I took my 2nd round of tape off two days ago. My shoulder was a bit less unstable but as soon as I took the tape off, my muscles running along the scapula up to the neck went into spasm.
Today was PT and Mat had been at a seminar over the weekend. I love this PT place because they are big on Continuing Education. It's fun to see them trying out the new techniques and assessment tools they learn. So I got a functional assessment first thing. He had me bend and move in certain ways and actually looked for where I was tight/restricted, not where I was too flexible. Always knew my hamstrings and calves were tight and my neck is chronic, but I didn't know that my neck stiffness is worse than the average person.
The seminar instructor said that in order to deal with instability issues, you have to deal with mobility issues first. We had not looked at me as having mobility issues other than HYPERmobility. Now that it is obvious my neck is very problematic, my PT is going after that problem. He also thinks that what we do with the neck might help with tightness further down my body (legs). This idea comes from over-stimulation of the nerves in the neck area taking over the impulses that are supposed to go to the legs, I think.
We proceeded from the assessment to the table for more taping. Interestingly, he taped the areas I had felt needed taping. His thinking is that the shoulder instability is actually from problems with the shoulder blade being too loose. I have an unusually small set of wings, I mean scapula, but plenty of room for big muscle spasms! He taped a right triangle on my back. A length of tape from the top of my shoulder almost to my C7/T1 vertebrae, 90 degrees to a length of tape running straight down my back alongside my spine. The connector stretches from the top of my shoulder, across my scapula, and connects with the other tape at about T11.
The first try didn't last more than 20 minutes before it pulled off from the bottom (closest to my butt). Fortunately, I was still at the gym and he was free for a few minutes to re-tape. This one is still holding.
I have muscle spasms but not as bad as before AND my shoulder feels stable. The added bonus is that the tape pulls my posture into better alignment and I can breathe! The true test is how I sleep tonight.
More tomorrow!
Thank you so much for the info/comment. I am learning a lot more about my condition. After the specialist diagnosed me, he pretty much said there was nothing he could do. Yet I am gathering a wealth of knowledge on how others cope with the pain. Thank you again, and I am defin. joining www.ednf.org.
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