few weeks into au naturale treatment of my "severe" carpal tunnel as they called it and I'm feeling so much better.
It was mis-diagnosed as cervical radiculopathy (piched nerve in the neck) for 7 months, physical therapy that exacerbated the problem and everything. Despite that, I'm already feeling great improvement and I am willing to bet you can too. My entire arm was completely numb for months on end. I felt like chopping the damn thing off. No one having any idea what the problem was really bothered me. One EMG test later and voila, carpal tunnel diagnosis.
I was scared when my EMG test results came back too. A trusted friend revealed he too had been diagnosed with carpal tunnel, but didn't get surgery. He suggested that book too. It's about a 4-month journey to recovery, but its totally possible. People that go for surgery are going for the quick and easy route. You don't have to.
Check out this book:
Deskbound - Kelly Starrett
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600586/
The first sentence in this amazing booK:
"You've already heard that sitting is the new smoking".
Check out the reviews. You want this book!
Its called Brachial hanging.
It was on one of the steve maxwell episodes (probably the latest one.) He tells Joe about a book he read on the subject of shoulder pain.
John M. kirsch book:
https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
its good shit. also check out John E. Sarnos book for chronic pain issues:
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446557684
Deskbound by Kelly Starrett has made me feel much better at my desk job.
Taking extra salt under my tongue and eating low carb! I know it sounds crazy, but check out the links below. I’ve always suffered before big storms until I started following the migraine protocol this woman lays out in her book.
Article:
https://www.hormonesmatter.com/migraine-all-wrong/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Migraine-Epidemic-Migraines-Medications-ebook/dp/B076BZG2V3/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514080060&sr=1-1&keywords=fighting+the+migraine+epidemic
Migraines: A migraine-brain is in a state of constant struggle to find enough energy for its biochemical balance in order to maintain electrolyte homeostasis. Recent scientific reports show that migraines, seizures and strokes all relate to ionic imbalance of sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, and water. One particular model looked at how changing potassium ion concentration affects brain activity and how seizures and migraines have similar underlying mechanisms.
I would say those talks and films are sort of on the extreme side of things, and are intended to illicit a strong response and a call to action -- not criticizing them, just pointing out their purpose. Since that seemed to work well for you, you may want to look into fitness communities that have strong beliefs in the benefits of fitness and the detriments of being sedentary. The CrossFit community is one example. I haven't tried it, but I've heard it varies wildly from box to box, so you'd have to do some perusing.
If you want to do some related reading, here's a book that focuses on how sitting is killing you.
However, you do not have to commit yourself to some group fitness regimen to get in shape. I completely second the idea that all you need to do is find a form of exercise that is fun for you. Bicycling, hiking mountains, swimming, powerlifting, running, olympic weightlifting, badminton, roller blading, whatever. That being said, if you're trying to lose or gain weight, eating correctly to meet those goals is roughly 80% of the battle.
That's a fair question. I'm a massage therapist and I found my way into studying pain science for fun as much as anything (I used to be an engineer). Pain is an action signal from your brain - stop doing this, protect this, move this, or seek help. It is not a damage meter. And the brain isn't always good at risk estimation.
In your case my wild guess is you have a lack of flexibility and your back muscles are hitting their end range of motion, so your brain says, "hey be careful, we don't want any strains or sprains."
I will say this - the human spine is far stronger and more resilient than people give it credit for in this culture. Chiropractors and doctors in particular are a big culprit. Chiro's for business reasons along with their hundred years out of date models about how the body works. Doctors because when you go to your GP with low back pain all he really has at his disposal is an x-ray machine, so he does a scan, finds some disk degeneration, and declares that to be the issue, and says no more golf for you. If you're lucky your doctor has a background in modern neuroscience and has read papers like the one I referenced above. But the odds of that are low.
While we're at it, go pick up this book. He goes into more detail with pain science, why movement is important, and why all this really centers on the nervous system.
I'd also recommend checking out deskbound from your library.
Had a grade 2 to both shoulders, one from surfing, one from Jiu Jitsu (a beautiful but vicious spider guard sweep).
The advice sounds about right. Good news is, two other guys (that I know of) in the same situation at my gym and all of us are still training. One is an active MMA fighter, the other won black belt worlds masters in 2014.
I went to a physiotherapist for massage and rehab exercise. This was good, but not cheap. It was OK to roll after six weeks, but took a few months to totally settle down. Or maybe I learned to move around it better.
One of my collarbones sticks up further than it should at the shoulder. Slight hunchback of Notre Dame effect. If I sleep on that side, I get pins and needles in that hand after a few hours.
Occasionally get mild tweaks when rolling, especially on my side in half guard with a big guy trying to crush me, but they usually go away after some icing and a day or two's rest.
I found this book useful once I had recovered, as recommended by Steve Maxwell:
https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
You might be able to find a free digital copy somewhere.
Science! followed by some Older Science!
