Lean on Me

Continued...

Treatment

1. Begin by icing the shoulder with real, not chemical, ice (a plastic package of frozen peas is a good substitute) 15 minutes after a workout and every three to six hours during the day.

2. Begin a program of stretching and strengthening the shoulder. Stretching before and after your workout is very important.

Spend some time in the weight room strengthening the rotator cuff and shoulder muscles. The rotator cuff muscles are trained with very light weights (2 to 5 pounds) or elastic tubing.

Improperly performed bench presses or other misguided weight-lifting techniques can damage the shoulder. To ensure proper technique, consult with your sports-medicine physician or physical therapist to set up a routine.

3. Anti-inflammatory drugs may be of help. (You would need to take 10 to 20 aspirin tablets a day for several days to get an anti-inflammatory effect equal to that of prescription drugs.) If one course of these drugs doesn't seem to help, try another drug. Individual responses to these drugs vary widely so keep looking if you get no relief.

A sports medicine physician may recommend a cortisone shot into the inflamed tissues. Ultrasound treatment by a physical therapist may help as well.

The basic program, however - stretching, strengthening, ice, rest and anti-inflammatory medication - should get most athletes back on track.

The Collarbone's Connected to the Breast Bone

The bones of the shoulder include the humerus, scapula and clavicle. The major joint of the shoulder girdle is where the humerus fits into a very shallow socket on the scapula called the glenoid fossa. The glenoid fossa is lined by a thick cartilage called the labrum.

The clavicle prevents the humerus from dropping forward out of the socket. It runs from the sternum to the acromion, a bony protuberance at the top of the scapula just above the glenoid fossa. For this reason it is called the acromioclavicular (AC) joint and is attached by the AC ligament. This is the joint injured in a separation of the shoulder.

There is a third joint in the anatomy of the shoulder.

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Table of Contents

Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
Editor in Chief,
Shape Magazine

General Health
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