Getting better

The stretches and exercises and “activity modification” I’ve been doing for my shoulder started helping within 24 hours. Of course that activity modification includes not doing anything that hurts, so it’s hard to say exactly how much better it is, but I’ve definitely stopped getting “zings” as I go about my day.

I have nothing but respect for Dan the Physical Therapist, because part of his method is to sit you down and explain exactly—in very technical terms, and with lots of drawings and and gesturing and models and pointing at pictures in books—what the problem is and what is going to fix it. I mean, I couldn’t really repeat it to you, but even the gist I got is valuable, because now I have all the information I need to basically fix this myself. Plus it tells me that, not only is he knowledgeable, but he loves what he does—I got the sense that half the reason for the lengthy explanation is just that he gets such a kick out of talking about this stuff.

Indeed, as I was making my pitiful in-office attempt to start strengthening my rotator cuff with an exercise band and he was correcting my form, he exclaimed: “I just love fixing shoulders! They’re so complex!” And then moments later, delivered in the same tone of delight: “You’re so disordered right now!”

Well! Great!