Caring for muscle injuries

I have mysteriously screwed up my rotator cuff. Apparently by...sleeping. It was fine when I went to bed a few days ago, but was not fine when I woke up, and has been painful ever since. This is what comes from switching abruptly between long stretches of desk work and manual labor on a regular basis.

I wanted to mention a couple of things I find useful.

One is my hot water bottle. It is made of natural rubber, and you fill it with hot water and use it to warm the bed in winter. I use it like a heating pad for muscle injuries, as well, except it doesn’t require electricity to use. This provides a degree of pain relief. I also gain satisfaction from finding multiple uses for my minimal possessions.

I also use “Roll Model” therapy balls to work around injuries and sore muscles. They are basically moderately hard rubbery balls that you roll around on and press or twist into your tissues in various ways to improve tissue health and relieve pain. Sort of like a massage without the price tag. They provide significant relief and often fix minor pains immediately. They are miraculous for fixing/preventing tendinitis/bursitis/fasciitis when backpacking. If I only had the discipline to use these preventatively for ten minutes a day, I would probably never have muscle strains. Alas, I am weak and self-defeating. I do prefer the Roll Model brand by Jill Miller, but people use lacrosse and tennis balls as well.

Any favorite tactics for healing sore muscles without conventional medicine or pain pills?

One ibuprofen will put me out for the night, so I don't take anything for pain unless I have a full day to recuperate.

A few weeks ago I turned too fast (trying unsuccessfully to get to my landscaping before the electrical team could rip everything up) and it wasn't until I stopped moving that I realized something was wrong. By the time I got back into the house I was limping, and when I sat down it turned into what felt like a major and ongoing cramp in my calf muscle. I immediately wrapped it and kept heat on it for a while, until the cramp went away, then walked (carefully) on crutches for a few days.

My suggestion would be, listen to what your body is trying to tell you. In my case, after the initial injury phase the cramp was worse when I put my weight on my heel--i.e., when the muscle was stretched. There was no pain in ligaments or tendons, although they did stiffen up after a few days of not being used. Strange as it may seem, I wore heels for a couple days because when walking in heels most of the weight is on the toes. The incident certainly drew attention to the oddities of the way I walk, because I often walk toe first on one foot and heel first on the other--of course, the heel-first foot was the one injured.

Similarly, when I throw my back out I look at myself in the mirror. Almost invariably one side will be lower than the other. I wear a shoe or a slipper on that "low" side, which evens things up and allows the muscles to heal without being strained every time I move. Interestingly, the "heel" and "toe" sides match up with the low and high sides when I throw my back out. I also have a rather high bed I can roll out of either onto my knees or into a crouch, making it easier to get out of bed if my back is messed up.

Pain can usually be mitigated or avoided altogether by simple precautions and preventative maintenance, making pain medications unnecessary except in extreme circumstances.

Thanks! Tucking a throw pillow under my arm (even while walking around the house) has supported the arm and shoulder enough to relieve quite a bit of the pain. I pretty much never take painkillers or medications of any kind, and usually just let my body work things out, but after going on a week of this I am starting to get a bit short-tempered!

So...what is your body trying to tell you? Likely the injury is a compression injury, if it can be mitigated by stretching (the pillow), which makes sense if it happened while sleeping. Make a small roll of fabric (maybe an old t-shirt?) and tie it under the arm and around the shoulder to hold it in place, then try to use the arm (gently). Does it make a difference to the range of motion? Is the pain different? In different places? Adjust accordingly. Essentially you've created a splint that holds the shoulder in the correct (non-compressed) position.

Ouch!

I sleep on my back on a dog bone shaped pillow and it has relieved my shoulder issues.

When I get an acute muscle/tendon issue, my go to is oreganol. It is a super concentrated oregano oil that is applied topically. Miraculous stuff!

I just started a tread about Trigger Point Therapy and see this thread came up as a similar one.  Some of you might be interested in it.  It is basically the "Roll Model" balls Jennifer first mentioned but I'm using a book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies and Davies that allows you to quickly find the trigger points to specifically work with those balls that are the source of the pain.  Most often where you feel the pain is not the source of the problem.

I am a big fan of comfrey applied to the injury. We actually make and sell a salve made with comfrey and calendula infused oil for muscle and skin injuries. If you have it growing you can make a very effective poultice by chopping the leaves in a bit of water, then wrapping the leaf mass in a cloth and applying it to the sore spot. Works with dried too. It is not a miracle cure, but it certainly speeds the healing - my mother had a bruise that encircled her entire arm, and used comfrey on the front half. The different was stark.
If the pain is due to a muscle spasm rather than an actual injury, I use either black haw, cramp bark, or the nomospazms blend from this site.
Really, the best preventative I have found for most of my muscle issues is to maintain a strong core. Carrying my kid in a well supported back carrier did away with most of my back pain, because my core muscles got so strong!  I have a whole set of situps, planks, and other exercises I am supposed to do, but I never think of it until I am in pain…

I occasionally suffer from back pain after doing too much of some task. There really is something to be said of hot and cold therapy. I feel as if I respond well to the cold especially when I have muscle spasms. An example of this can be as simple as taking a shower/bath. I've seen mentions of ice baths as almost an extreme version of this premise but I couldn't imagine getting that cold!