One of the problems is that low-quality shoes generally take a while to reveal their crumminess. You might have to walk a couple days in them to really see how bad they are. In the case of my Skechers (see other response in this thread), it took a while before I noticed that half of my middle toe was numb 24/7 (not front or back half, the whole right half!). Then I noticed that I was losing feeling in other toes, too - not to mention the nice scabs I had from where the toe cup cut back onto the top of my foot. I was in a job where I had to walk all over a very large restaurant for long hours several days a week.
The $30 I paid for the Chinese ones I bought in Japan was a bad choice, but I was broke. The Skechers were like $60 or something - though I did get refund for them. I concede that price may not be an indicator of "quality." The Chinese shoes caused my ankles to tighten up significantly, because, as I discovered, the flex point in the sole was too far forward, causing my lower leg muscles to contract with each stop (to hold the ankle in place). That combined with the heel being a tad too thick caused my ankles to get all sorts of tight. (EDIT: I think that Converse All-Stars are "good shoes" because they let your feet be your feet and don't try and control where they flex - so price is not necessarily an indicator of whether a shoe will screw up your feet.)
Regarding quality, I believe that most people don't know how to evaluate shoes because they don't know how their feet are connected to their knee stabilizing muscles. Essentially, people blame pains they have on their knees or ankles when they should really blame their shoes. The problem is that the shoes have too much cushioning in the sole. When the sole provides too much cushioning then the nerves in the feet are incapable of sending quantity-of-force and direction-of-force nervous signals to supporting muscles around the knee. This is because the sole's softness dissipates the forces coming into the foot, providing a confusing signal for the nerves in the feet. So, the leg muscles do not properly stabilize the knees because they don't know how to do so (the muscles don't get the correct information about the directions of force they would protect against). Ironically, people are convinced that shoes with "more support" are somehow better for them. This can't be true.
If you want to fix your knees walk barefoot on hard surfaces at least part of the time everyday. You will learn, by use, how to place your foot on the ground, because mistaken use is painful. This will help to retrain your leg muscles at stabilizing your knees - though there are exercises which are even better, which I don't know that I could describe in textual form. The foot should be placed heel, ball, toe and in a direct straight line where the ankle lies under the knee lies under the hip. If you need exercises to correct that (it's safe to assume that yes, you do) see Pete Egoscue's book Health Through Motion. Regarding the nerves firing to your stabilizing muscles, Pavel Tsatsouline's book Power to the People discusses this in the context of why you should not lift weights with gloves on - for safety. This last is because, like the feet, the hands have nerves in them which perform the same function (stabilizing elbow and shoulder by providing direction-of-force and quantity-of-force data to supporting muscles).
He's an amazing fitness and movement coach and ran a site called GymnasticsWOD for years. His book, Freestyle is a fantastic resource for many different movements from basic push-ups to backflips and other gymnastics-style tricks. Glad I could help!
Freestyle by Carl Poali is my second favourite to OG. It's more if you are into the theory of movement & biomechanics
Here ya go
Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention, Revised & Expanded 1st Edition
by John M. Kirsch M.D.
Here's a good link with video and docs listing the exercise routines. It's important to do the exercises in strict order!
https://thepostureguy.com/what-condition-is-your-posture-in-832584ce0fb0
I'd recommend Egoscue's 1st book to get the background on the conditions - The Egoscue Method of Health through Motion
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Egoscue-Method-Health-through-Motion/dp/0060924306
My experience is similar to OP. I've spent a lot of time lifting weights for exercise, mostly compound lifts with free weights, and it seems like the bracing and full engagement of muscles that I've trained there gets in the way of fluid dancing.
I think _morkbork is onto something with the focus on the negative/eccentric muscle action. If I focus on that and try keep as much concentric muscle effort out of my arms as possible, the dancing goes better.
More generally, it seems to help to keep the strength centered and low -- core, hips, legs, feet -- and engage shoulder and arm muscles just enough to suit the connection. Which is for me so hard to do. The experienced followers say that with good lead they can feel the connection to the lead's core, which I think gets blocked by tension in the hands, forearms, and biceps in particular.
I've been working through the exercises in the book The New Rules of Posture by Mary Bond. Despite the title, the subject is more about mobility, fluidity, and balance. It's been a good way to work out some of the stiffness on my own.
What a shitty system, they should have done an MRI a long time ago. Please push for an x-ray, if they don't find anything there ask what other imaging methods could help. Paying out of pocket for one would set you back around 200-250 euro.
Not a doctor so that sounds like it could be anything to me, but you could try dead hangs as per this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
https://www.amazon.com/Deskbound-Standing-Up-Sitting-World/dp/1628600586/
Check this book out. It's helped my posture a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/Deskbound-Standing-Up-Sitting-World/dp/1628600586
Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E1HDJ64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FoDTzbT7RWC53
Hey, man, I know what chronic pain is like... I had sciatica for 7 months, and occasionally it comes back... Check out wobenzym supplements and http://www.amazon.com/Egoscue-Method-Health-Through-Motion/dp/0060924306
If you're depressed, you should be able to find other people on the internet with the same problem... you're not alone.
