Shoulder Pain while playing

calibration

calibration

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have an experience I wanted to share with the crew here. When I play for an extended period of time I get pains in my upper shoulder area. It is in my left arm probably due to extending it out to bridge and keep low on the ball. Now I'm 47 years old too which doesn't help...

Has anybody else had this experience ?
 
calibration said:
I have an experience I wanted to share with the crew here. When I play for an extended period of time I get pains in my upper shoulder area. It is in my left arm probably due to extending it out to bridge and keep low on the ball. Now I'm 47 years old too which doesn't help...

Has anybody else had this experience ?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is quite common. Just remember... the purpose of the bridge is to support and guide the shaft of the cue, not to support the weight of your body. Another thing people don't think about, is that it is very common to watch players get up from their stance by pushing up with their bridge hand/arm. It would be wise to work with an instructor that can assist you in adjusting your stance so that most of your weight is supported by your legs, not your shoulder.
 
Calibration I too have just started experiencing the same thing again and it's the left shoulder too. I do not put my weight on that arm and do not use it to push myself up off the table, although these are great points from Blackjack that may cause others issues. Mine appears to be inside the shoulder, I went to my Doctor about 3 years ago with the same thing and nothing too obvious showed up on any X-Rays. He ended up giving me a Cortisone Shot and it has lasted until now. I am going to have to break down and go back soon as it is getting more painful. What I do currently is use something like Deep Heat daily (but the smell is off putting) I always take a long shower before a match letting the hot water fall on my shoulder for as long as I can stand it. Then I use a patch (Deep Heat etc) to help during my games. It is not ideal and I know I am putting off the inevitable but that last Cortisone injection had me out of action with my left arm for about a week. I am trying to get by until my League Team has a bye week, which is in a couple of weeks. It aches like a bit** for a week or so, it really wasn't to bad when he gave me the injection, although the needle was huge :eek:

I would seriously suggest you seek your Doctors advice in case it is anything more than just aches and pains.
 
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It could be that you are experiencing a condition known as "frozen shoulder". I believe the medical term is known as "adhesive capsulation".
Look it up on the internet. I had it four years ago in my left shoulder so bad that the doctor had to do surgery (it was called a "manipulation") on it followed by six weeks of physical therapy. The doctor first tried therapy on it to cure it, but it didn't help. If I remember correctly, there is a gel-like substance inside your shoulder joint that serves as a lubrication for joint movement and to keep the bone from deteriorating. In some middle-to-elderly people, this gel-like substance tends to harden, causing a loss of range-of-motion coupled with pain. I had a severe case of it and pain so bad, I could barely lift my arm. If I bumped into something and hit my arm, the pain would be excruciating. From what I can remember reading on the 'net on this condition, if left untreated, it will go away in 12 to 18 months.

During the 6 or so months I suffered with this condition, I got VERY adept at using the mechanical bridge.

Maybe you have an early or mild case of this condition???

Maniac
 
Frozen Shoulder was one of the possible causes for my shoulder problems, the frustrating thing with that is they really don't fully understand what causes it.

Fish Oil is a good call though, I know my Dad takes it for stiff knee joints and it's not something I had thought of previously. It smells worse than Deep Heat though when you rub it on :grin: so try swallowing it!
 
You most likely have what is known as an impingement syndrome. As you elevate your arm, the rotator cuff tendon becomes pinched, or "impinged", between the bone in your upper arm (humerus) and the bony part at the top of your shoulder (acromian process). This leads to rotator cuff tendinitis and shoulder bursitis.

If you can assume a position where your arm is not elevated as much, it should help. Shooting from a higher position, or flexing your elbow a bit will allow you to lessen your arm elevation relative to the shoulder joint.
 
Good Points

All of you guys have alot of good points. I prefer not to raise up on the cue but may be forced to. I think its because I have my left arm completely extended out as well. Keep the treatments comin
 
It's possible that the problem isn't age-related. At age 29, I had to give up pool because of extreme pain in both shoulders. It was caused by a buildup of scar tissue in the joints (which doesn't show up on x-rays). The only cure for the problem is surgery to remove the scar tissue, although temporary relief can be had with cortisone injections. Many years later, three separate surgeries and a very long period of physical therapy resolved the problem.

