Injuries and RehabTell us where it hurts! Do a quick search before asking about your shoulder injury to make sure your question hasn't already been answered (about 50 times), and read the sticky post first.
Having been on this forum for a couple of years now (or at least that's how it feels), I've noticed a couple of repeating theme in most people's posts in this particular forum--missing information and larger-than-we-can-help-you-with problems. So, if you're injured and need help, read on, preferrably before you make your post so you can get the most out of this forum!
Missing information makes everything slow. It delays a response to your question because responders now have to either guess or ask you for more information. This quickly becomes tedious for responders as they end up playing a game of 21 questions with you. Injury posts (unlike other categories) don't have to be short. Brief is not better. Here are some of vital pieces of information most people need to help you:
What is injured? Be as specific as possible. Familiarize yourself with anatomic terminology (e.g. lateral vs. medial in the anatomical position). Look up an online anatomy atlas, or better yet, invest some money and buy a real one. They can be pricey, but used ones are just fine too. You're training, right? You've already spent time and money on your program and educating yourself about exercise and diet. Educate yourself about your body. If you want to, take a picture of it with your finger pointing at the spot that hurts.
Is this a re-injury? If so, when did you first injure it? If not, when did you injure it. Be as specific as possible. If it wasn't a sudden onset, when did you first start noticing it?
How did the injury happen? Be very detailed. What was your activity at the time? What were you doing the moment the injury happened? If it wasn't a sudden onset, speculate on why you think it's there.
Describe your pain. How does it feel when you have your pain? Sharp? Burning? Dull? Achy? Does it feel like this all of the time? Or only at certain times of the day/night, or during or after activity? Which activity?
Do you experience any other symptoms other than pain? Has anything locked or given way? Do you have numbness or tingling sensations and where? Is there bruising, or swelling? BE SPECIFIC.
Is there anything that makes your pain better or worse? Better=less pain, worse=more pain. This is not restricted to drugs and ice (e.g. "Tylenol makes my pain better."), but also to actions or behaviours that make your pain worse or better (e.g. "When I try to comb my hair, it really hurts."). If you were asked to make it hurt, what would you do?
What can you not do now that you could do before the injury or onset of pain? This could potentially be a really long list. That's okay. Make the list.
What have you done about this injury already?
Have you seen a doctor or other health care professional about this injury yet? If so, what did they say it was? Are you happy with this answer? Why or why not?
What exactly are you asking for help about? Do you want advice on whether you should go and see a doctor or not? How you might rehab it? Keep in mind that sometimes, it isn't possible to fully address your program online. The, "I hurt my shoulder playing golf last Sunday, any suggestions?" post is not going anywhere fast.
And lastly, is this something that is just completely beyond the scope of the forum?
Did you feel sharp pain (with or without a sound), followed by sudden weakness and possibly large amounts of swelling, discolouration or "Gosh, I don't think my arm/knee/shoulder/elbow is supposed to bend or move like that"? If you did, you need to SEE a doctor. Stop reading. Call your doctor and make an appointment.
In the end, if you're wondering whether you should see a doctor, the answer is more than likely going to be a "Yes". There are HUGE limitations to getting online help, as accessible as it is. We can't test anything from a distance with any sort of reliability, and there are very few conditions that can be identified purely on a descriptive basis--particularly when it comes to assessing the severity of the injury.
Hopefully this makes things easier in here in the future. I don't know if Bill has anything to add to this. I've probably missed _something_.
Originally posted by bryanc: Having been on this forum for a couple of years now (or at least that's how it feels), I've noticed a couple of repeating theme in most people's posts in this particular forum--missing information and larger-than-we-can-help-you-with problems. So, if you're injured and need help, read on, preferrably before you make your post so you can get the most out of this forum!
Missing information makes everything slow. It delays a response to your question because responders now have to either guess or ask you for more information. This quickly becomes tedious for responders as they end up playing a game of 21 questions with you. Injury posts (unlike other categories) don't have to be short. Brief is not better. Here are some of vital pieces of information most people need to help you:
What is injured? Be as specific as possible. Familiarize yourself with anatomic terminology (e.g. lateral vs. medial in the anatomical position). Look up an online anatomy atlas, or better yet, invest some money and buy a real one. They can be pricey, but used ones are just fine too. You're training, right? You've already spent time and money on your program and educating yourself about exercise and diet. Educate yourself about your body. If you want to, take a picture of it with your finger pointing at the spot that hurts.
Is this a re-injury? If so, when did you first injure it? If not, when did you injure it. Be as specific as possible. If it wasn't a sudden onset, when did you first start noticing it?
How did the injury happen? Be very detailed. What was your activity at the time? What were you doing the moment the injury happened? If it wasn't a sudden onset, speculate on why you think it's there.
Describe your pain. How does it feel when you have your pain? Sharp? Burning? Dull? Achy? Does it feel like this all of the time? Or only at certain times of the day/night, or during or after activity? Which activity?
Do you experience any other symptoms other than pain? Has anything locked or given way? Do you have numbness or tingling sensations and where? Is there bruising, or swelling? BE SPECIFIC.
Is there anything that makes your pain better or worse? Better=less pain, worse=more pain. This is not restricted to drugs and ice (e.g. "Tylenol makes my pain better."), but also to actions or behaviours that make your pain worse or better (e.g. "When I try to comb my hair, it really hurts."). If you were asked to make it hurt, what would you do?
What can you not do now that you could do before the injury or onset of pain? This could potentially be a really long list. That's okay. Make the list.
What have you done about this injury already?
Have you seen a doctor or other health care professional about this injury yet? If so, what did they say it was? Are you happy with this answer? Why or why not?
What exactly are you asking for help about? Do you want advice on whether you should go and see a doctor or not? How you might rehab it? Keep in mind that sometimes, it isn't possible to fully address your program online. The, "I hurt my shoulder playing golf last Sunday, any suggestions?" post is not going anywhere fast.
And lastly, is this something that is just completely beyond the scope of the forum?
Did you feel sharp pain (with or without a sound), followed by sudden weakness and possibly large amounts of swelling, discolouration or "Gosh, I don't think my arm/knee/shoulder/elbow is supposed to bend or move like that"? If you did, you need to SEE a doctor. Stop reading. Call your doctor and make an appointment.
In the end, if you're wondering whether you should see a doctor, the answer is more than likely going to be a "Yes". There are HUGE limitations to getting online help, as accessible as it is. We can't test anything from a distance with any sort of reliability, and there are very few conditions that can be identified purely on a descriptive basis--particularly when it comes to assessing the severity of the injury.
Hopefully this makes things easier in here in the future. I don't know if Bill has anything to add to this. I've probably missed _something_.
Hello bryanc,
You have really done a great work by providing so much information regarding how to make a post genuine and more attractionable. Firsty of all thank you for this. I am a professional footballer and as a result every season suffers a lot of injuries. Your information will really help me.
Linear Mode