EDIT
absolutely try the Egoscue method with wobenzym supplements (if you can, change your diet to natural anti inflammatory foods as well)... the book will re-build cartilage and balance all your muscles.
I'm currently going through Deskbound. Highly recommended. I thought I knew a lot about the body before but this just blows it away. I think some of his basic posture work over the last month has solved 70% of my issues. I also like how he goes after both treating the symptoms AND the cause.
Ugh, I am so sorry you are at this point. I am not going through it right now but that is only because I figured out a way through it. The pain and exhaustion and anxiety are always there for me, but I can manage my life with them in it now, if that makes sense. Rick bottom is a miserable and lonely place and the sooner you can get out of there, the better. May I recommend a book that really helped me? It just gave me a sort of silent but useful guide through the misery. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1593859821?pc_redir=1404067965&robot_redir=1
Best of luck-- take good care of yourself and revel in the good moments. This is a brutal experience but it gives you a push towards rewriting your life into something that works for you, and that really can be a positive experience. I had a cool life before and did much more, but in some ways I am happier now. And I am for sure more stable.
I really hope you feel better soon.
Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600586/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GEeIybBKSRWH0
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gFeIybZ03PF2R
Hey man, haven't seen the doc yet (plan to next month) but I've changed something that seemed to make a lot of difference.
Every time I introduced extra work to my external rotators I felt my teres minor really really tight to the point where it would bother me way too much.
Two things that have helped were:
1-) Hanging from a bar. Just seriously hanging form a bar. Shoulders completely relaxed and loose up to my ears. At first you wont feel it, but after getting used to it you'll be able to stretch further and you'll feel (or at least I did) your teres minor stretch so fucking good (the one on my left side, with the shoulder issue). It feels searing hot but without pain (as opposed to normal stretches) and my shoulder has been crackling a lot less and feeling a lot better since incorporating this and #2 which I'm about to tell you.
I encourage you to read this blog post. He talks about this book towards the end. I'm just doing a regular bar hang anywhere from 30 to 40 seconds to a total of 6 minutes a day. I started about 10 days ago doing 15 to 25s of hanging and around 3 minutes a day and was able to improve very fast.
2-) Snatch grip BTN presses (klokov press). Fuck these feel really good and I really feel like they've taught my body how to proper position and recruit my scapular stabilizers. I don't really know and at this point I'm just guessing but fuck me this has been really helping me. I feel like this guy properly communicates what I'm saying and well, u/gzcl advocates these for shoulder health as well so I'd say go for it if you can do them without pain.
I did these before but never in combination with the hanging work and I'd just end up with an extremely tight and painful left teres minor. Now shit just feels good. I honestly thought I'd need some sort of surgery or shit.
Also, don't forget to do rear delt work. I've been doing a shitload of band pull-aparts and band bilateral external rotations and I feel these really help as well (albeit not as much as the other two).
this book may help. i have it but never read it. ive read through one of his other books though and i liked it a lot. i think he's a legit source, but I really wouldn't know.
anyway for me, it was/is my shoulder health. they are pulled forward from having them in front of my at my desk all day so they hurt when i try to exercise.
a good place to start to lessen the effects of sitting would be to get up every 20 minutes or so to move around a bit, and to stretch every night
Are you doing a shoulder health routine for preventative reasons or do you currently have an issue with your shoulder? There's an orthopedic surgeon that wrote this book stating that he treats many of his patients by telling them to do dead hangs every day. It's good for preventative care and recovery. I've started doing deadhangs about 2 weeks ago and I've noticed an improvement in my weak rotator cuffs already. Sorry that I didn't really answer your original question, but I figured this would be worth mentioning.
I’m sorry you have issues with pain. I also deal with pain on a daily basis. But this is not “my bullshit theory”, there is tons of valid and repeatable research on this topic. I’ll include some links at the end.
The difference between his case and someone more susceptible is how long he’s had his issues. He’s already proven his chiropractor wrong, so the chiropractor holds much less sway.
For people who see their first doctor after an acute injury, they are totally unaware of how the injury will progress. When the doctor tells them “I’ve got some bad news for you bud.. this is going to be something you’ll probably have to deal with for the rest of your life”, this is what creates the problem. It instigates a cascade of effects where the person is afraid of injuring it further, thus they become less physically active, which causes more problems over time (muscle wasting, decreased blood flow to injury).
