Cording

Chinablue,

  Time for some cord manipulation by a PT who knows how to do it. Also, raising the arms with the elbows straight (I need to look in the mirror.)

Jodi Winicour (PT Klose training, at the NLN conference) showed a slide of a woman putting "self-stretch" on the cords--but I can tell you from experience, it's hard to do with one hand.

Somewhere I posted stretches, let me search.

Kira

Found some:

met with Jodi Winicour, AWS guru, and she suggested a few stretches: 1) Bend your elbows and link your hands behind your neck--try and keep the arms from drifting forward, bend to each side and also twist, hold each stretch to point to pull, but don't hurt, 2) keep elbows straight and raise arms overhead and if you can, link your thumbs in a yoga stretch, 3) keep elbows straight and raise arms up from the sides to overhead--watch in a mirror to make sure you're not bending at the elbow, 4) lay on the bed, raise arms over head, bend your knees and let them go to one side and then the other--feel the stretch in your side, also do the knee bending with arms linked behind the neck and pressing the elbows into the bed.

Another post:

The stretches help--a couple of good ones are to do the "child's pose" with your arms over your head, also, to lay on the bed with your arms over your head--on your back--and bend your knees and twist them to your good side--putting stretch on the tight arm and chest.