See my long reply on this thread (about plantar fasciitis):  https://permies.com/t/205218/personal-care/plantar-fasciitis

There's a lot we can do to help our bodies and pain.

Self massage can work miracles.  See the thread for multiple examples.

I also make my own essential oils in an oil-and-beeswax salve, to use like a homemade vapor rub.  Or a cayenne tincture that can be applied topically to painful areas.

Hot water, sauna, lying on a cement slab in the sun, furo or onsen/hotsprings also help.

I often practice falling asleep listening to relaxation tapes, which have me mentally imagine or direct my body parts to relax.

It's surprising how much tension we hold without noticing, and I think it contributes in a major way to pain.

I'm working on improving my posture, alignment, and moving more during the day, sitting for less time, or maintaining one posture for long periods of time.  I think that is also a major cause of pain, because it encourages stiffness and tension, especially if we aren't properly aligned (and 99% of are not properly aligned, probably.)

I think one key to surviving in this changing, crazy world, is to be able to open our minds and fight the lies we've been told, and to question the status quo (which isn't working.)

But I don't need to tell you that.  That's why we are all HERE...we get it!  We know there is a better way!

I have not had the opportunity to try any herbs other than some homeopathy leg cramp pills that don't work.

Taking 250 mg magnesium with zinc and using a magnesium spray made from 50/50 magnesium bath flakes/water is the only thing I have found that works.

Drinking tonic water helps with the leg cramps also.

Very helpful remedies & strategies to help with pain.
I, too, have sharp shoulder pain that mostly comes from sleeping on my right side. I use an excellent salve my neighbor makes w comfrey & arnica. I try sleeping in other positions. Gentle massage. Will try the roll under my arm & see if that helps. But what’s most helpful is really tuning into the body and finding the movement that triggers the pain. Body/movement awareness is key in helping these injuries.

Now I'ma startout describing a genuine spinal injury, which has had repercussions throughout my life- and has been a major factor in continuous muscle injuries. I was in kindergarden, and I fell off a grapevine swing at apogee, landing on my back on 1-2 inch caliper dead branches. It was a long walk home. I think that's how I developed my scoliosis, my right shoulder is higher. Playing disc golf I can putt or approach lefty, but for a drive it's gotta be righty, backhanded or sidewinder. Lefty I am limited to backhand. Any overuse puts me in pain radiating from the wedged vertebra in the lower zone of the shoulder blades. I have done plenty of carpentry, landscaping, heavy nursery work, and market gardening. So: I do everything I can for muscle pain!  I am currently thinking on a washable, easy to use compress that I can put herbs in and wrap on the owie. Opium poppies look really nice in the garden- the petals and leaves are good in a salad, or tea, and the ripening pods can be used in tea. (But not with a job site lunch: They "leaf" you a bit too relaxed. ) Topical ointments- I favor a coconut oil base, and clove is a usual addition and Turmeric. I also eat it raw like carrots. If I was in the tropics I would have a botanic garden of the ginger family. (Last time I was in Costa Rica I caught the dread machete elbow, so I grabbed a wild ginger in the creek and cooked it into some coconut cream, used it topically: Most Excellent! My local expert said "that's just a weed ginger!" -Well, it worked great. Compresses, hot baths with salts after work, Tiger Balm, etc. URTICATION- direct application of nettles to the zone affected, works fast, and draws blood to the area. I have nettles in my garden, the tea doesn't hurt a bit and nettles are the food plant for Red Admiral butterflies, a favorite of mine. Somehow the muscle pain is canceled by the stings, and more or less vice-versa. I also grow hemp for salves. and general CBD use. (I've brewed some nice ales- hemp is related to hops, eh? It's definitely another "after work" remedy. I also put my first wife thru acupuncture school. (She left me and forced the sale of the house I'd  put in a year of restoration on, and bought a building in town for her practice) I like acupuncture  a LOT, but finding a practicioner who's good for YOU is not necessarily easy, or achieved on the first visit. In 3 days I'll be 74, so I'm doing all right. Now, if I can find an acupuncturist I can afford, and or a massage therapist who wants to trade for skills I have. Depending on the feline, don't forget FVT: Feline Vibrational Therapy. My cat has a knack at nopping on the place in need.Sort of a purring hot water bottle. Lily cat has been napping on me while I typed this.

For those suffering from back/ neck/ wrist, shoulder... etc pain from sitting long periods this book helped me a ton.

book:  Pain Free at your PC
https://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Your-PC-Computer/dp/0553380524

It's basically about realigning/stretching your muscles that get tight in certain areas from sitting thus causing pain.  
Most of the excercises you are just laying on the floor in various positions.
The book is an interesting read as well.

I had bad carpal tunnel and it fixed it.  I was able to return back to full time computer work.

The catch is you have to do the stretches which take 15 - 60 min depending on how hard core you want to get  

Bonus is if you do them at night before bed it's kind of a muscle tension release feeling which also helps with sleep!

Prevention is key. Stretch, warm up, stretch again. Take breaks. Listen to your body, stop before a pain becomes an injury. Hydration is often ignored, drink water.

When an injury does happen I like to go the natural route first. Tiger balm, icy hot, etc. are great. Arnica can seem to work wonders. Ginger and tumeric for inflammation. Massage and pressure points. CBD is great for pain and inflammation.

When these don't work I'll reach for a NSAID. For me it's ibuprofen, for my wife it's naproxen sodium, everyone is different.