Secondly, tissue damage does not necessarily correlate with pain perception. The perception of pain is largely influenced by how great a threat we believe the injury to pose to our long-term welfare. The brain’s job is to protect your body, so when you are injured, you automatically become more attuned to the injured area. Your neural circuitry involved in vigilance toward that region of your body becomes more active, strengthening their synaptic connections. You may have increased cortisol. You’ll engage in sickness behavior such as rest and social isolation (of which the latter, notably, may also exacerbate perception of pain, as the brain regions involved in social rejection and inclusion also play roles in physical pain perception as well) Source
Usually, as the injury heals, the neural circuits that were activated in response to the acute pain will lose the strength of their synaptic connections, and you pay less attention to the pain. However, if you believe that the injury will will worsen over time, not improve, then your anxiety is only strengthening the connections within that circuitry. Your brain still regards it as a handicap. The pain signal originating from the damaged tissue may have slowed or ceased altogether, but the subsequent reorganization of neural circuits remains. Thus, in a way, your brain is “hallucinating” a higher degree of pain than it is actually being signaled from the damaged tissue. This is thought to also be the mechanism behind phantom limb syndrome (check out Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran’s remapping hypothesis.
I also deal with chronic pain, and I’m by no means saying it’s all in our mind. There is, however, substantial evidence that our attitude has a great influence on the outcome. I suggest reading Melanie Thernstrom’s book The Pain Chronicles, which goes pretty deep into the restructuring of the brain that occurs with chronic pain.
Here’s another paper that goes into the relationship between anxiety and pain perception.
I was just saying that the article you linked had the reason that sit-stand desks were not working for people was because they would sit down most of the time...
I think the question should be is are their health benefits for standing with proper posture all day better than sitting? and I'm sure someone like Kelly Starrett would be able to give you a million reasons and a whole book on why standing is better than sitting.
I mostly worked on my forearms with stretches like these. There's also a book called Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries: A Self-Care Program that I found helpful. It teaches you not just what to stretch but how to stretch in a very gentle way.
I was diagnosed with early Tendonitis last year. Went to the doctor, he just prescribed me some anti-inflammatory, and absolute no guitar playing. The no guitar playing for almost a month drove me nuts. I also used (on my own) this book which I believe helped - I still use many of the stretches in there daily.
The New Rules of Posture by Mary Bond
Anger isn't easily let go. Many people suffering from child abuse have permanently altered limbic systems. The anger thus, is always there. You can take care of it however. Rather like a special needs child. (And not simply let it take over you.)
I recommend a book called The Divided Mind by a child abuse survivor and M.D.
The limbic system tends to take over when the frontal lobe undergoes trauma. This is why patients with dementia or Alzheimers often become more and more grouchy as the illness progresses. (I'm a caregiver and I can testify to this.)
I hadn't connected this until recently to my own trauma however.
Up until about 7 years old the childs brain is extremely fragile and sensitive to trauma.
Emotional regulation is developing the most at this time. If a child is traumatized, they are permanently changed as beings.
I'm just telling you this because I think your statement is misleading. I would correct it and say "you have to learn how to manage the symptoms of your trauma..of which anger is one."
You cannot recover from permanent emotional damage. The hypervigilance and irritability are a part of me and likely most people here.
Free + Style by Carl Paoli http://www.amazon.com/Free-Style-Maximize-Performance-Movements/dp/1628600209?ie=UTF8&keywords=freestyle%20movement&qid=1464045956&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
Cut and paste from an email I sent to an acquaintance who asked me essentiall the same question. Some San Francisco specific advice, but my hands hurt too much to edit it out right now, sorry. I'm not better, so perhaps I'm not the best person to ask. But I have gotten better - it's the relapses that I am having trouble with:
--------------------------
I highly recomend this book, to just about anyone, injured already or not:
http://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Repetitive/dp/1572240393
This following one has been just as important, if not more so.
However, if you just jump into it, without being treated by a proper
deep tissue massage therapist for a while, you are almost certain to
injure yourself pretty badly.
http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment/dp/1572243759/ref=pd_cp_b_2
That said, I could never afford a daily professional massage, whereas
being able to work on oneself between meetings is key to maximising
the results. Just be really, really gentle - it can be easy to hurt
yourself when you haven't had the practice to distinguishing between
the transient pain of muscualr release and that caused by actual
injuring yourself.
(While the book itself is tremendously useful, it's organized in the
most backwards fashion. Instead of being organized by injury, it's
organized by physiology, so you will need lots of sticky book marks)
The following book has some useful conceptual information, though it
is not as practical as those first two
http://www.amazon.com/Carpal-Syndrome-Therapy-Computer-Professionals/dp/0965510999/ref=pd_cp_b_1
It does the best job of explaining the issues and how to deal with
them, but the actual exercises are sparse and not very useful.
Essentially, it goes against the conventional wisdom, that complete
rest is required for recovery, and suggests that very slow and steady,
increases in exercise >so long as they cause no pain whatsoever< are
an important part of the process.
