Range of Motion in QUOTIDIEN

I have this shoulder thing going on. In fact, it has been going on for quite some time, and I believe it has something to do with my rotator cuff.

So -being the pro-active person that I am, I get online and do a little research. Turns out that more often than not, it is an overuse issue. For me, it comes from repositioning my obese patient, or transferring her to her chair, by myself. There is a reason why, in hospitals, two people are required for such tasks. Moving on...

It turns out that immobilizing the shoulder is the exact wrong thing to do, and that I should do some gentle range of motion exercises. Hey - I do this shit for a living so, why not?!

I'm standing in front of my bathroom mirror so that I can check my form. On the counter stands my iPad, one click away from showing me exactly what I should do.

Slowly, I bring my arms parallel to the floor, heading straight up towards the ceiling. That's the goal, anyhow. My left arm is compliant and moves freely. I suspect that the idea of doing them both at the same time is so that the healthy arm might be an example or serve as encouragement for 'the crippled' one. When my right arm reached 60% of it's target is when I first heard the strange, thin keening sound which started at the back of my throat. My mind suddenly went Lamaze on me, and through clenched teeth and pursed lips, I hissed an almost forgotten mantra: Pushpushpushpushpush!! And, I made it. SCORE!!!

My smile was confident and cocky! After all, the only thing left to do was bring 'em home, right?

Holy Mother of God, gear up for some serious intervention on my behalf, won't you please, because I was 10% of the way down and that's when the bone marrow in my entire humerus turned to molten-freaking lava. That keening sound was back except that now, it ended in whimpering gasps. But finally, it was over. It lasted all of, maybe, 8 seconds. And that's when the asshole in the video said, '...and again'?

I looked at my reflection - at that green-tinged deflated woman in the mirror. "Define fecking OVERUSE, you bastard!"

I have since done the full range of range-of-motion exercises for that shoulder...content with ONE REP, tyvm, and will increase in a reasonable fashion. As I was looking for 'range-of-motion-for-wimpy-middle aged-women-with-bum-shoulders' sites, I came across this one that recommended...get this........hand weights! I laughed.....and laughed....and laaaaaughed (the laugh of the criminally insane).

Gotta run. I think I remember where I put the Naproxen!