Stretching & pain

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Dejaboo
Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

So- back in February I think it was.  I realized how bad my Arm movement was restricted (whats the word for that! ?)  I decided I needed to stretch & get some of my (theres that word) Range of Motion back!

So I stretched for 2 weeks...And My Side/chest LE got better- In fact I hadnt felt that good for awhile (I even pm Binney I was so excited)  Then a few days later my Arm got worse :(

So I stopped stretching...My side went back to about what it always was...My arm got even worse & then I started the daily sleeve thing...My Arm is getting better.

So yesterday I did very, very gentle arm stretches (before-in Februrary I was doing massive stretching- Not knowing it was going to mess things up)

Last night & today my armpit is so painful...a bit swollen...from gentle stretching? :(

Do I do a few more gentle stretches each day anyway...I feel if I stop- each time I restart I will have pain anyway...

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited July 2013

    Deja, I've had that happen.  I've also noticed that the heat and humidity, which have been especially brutal this year where I live, seem to be making my truncal LE a lot harder to control.  Not sure where you live, but I wonder if that might also be a factor in what you're experiencing?    Deanna

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  • Dejaboo
    Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
    edited July 2013

    Thanks Deanna,

    I am in Minnesota & we have had a lot of Hot Humid weather this summer- yes it does seem to make things worse.  The last 2 days were not humid...Today & for the next week or more we are in for more hot & humid.

    I am going to an outdoor concert this evening & tomorrow also :(  I am not looking forward to the arm & chest swelling.  it will also be my 1st time wearing my sleeve outside for a long time (5 hrs each night) in the heat & humidity

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    Dejaboo, I got a frozen shoulder after I broke my hand (yes, the LE one...) and was in a cast for 6 weeks. So after my OT for hand therapy, I go to try Pilates with a PT, and find I have no internal rotation of the shoulder! (The movement where you scratch your back. I wear camisoles, so I never tried to hook a bra.) Then I had 6 weeks or so of PT which included myofascial release and gentle stretches. The PT is trained a bit in MLD and mindful of LE, and her PTA was great. We alternated sessions.

    The OT is LE trained, but she kind of forgot, and gave me lots of weights to get hand/wrist movement back and surprised when I immediately had an issue with 20 reps in 4 directions...

    I also get myofascial massage (from a Vodder trained LMT, not fully trained, but took the first course) because my chest wall/outer breast got really fibrotic/scarred down after surgery and radiation. She has worked wonders with my residual cords and my rubbery chest wall, and tight pectoral muscles. I alternate weeks with her and my LE therapist. I feel high maintenance, but it's worth it right now.

    I have felt much better--no swelling--with the stretches.

    I just hold them, no bouncing.

    I would urge you to try again, and maybe with the help of a LE PT.

    Hope the concert goes well. It's nasty hot and humid here, and I just went back to work, and am getting regular MLD (from my regular LE therapist who is a LMT) to my arm and legs, after the hysterectomy....It just never ends, does it?

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited July 2013

    Kira, happy back-to-work! Hope you're taking care of yourself and not letting anybody push you to do more than is good. Be well!
    Binney

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  • Ginger48
    Ginger48 Member Posts: 1,978
    edited July 2013

    I have a few questions about LE.



    Does it cause pain in the elbow area and numbness and tingling in the forearm and fingers? Especially when bending elbows or leaning on them? Also does it cause kind of like lumpy tissue in the upper arms?



    How do you find a good LE therapist?

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  • Dejaboo
    Dejaboo Member Posts: 2,916
    edited July 2013

    Thank you Kira.  The concerts went well- Weather guessers were way off- I was actually cold at the end of the evening.  Humid & hot waether this week they still say- looks like that way for most of the US.

    Ginger you might want to start a new thread with your questions-where it will be seen more.

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2013

    Ginger, check out the stepupspeakout site, we tried to put all the information there:

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/

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