The massage therapist I have seen is Jason Garcia, who now has his own practice near the Millbrae Bart/Caltrain station.
http://www.handsonwell.com/massage.html
I would also recomend the SF RSI support group, though I have not been attending much at all. I should, though the August speaker sounds like a charlatan. The November speaker looks like quite one to attend.
http://sf-rsi.unsealed.net/
> Every business person has to figure out where the point is that money gets you the rest of the information. We all have to eat, sleep, and save for rainy days/retirement/children, etc.
Absolutely, but if injury is to come from it... that is a dishonorable method. This is all conjecture though, right? I mean, Ido sincerely believes (from Dr. Kirsch's book) that hanging is the way to go toward improving shoulder health. So, maybe the people who are getting hurt are anomalies? I sure hope so!
I heard this episode as well and I am still very sceptical. The guess is the author of this book: John M. Kirsch M.D. Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention, Revised & Expanded https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&amp;tag=duckduckgo-fpas-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=2025&amp;creative=165953&amp;creativeASIN=1589096428
I haven't read the book myself. There are reviews online, but I haven't read them either. So you can find a lot of information on this stuff.
I personally don't find hanging to be effective at all.
I have a Kinesis keyboard but was still suffering some wrist pain (presumably due to all the gaming/drumming I do outside of coding at work) and found the stretches in this book helped quite a bit:
http://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Repetitive/dp/1572240393/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/002-8075426-2858431?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1181978967&amp;sr=8-3
I took Alexander Technique in college and this book is highly recommended to help with all these things: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Posture-Stand-Modern/dp/1594771243
It gives you many exercises to learn how to properly hold the body and to let go of tensions and habits that we carry all the time.
The class forever changed the way that I think about my body.
What kinds of procedures have they done?
Oh wow, I didn't know that I'm sorry- you still have a lot of work to do. My hips hurt for a very long time from surgery but I couldn't tell the difference if they felt better or worse. Unfortunately over time they got much much much worse. 6 months is normally the time you should know though so you've got plenty of time with that.
I've gotten 4 surgeries total so yes I can relate to you, friend.
Yeah I totally know what you mean, you didn't lash out :) . Even though you look at me like I could workout, I can't do it for longer than 5 minutes. And yeah the RIC program will tell you don't worry you'll work your way up!! But, it just doesn't work long-term as a solution. At least for me. You'll learn a lot of tools there, but they use a book called Managing Pain Before it Manages You. It is the core of their program and it's all in this book. Take a look at it before you decide anything.
RIC doctors are some of the top docs in the midwest area, if not country. Seriously.
I switched to evil/spacemacs a few years ago when my RSI was worsening to see if it helped. It helped for a short time but then my RSI started coming back. Vim keybindings can also cause RSI.
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However I don't regret learning evil. I really enjoy modal editing. Also, trying out spacemacs exposed me to lots of cool packages I didn't know about before. Though I'm using my own config these days, whenever I'm trying out a new language I usually check the spacemacs config to see what packages are installed there.
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Over the years I've tried various things that have been more or less helpful for RSI:
- Conquering carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries
- http://www.workrave.org/
- Voice coding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SkdfdXWYaI, https://github.com/dictation-toolbox/aenea)
- Mind-body prescription (it's a bit wacky, I don't agree with all of it, but I think there's something to it & a lot of people seem to find it helpful)
- Standing desk
- Back massage (https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Tail-Ball-Roller-Corded/dp/B0078PX01G/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=ball+rope+back+massage&qid=1558366141&s=gateway&sr=8-4)
- Exercise
It may be worthwhile looking into the work of Dr. John Sarno.
I'm no doctor but can highly recommend the approach laid out in the following book https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428 The program basically involves hanging from a pull up bar to help remodel your shoulder.
Dead hangs from a bar a few minutes a day. A surgeon named John Kirsch wrote a book about this.
Behind the neck presses. Start light.
Overhead kettlebell work, like get ups, windmills, presses. There's something about the offset weight that pulls your arm back and "opens up" the shoulder.
I also try not to sleep on my side, or arrange my pillows to take pressure off my shoulder if I sleep on my side.
Ah yes! That’s Neuroscientist Dr. Michele Ross she is an amazing Human Being who is a former drug researcher for the National Institute on Drug Abuse who later evolved supporting medical marijuana and psychedelics for medicinal use.
Her advocacy is really great and Dr. Ross says she sought out non-neurotoxic, nonaddictive DMT to help her heal from trauma. Her empathy and experience really expresses her ability to see everything for what it is which as a researcher can be difficult for a variety of reasons and her boldness in her degree to express openly is really remarkable, respectful, and expansive. It’s influences like Dr. Ross that make a difference in the system. God Bless this powerful Woman.
In the link Dr. Ross describes her DMT trip in detail and is a great listen, I cannot recall from what source, but I have seen her speak about it before, I thought maybe the documentary ‘DMT: The Spirit Molecule’ but I don’t see her casted on IMDB so I am a little perplexed...🤔 eh memory is mental fuckery anyway.
