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Bodytalk
Question: My left shoulder is painful and stiff, and it's getting worse. I can hardly reach my arm up to brush my hair. Do you have any idea what could be causing these symptoms? I can't recall injuring it. Melt your frozen shoulder
Answer: It's difficult to say for sure, but your shoulder problem sounds a lot like frozen shoulder syndrome. This syndrome has nothing to do with the cold, it just describes the limited range of motion individuals suffer when they endure this disorder.
It's not known for sure what causes frozen shoulder, although we do know it is associated with an inflammation between the bones and muscles in the shoulder capsule. This inflammation causes adhesions to form, which in turn make it hard to move your shoulder. What originally causes the inflammation is still unknown.
Unlike a muscle strain, frozen shoulder creeps up on you and grows worse over time. It can progress to the point where you are unable to use your affected shoulder or arm.
The most common treatment is range of motion and stretching exercises. Anti-inflammatory medications can help with the pain, and of course you should avoid doing any movements that put stress on the affected joint.
Recovery is slow. It can take up to a year and a half for frozen shoulder to completely heal. See a doctor for an accurate diagnosis. If it is frozen shoulder and it has progressed to an advanced stage, steroid injections and/or surgery may be needed. In the meantime, don't try and work though the pain; that will only intensify the problem.
Q: I recently developed a pain in the heel of my left foot. The pain is worse in the morning, and gets better during the day. It really hurts when I walk or do any kind of aerobic exercise. Do you have any idea what might be causing this pain? I don't remember injuring my foot.
A: The pain you describe sounds very much like plantar fascitis. This occurs when there is an irritation of the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes.
This band of tough fibrous tissue is responsible for maintaining the foot arch. Plantar fascitis usually results from prolonged, long-term standing, or from repetitive stress brought on by intense athletic activity.
Most people, once diagnosed with planter fascitis, can treat it themselves, without surgery. The first step you can take is to buy new athletic shoes, ones that have good, soft- soled cushioning. Next, buy shoe inserts to support the heel. Stretch your calves before and after exercise, and soak your feet for 20 minutes in hot water every day.
If the pain becomes difficult, take an anti-inflammatory pain medication and massage the sore area. Sometimes, but not always, hydrocortisone injections are necessary. These must be administered by a doctor. It takes a while for symptoms to clear up completely, usually about a year.
Here's a good calf stretch that will also loosen up the Achilles tendons and help prevent future injury. The tendons, located behind the ankles, connect the calf muscles to the heel bones.
Stand three or four feet from a wall, feet pointing towards the wall. Then step forward with one foot and place the toes of that foot against the wall. Both feet should point straight ahead. Keep your rear heel flat on the floor. Hold and breathe for about 30 seconds. Then switch legs and repeat the stretch on the other side.
If you're very limber and your back leg doesn't feel the stretch, move your back foot further away from the wall.
Persistent heel pain isn't always diagnosed as plantar fascitis. It could also be a stress fracture of the heel bone, arthritis, nerve entrapment, rheumatism or a bruise. See a doctor for a medical evaluation to determine the cause and the proper course of treatment.
Health Events
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.