It's a Stretch!

The saga of my frozen shoulder continues. Looking at current transits, I see that Mercury, Mars and Venus in Libra are all right opposite my natal Saturn (rules the skeleton) which lies at 12.55 Aries. I guess this is symbolic of the painful "pull" I feel when trying to perform certain everyday actions. I've checked on transiting Chiron (the Wounded Healer) - at present it's around 17 Aquarius, not making aspect to anything in my chart, but by February 2009 it'll be stting on my re-located ascendant, perhaps that's when I'll start feeling improvement, especially as Jupiter will be transiting natal Sun around the same time.

I opted to give the chiropractor I initially visited a cold one (shoulder, that is) after a first appointment which depressed rather than inspired me. I'm of the belief that, contrary to what the good chiropractor implied, any kind of physical activity which is exceptionally painful cannot be doing a body much good. My opinion is confirmed at several on-line sources which state that minimal pain, if any, is the most which ought to be tolerated during stretching exercises performed to help with a frozen shoulder, otherwise further inflamation could ensue, making all the effort counter-productive.

It appears that the actual cause of this problem, in cases not brought on by injury, is a mystery to the medical profession. Most instances of frozen shoulder are self-limiting, it has been found that the majority will eventually return to near normal capability, whether the sufferer does anything to aid recovery or not. This can take up to two years, maybe more, through three phases: freezing, frozen and thawing.

After much research, and surprise at the variety of advice and remedies suggested on-line, I jotted down a list of some of the most common recommendations, and a couple of the more outlandish suggestions. I'm adding these in case any Googling wanderer with painful shoulder might find them of interest.

1. A variety of fairly gentle stretching exercises, performed regularly, on a daily basis.

2. Use of a portable ultra-sound machine or TENS electronic unit to aid massage of the affected area.

3. Trigger Spot Therapy, finding relevant trigger spots and applying pressure to ease pain.

4. Shutting oneself in a quiet room, lying down on a sofa, alone, with a music box playing (I kid you not, a music box is said to be the key to eliminating stress!)

5. Standing neck deep in a warm sea and allowing the waves to massage the body.

6. Elimination techniques for cleansing toxins taken into the body from food and the atmosphere.

7. Heat packs or ice packs applied to shoulder.

8. Acupuncture or acupressure.

9. One or two sites work on the premise that the cause is psychological rather than physical, and ask "what is frozen in your life or your attitudes?"

10. My own doctor offered a cortisone shot, which I accepted but felt no improvement. He said he could refer me to a surgeon for manipulation under anaesthesia. This sounded tempting until I investigated further and read about the possibility of a broken arm occuring during such manipulation, and the need to perform the stretching exercises afterwards anyway. Not for me!

I'm opting for a mix of # 1, 2, 3, and that most elusive of ingredients: patience. If I reach the point of desperation, though I might invest in a music box!

Over My Shoulder

This post could well turn out to be nothing but one almighty whinge. What follows may or may not be linked to celestial events or planetary transits, but as the principle of astrology, "as above, so below", can often be seen working, it's worth conidering. Perhaps a connection to recent eclipses? Or to another transit to my natal chart?

Back in June, I started having some pain in my right shoulder. I mentioned in a post on 2 July that I was teaching myself to use the mouse left-handedly because of the discomfort. I kept putting off seeing my doctor because I've a routine annual visit and tests coming up late this month, and thought to do everything at once. I absolutely detest going to see the doctor, always have, from my first memories - probably always will.

As my shoulder seemed to be getting worse, and my own doctor is on vacation at present, a family member suggested a visit to a respected local chiropractor. I consulted him on Friday. I was told, after x-rays and examination, that I have what's commonly called Frozen Shoulder, correct term for the condition is adhesive capsulitis. Recovery will be very slow (months or even a year or more), and will necessitate a major, and painful, effort by me - stretching exercises. Oh joy! Believe me, the exercises are very painful, but I must do them regularly several times a day. On his advice I'll also consult my own doctor, as apparently "proper" doctors can sometimes offer helpful aids such as cortisone injection, as well as a variety of therapies, and some more effective pain killers. Over-the-counter tablets in the USA do next to nothing for me.

I'm wondering whether recent eclipses are connected to this outcome. Both linked to Aquarius, my Sun sign, and the first occurred very close to my re-located Aquarius ascendant. The pain in my shoulder first was felt long before the eclipses though. The remedy, painful as it turns out to be, was confirmed on the day before the lunar eclipse in Aquarius. I'm now wondering if it will take until the next solar eclipse, which will occur conjunct my natal Sun next January, to heal the offending joint: about 5 months, around the time the chiropractor seemed to estimate for recovery of full flexibility.

Looking elsewhere in my natal chart, I notice that transiting Saturn (rules the skeletal structure) is at 9 Virgo (Virgo = health matters) quincunx (irritable aspect) my natal Sun (6.46 Aquarius), the aspect would have been exact in mid-July. There are three other planets in Virgo now, as well as Saturn: Mercury, Venus and Mars. These will move on more quickly than Saturn, as they do perhaps the situation will ease. I can only hope so!

Washing my hair has become a painful chore, as is pulling up my jeans, sleeping on my right-hand side, and, as the chiropractor put it delicately, but to English ears hilariously - "potty stuff". English translation = "loo stuff". Potty on the other side of the pond describes someone who appears to have gone slightly mad. So when the husband announces, "I'm just going potty", it never fails to raise a smile.

Using the computer, according to the chiropractor, shouldn't make the shoulder worse, but I suspect that long hours sitting in the same position might well have contributed to the problem in the first place. I'll continue to blog, but perhaps less frequently, until I have a second opinion on the matter. Without the diversion of the internet and blogs, I could well "go potty", English style, before this exercise regime is over!