There is a great book Vitamin Weed by Dr. Michele Ross
In this book Dr. Ross teaches the Use of Cannabis To Prevent and Treat Disease with a groundbreaking 4-step plan to prevent and reverse endocannabinoid deficiency that changes the way we use medical marijuana.
She also offers courses on her website where you can learn about cannabis which is really great especially if you are a patient, caregiver, doctor, cannabis coach, or just curious about it, these courses are very informative and useful. Check her out she is pretty dope.
https://www.drmicheleross.com/courses
Have you heard of the amazing Human Being Rick Strassman,PhD?
Back to your experiences have you changed anything about yourself because of these intense moments experienced through DMT?
And what a great name for that podcast “reset.me” totally adding it to my iTunes! thanks for sharing that clip!
I've had a ton of panic attacks and am diagnosed with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). Glad KL came out and talked about it, as it will encourage others to seek help. You're not crazy, its OK to seek help.
As an aside, I read a book that helped me a lot to conquer my mind, which was the cause of basically every ailment I suffered for almost 10 years. You don't beat this in a week or a month, it takes time, but you start somewhere. Seek the books by Dr. John Sarno.
https://www.amazon.com/Divided-Mind-Epidemic-Mindbody-Disorders/dp/0061174300/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1520380451&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=sarno
> I have messed up joints.
How bad are they messed up? I was able to fix my shoulder problems with some exercises in a crappy book from the 90s I found at my local library. I know it sounds kind of dumb but maybe it can help? The only problem is it is a lot of work. I continue to do about 45 minutes of physical therapy type exercises every day just to counteract my relative sedentary lifestyle and maintain healthy joints and posture.
I don't know if this is complete bunk or not. Nobody else seems to know anything about this guy and there is no medical papers or science to back him up. :/
If you're serious about stretching I recommend this book, especially if you're feeling RSI symptoms:
https://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Carpal-Syndrome-Repetitive-Injuries/dp/1572240393
The book covers stretches across your full body since tension in other areas can affect your hands and arms. This book has so many stretches to choose from that you can really tailor a warm-up to suit your needs. After you try a bunch, you'll be able to see which stretches are the most helpful. I've narrowed it down to about 10 stretches that I do each night before bed and when I'll be playing for extended hours. Only takes about 5 minutes and I really feel a difference compared to when I slack off and don't do the stretches.
So you've had RSI for the last 7 years!? Props to you for keeping going! Typing out that post must have been a painful process. IANA doctor, so take this all with a grain of salt as you should anything on the internet.
First thing is to find out if you've done any serious damage to your wrists. Is it at all possible for you to have a scan or something similar done? That would be a great start.
Rest and gentle stretches seem to be the way for most people, tendons can heal but they heal a lot more slowly than muscles do. There are many things on the internet, but a really good book I bought (one of 3) is It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndome. It says it's for computer professionals, but it's for anyone really. I also read through this book and it seemed to have some good advice.
But honestly, what got me through was a thing called TMS. It's hard to grasp, that something like RSI (especially as severe as you have it, it seems) can be caused by your mind but it worked for me. It sounds really, really insane, but I was at the point where I was giving up and just thought 'screw it'. There's a pretty recently made program that could be a starting point, but I recovered by reading through this book and putting in to practice some of the exercises he goes through in the final chapters. It genuinely sounds like a shill from the outside, like someone trying to make money off of the suffering of others, but you don't have to spend any money on it.
Good luck with whatever you choose, /u/TexturedMango. There's a facebook group that will give you excellent advice too if you want the link to that.
The Divided Mind by Dr. John Sarno is worth reading. It's largely focused on chronic pain, but he has mentioned that his theory applies to allergies, digestive issues, etc as well.
There is plenty of research looking at the connection between inflammation, stress, and depression. The field of Psychoneuroimmunology overall, and it's research is worth reading up on.
Research on the microbiome/gut health, and it's connection with inflammation, depression/psychological health, immune function, etc. also seems to be part of the puzzle.
Research on social status and health is also interesting.
At this point, the research isn't solid, but there are some dots to be connected in some manner.
Let me ask you - HOW are you doing your stretches? I learned a new way of stretching where you have to first feel the slightest bit of tension then wait 10-15s for it to go away (if it does go away. If not repeat the day after) then go ahead and start further extending the stretch. A single stretch can take up to 15 minutes like this and way longer (weeks) to full do the stretch but it pays off A LOT. If you just go ahead and do the stretch all the way with lots of tension then you actually make things WORSE which blew my mind. You also have to do multiple types of stretches, every other day so it has to be consistent (that's a big thing, it can take a week or two for me to fully get rid of a flare up. If I just do it every now and then it won't do too much). Another thing you should consider is isometric exercises that will toughen you ligaments and tendons. If you do any heavy weight lifting, you need to rethink that also. Your muscles may be ready for the job but not the rest of the body so switch to body weight exercises and master them before moving on. Another thing that helped A LOT is a lacrosse ball that I roll around on my forearm focusing on tense/semi-painful spots (myofascial release) for 15m. It made a world of difference. I've attached the resources that really helped me out. Things that only helped a but not as much as the above were playing in the classical position and trying to pick NOT parallel to the strings but perpendicular ala Michael Angelo Batio.
