A correspondent and I were discussing this. When I was walking with a cane this was not much of a problem. I refuse to go back to that to solve the problem. I've tried a couple of things that haven't worked yet.
1. Stretching - I've tried the positional thing where you get
your arm in a straight position and hold it there as long as possible.
Sitting on a couch, put your arm straight out from your shoulder and
hold it on the couch back. For me this was only possible if someone
else put it there. My bicep and lats would start firing and cause the
arm to bend. If I had it wedged so it wouldn't move the pain would
increase until I could only last 5 minutes. I never succeeded in
relaxing the muscles.
2. Carrying stuff- grocery bags, etc. These are not heavy enough to force the bicep to relax, causing the bags to bang into my leg as I walk. Eventually causing my fingers to release the bag.
3. Dumbbells - I'm working on the extreme weight
theory that 35 lb. dumbbells are enough to straighten it out and
improve the finger strength at the same time. There is the high
likelihood of dropping it on my feet. Although I do have weightlifting hookers so I could still work my arm without needing finger strength.
What do you do?
What would your therapist say?
Someone in the world has solved this problem, What is the answer?
Its damn embarassing to be walking toward a women and have this happen, even though I'm not good looking.
As an OT I can think of at least three reasons you may have this problem so a therapist really needs to evaluate you. When I have a problem I can't fix I go back to therapy for a tune-up. Insurance companies want to prevent falls because it keeps claims down so getting a script for therapy will be easier if you stress the fact that this asymmetrical posture puts you at risk for a fall. Tell the PT about your embarrassing problem once you start therapy.
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