Good luck to you, shoulder pain sucks.

-Howard
 
I wouldn't look to age as the primary factor. When I was in college, I got the same pain. It came from hours & hours & hours on the table. It has no effect on me know (15 years later) due to minimal table time.
 
Shoulder pain

I had this for about 2 years, but mine was caused by a car accident where I went through a winshield. It messed up my back and shoulder, and I lost 70% of my strength in my left arm.

I went to a Chiropracter during those 2 years, and he finally got me lined out, my strength returned and the pain subsided.
 
I fight cronic back pain, so I feel for you. In my case, surgery is not an option. It's hell getting old, but it beat the alternative of not getting old me thinks. I hope you get the problem resolved.
 
calibration said:
I have an experience I wanted to share with the crew here. When I play for an extended period of time I get pains in my upper shoulder area. It is in my left arm probably due to extending it out to bridge and keep low on the ball. Now I'm 47 years old too which doesn't help...

Has anybody else had this experience ?
Click to expand...


Is it a muscle pain or joint pain? Does it linger on after you play or starts to fade away after you play? Do you lose any range of motion in your shoulder?

These questions will help to determine what type of pain it is and what to do about.

How long is extended time? Have you just started playing for longer times or been doing it for awhile?

You maybe be experincing muscle burn which just comes from exercising a muscle the same way over and over again. Which palying for an extended time will do if you are not used to it.

As for the stance. The most important thing about the stance is balancing your weight between your feet and bridge hand. Think of the stance as a tripod.

You do not want too much weight on your feet as this will cause you to use your back and leg muscles more and those will start to hurt.

Too much weight on your bridge hand just makes your shoulder and elbow work more than it needs to.

You just have to figure out what is causing the pain and correct it.

Dang, you guys make me feel great cause at 56 I can stay at the table for hour after hour with little discomfort. But then again, I worked at getting to this point. Pool playing is also about being in good shape.
 
calibration said:
I have an experience I wanted to share with the crew here. When I play for an extended period of time I get pains in my upper shoulder area. It is in my left arm probably due to extending it out to bridge and keep low on the ball. Now I'm 47 years old too which doesn't help...

Has anybody else had this experience ?
Click to expand...

My shoulder bothers me when I play a lot and the best thing for it is rest. I have had good luck with a product called "Bio-Freeze" which is a green gel that you rub on your shoulder. It helps a lot, but taking a break from playing works the best......

James
 
SCCues said:
I have had good luck with a product called "Bio-Freeze" which is a green gel that you rub on your shoulder.
James
Click to expand...



I can vouch for this product. It works wonders!!! At the time I had to use it, I could only get it through a prescription. If you can get this over the counter, then by all means give it a try. It smells strong as hell at first, but the odor dissipates somewhat after a while.

Maniac
 
Whilst I would never advocate for anything not approved by the FDA, I was told by a Doctor (not mine) a few years ago that I could also try DMSO, although at the time it was available only through Vets and Animal Supply places. It apparently also allows other substances to be be absorbed very quickly and thoroughly through the skin and he advised me if I did use it to make sure I used a clean pair of gloves every time I applied it. He said he had a lot of people who found this to be as effective as anything OTC or Prescribed. I tried and it worked but wasn't easy to come by, which is when I went and got a Cortisone shot, which has now lasted 3 years. There is a lot of information out there on the web on this product some swear by it, others say it's a 'quack' medicine. I can't make my mind up if I want to try it again, just thought I'd share that. Try the link below to read about it from one source.

http://www.dmso.org/
 
Shoulder Pain

Around Jan. 2010 my shoulder stared hurting,and my little finger went
numb.I went to the doctor and he x-rayed my shoulder and said it was okay,but sent me to nero-doctor.He done a MIR and said I needed a
operation on my neck.May 18 he operatored on my neck,took out the
5-6 vert. replaced them from the bone bank,then put a plate in to hold in
place.I felt alright after about a week,did'nt have any pain until about
3-4 days ago.The pain is not as bad as before,and I have been playing
about 3 hrs. a night.I am going to cut back after the Tn. state senior
championships this sat. I hope some rest on shoulder will help,when you get 57 it don'nt take much to get depressed.
 
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