https://www.amazon.ca/Conquering-Carpal-Syndrome-Repetitive-Injuries/dp/1572240393/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505499105&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=carpal+tunnel
https://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505499312&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=supple+leopard
https://www.amazon.ca/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength-ebook/dp/B004XIZN5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505499327&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=convict+conditioning
I'll tell you right now, that not only have I greatly reduced pain from tendonitis (which has been with me since my teens) but also carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome but I've also been making measurable gains in high speed soloing. The worst thing you can do is take some NSAIDs and "wait it out". It took a year and a half of waiting with a tonne of desperation that lead me to dedicating my mornings to my overall health. Oh and forget about just guitar man...you'll need to take care of this if you want to be able to even work a desk job.
You could try reading this book, Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention, Revised & Expanded https://www.amazon.com/dp/1589096428/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DmGkybTFSYDFW , if money is the issue. But if it hurts a lot I would stop doing exercises that hurt. Don't want to permanently injure yourself.
Yes, thanks.
One thing about the comment about the RC muscles getting smashed up. I read this book on shoulder pain a while ago and the author actually recommends dead hangs for shoulder pain. While I'm not sure that's the best recommendation for everyone, one thing he does address is RC impingement in the overhead position and he claims it's not possible as the RC will have completely cleared the acromion by the time the arm is straight up. So I assume something else must be getting pinched here like the bursa or bicipital tendon.
Personally I do get some pain in my left bicipital groove with some overhead presses and occassionally with a hang. Would that be remedied by the same thing, more external rotation?
Make your own standing desk. It can be done with random finds. And read this it helped me tremendously with having a desk job and battling tendonitis in my shoulder. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E1HDJ64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_6ZT9AbBX9P6BF
Here is the mobile version of your link
I'm a Mind-Body Life Coach and I highly recommend Dr. Sarno's "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders".
I passed on the recommended jaw surgery myself, and keep my jaw functioning better with bodywork. I don't even need to wear an orthotic anymore. You'd be surprised just how much of a problem tight muscles can be. Everything we do is forward: keyboards, steering wheels, etc. Stretching backwards on my balance ball is one of my favorite things to do because it just feels so good.
If you can afford to go to a massage therapist that specializes in ortho-bionomy, you should definitely do that. I would like to be able to see mine more often.
https://ortho-bionomy.org/
I find that my new coach's look like a deer in headlights when I ask them to scale simple moves. You'd be shocked at hard this for some people (in least I am shocked.) You are referring to this book http://amzn.to/2kJBxy2 right? Do you (or anyone else that would like to chime in, please do) think it's better than Free+style http://amzn.to/2lgZ39l. I've taken crossfit gymnastics cert, but I like to have good references available for my coaches.
Speaking of which, here's a link to list of our favorite books.
https://www.sandandsteelfitness.com/top-personal-training-books-crossfit-nutrition/
What do you guys think about these books?
BTW, there should be a book review sticky section, sidebar, where people can specifically ask about books, programs, and videos.
Here are the books I'm asasking about:
Idk if anyone read them, hopefully they did but what do you have to say about these books?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0938045628/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1420824655&amp;sr=8-2&amp;pi=AC_SY200_QL40
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JOCT3IK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1420824685&amp;sr=8-2&amp;pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0983602816/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_15?colid=20SPZ6UZ33ESF&amp;coliid=IVIG5JPTOOQPS
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00OSLHQ7M/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_7?colid=20SPZ6UZ33ESF&amp;coliid=I3KZDPK6OOBBK4
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GVG1UWY/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_6?colid=20SPZ6UZ33ESF&amp;coliid=IUPBJZDZ158P8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1492139408/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_2_4?colid=20SPZ6UZ33ESF&amp;coliid=I2EGJHCM0OPEN3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1628600209/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_4?colid=2MM3AADBHAZQ4&amp;coliid=I3BX8RGVL6H73R
u/sfcnmone "Fighting The Migraine Epidemic: Complete Guide: How to Treat & Prevent Migraines Without Medicines" It is a white book. There is a green book with similar title, that's my 1st edition and now hackers are selling "new" copies or used copies for a lot of money... don't go for that one. Here is the link to the correct one on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Migraine-Epidemic-Migraines-Medicines-ebook/dp/B076BZG2V3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1553898414&amp;sr=8-1-fkmrnull
Hard Cover on this one could last a lifetime with proper care:
https://www.amazon.com/Deskbound-Standing-Up-Sitting-World/dp/1628600586
So there's a great book and rehab protocol for shoulder rehab called "hanging therapy". I competed many years in brazilian jiu jitsu and have used it successfully for shoulder pain and issues of myself and friends. I first saw it on the Joe Rogan podcast.
You can read up on the protocol or get the book that it originates from. Here's a link to it: https://www.amazon.com/Shoulder-Solution-Prevention-Revised-Expanded/dp/1589096428
It's written by a doctor who was a shoulder specialist. It has a very high success rate for rehabilitating shoulders.
I'm not sure how much any particular neuropsychologist could help you because of all of the factors involved, so I wanted to suggest much less expensive but lesser known options which you may want to pursue whether or not you visit the neuropsychologist first. I know that even a single session of certain kinds of testing can cost thousands of dollars even with insurance. As soillogical suggested a "history of anxiety/depression makes one far more susceptible to developing chronic pain" and this is what my final paragraph of this long post is about. And like Daannii mentioned, CBT can certainly help you as well, it's one of the most efficient treatments for anxiety and depression, as well as many other conditions involving conditioned/learned responses or whatnot.
I have scoliosis as well, it's not very bad, but I get lower back pain- especially in the winter and for the last 10 years or so I've had chronic hamstring pain which feels sort of like acid on the muscle. I was in a bad accident 13 years ago where I was hit by a large AC van and ended up with brain swelling and I was in a coma for a week, I had bad vertigo and a horrible sense of balance. My friend is a personal trainer and he recently suggested that I go see a Neuro Kinesiologist, NKT is a "body work method that can be used both as an assessment tool and as a rehabilitative technique. It gets to the root of chronic and acute muscular tightness and pain, relieving it through working with the motor control center (MCC) of the brain itself in the cerebellum." My NKP practitioner told me that most people with scoliosis have some degree of dysfunction in their diaphragm which can lead to multiples problems, one of which I'll describe below.
I've only been two one appointment so far, but it's not something where they want to see you a bunch of times or anything like that, I found a NKT practitioner at the link below and went in to see her, she works at a Physical Therapy/Orthopedic Center and is a DPT, PT, and OCS:
http://neurokinetictherapy.com/certified-practitioners
The first appointment was $70 and lasted about an hour and a half, they did several exercises to test muscle groups, the main one was some variation of the therapist attempting to lift my legs while I was laying on a table- my goal was to resist by contracting my leg muscles and pushing downward. She did this with me breathing normal first, and then the same thing while I was holding my breath after an exhale, and then holding my breath with full lungs- it was easy for her to lift my legs in all cases except when I had full lungs. This meant that I was using my diaphragm to provide stability to my body whereas I should have been using my core muscles in my abs and back. She then began to examine my diaphragm for tension, I believe it was but probably something else too.
There's probably tons of other issues that NKT can examine/diagnose, but the way she explained my issue was essentially your body is constantly balancing itself and making minor adjustments multiple times a second, but your brain doesn't tell every muscle exactly what to do every millisecond- instead your body learns patterns of movement, or whatnot, and your brain sends balance signals down to the lower body, if for some reason the appropriate muscles don't act as they should (usually one or more of the core muscles) and provide the needed balance and stability then muscles which aren't properly equipped will have to pick up the slack. In my case my abdominus rectus and multifidus in the lower back weren't activating properly so my hip flexors and part of my upper legs is being overworked much of the time. She explained a diaphragm release stretch and gave me three exercises to do after the stretch twice a day, I've been doing the exercises for over a week now and they are very challenging. What seems to have happened is after the car accident my muscles were forced to deal with much worse balance, and vertigo and double-vision at the time, than ever before so they dealt with the issue but not in the best way possible and 99.999% of physical therapists aren't trained in NKT (which was made in the mid-1980s) so they weren't looking for particular issues, they were just training me to walk again on the macro level.
Keep in mind that all of the above is based on my understanding after a single session of NKT, so it may not be exactly right, but the main thing is an NKT practitioner can diagnose issues which even surgeons and other specialists aren't looking for and in many cases aren't even familiar with. Even if you never go back to the NKT specialist again just doing the exercises will help your issue, I'm going back in about two weeks to check my progress and make sure I'm doing the exercises correctly but this isn't required so you're not going to be out much money my checking into this.
This is unrelated to the above post, but I think both of these recommendations can help you, as to which one would help you more I can't say but I am confident that one of them will help you quite a bit. This is a really good book by the Dr. that treated Howard Stern for chronic back pain which he had always thought was from sitting for many hours a day in a chair over several decades while doing radio shows and writing/etc [The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders](http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0061174300?psc=1&amp;redirect=true&amp;ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage)
He found that the unconscious mind can oftentimes make pain worse if not cause the pain altogether as a way to attempt to distract the conscious mind from serious emotional pain which may be completely repressed or the person may seem glimpses of it on occasion.