Stick situation regarding long term sick & buying a house/keeping up with payments

marybelle01

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Interestingly a lot of the acupuncture points coincide with the trigger points used in SMR. :T

What do you mean by your achilles gave out one morning - did they call it tendinosis? Was it tight when you woke and relaxed somewhat through the day then tight again the next morning? Pain on going up onto the ball of the foot? If so a major cause is tight soleus combined with overuse, it's not an inflammation or injury it is wear and tear.

I don't know about anyone else, and you clearly seem to know a lot about this sort of thing - but it would help if you spoke in English!

They didn't call it anything! I woke up on a Sunday morning perfectly ok and no discernible problems. Walked down to the park with my dog (it's not really relevant, but he's a "service dog" and needs a lot of exercise - he's both trained to find living bodies and to be "cute" for people in distress. Long story but I work normally in disaster and war zones, which is not a lot different to my fill in UK jobs in the UK!). I got to the park, took a few steps and my ankle suddenly and for no reason collapsed under me. Not totally, as in causing me to fall. Just suddenly went weak, and continued this way for a couple of days or so. Unstable / untrustworthy would be the best way to describe it. Oh - and painful. Very painful. No matter what I did or didn't do! Resting it was painful too! Not particularly going on to the ball of the foot, no.

The first doctor I saw claimed to be mystified and couldn't even say what was wrong - it was the second one who said it was the strain of the Achilles tendon. Didn't say anything else.

I am sure the acupuncture has worked. But once I knew what the problem was too, I have been gently stretching and flexing the tendon, which ought to have helped somewhat too.

It's possibly "wear and tear" - I admit to not being a spring chicken. The second doctor thought it might be a form of stress, although I am not generally at all stress prone. But again I have to confess that my normal work field is highly stressful but the sort of stress I can deal with easily and sort out - working in social services in the UK is getting harder at all sorts of levels, so I accept that it could also be a factor. It is actually easier to resolve your stress in a war or disaster zone than it is in a typical inner city social services department :eek:

BarrelScraper

I'm not close minded - acupuncture is a possibility. I was about to turn to it when i was about 12 months in to my lower leg problems & there was no light at the end of the tunnel .... but it was VERY expensive for something that i doubted. I'm a sceptic, but i'm not totally shut off. It's why i'm trying the massage approach at the moment - it might work. I don't think it will, but it might.

As for the Achilles tendon - i've had trouble with that in the past. Hurts like mad. Want to know what a GP said to me when i went about it?
It was an old bloke i saw, which may or may not explain his response: the bits of the back of your shoes/trainers that touch the Achilles tendon .... cut them out.

Yes, because i can see that helping. Not only can i see it helping but i'm REALLY going to take a pair of scissors or stanley to my shoes costing me just shy of 3 figures.

Thankfully i've not had bother with the tendon for a good few years, but there was a time when it was being aggravated regularly.

You *might* have trigger points

It's got to the point where i now HAVE to ask ..... what are trigger points?

The comment regarding the hip is an interesting one, as IIRC .... at the time i went i was having problems with my hip area on one side. I think it was the front of the right side, but it'll be a good few years since i went now, so the memory is a bit hazy. I'm almost certain i had hip issues at the time though.


Thinking about it - how do i find out what sort of physio the physio i am seeing is? I dare say there's a better way of going about it than opening with "how good are you then pal?"?? It would be helpful to know if they specialise in such an area that i'm having trouble with.

I'd generally expect you to know you'd done that at the time of injury with intense pain

This is one i don't get.

The GP says shoulder tear, but doesn't go specific.

I cast my mind back to when i tore my hamstring. I knew about it the moment i did it - it hurt like hell & i could both feel & hear it tear/rip. I couldn't put any weight on it really & i hobbled around instead.

Now i know that's the hamstring & a shoulder is a shoulder, so they're different. It makes me question what is actually wrong with me. I can function throughout the day, i can lift 25KG from the floor (so long as i'm not extending the weight, as in holding it away from me), i have full ROM even though the limits hurt. If i'd TORN IT, i would've expected to be unable to do some of these things. I would've certainly expected to NOT have FULL ROM & only partial ROM instead, even 90% ROM for example, but no, i have 100% ROM.

I've been at the computer a bit today & the way i hold my right arm to type & control the mouse aggrevates it, so it's quite, hmm, tired is probably the best word to describe. Uncomfortable.

Savvy_Sue - i generally lay on my right arm when i sleep. I go to sleep laying on my side. A pillow under the arm makes things quite bulky & uncomfortable. I'm having to sleep on my left which is unnatural & again uncomfortable - my left shoulder can sometimes get a bit sore through the night because of it. Laying on my back is horrible as i've never been able to breathe properly when laying on my back for a while. Still, thanks anyway.

mountainofdebt

Sorry to the wet blanket on the post but aren't we getting into forbidden areas about the rules about asking for / giving medical advice?

Anyway with regards to the OP personally I think you need to give up the football and find a job where you aren't lifting heaving loads.

By your own admission the periods of sickness have nearly all come at quiet periods for the company - could they think that this is far too convenient to be a co-incidence?

Savvy_Sue

BarrelScraper wrote: »

Thinking about it - how do i find out what sort of physio the physio i am seeing is? I dare say there's a better way of going about it than opening with "how good are you then pal?"?? It would be helpful to know if they specialise in such an area that i'm having trouble with.

You ask if they've got any additional qualifications or special interests. I've seen a dizzy physio, for example, one who has an interest in balance problems.

BarrelScraper wrote: »

Savvy_Sue - i generally lay on my right arm when i sleep. I go to sleep laying on my side. A pillow under the arm makes things quite bulky & uncomfortable. I'm having to sleep on my left which is unnatural & again uncomfortable - my left shoulder can sometimes get a bit sore through the night because of it. Laying on my back is horrible as i've never been able to breathe properly when laying on my back for a while. Still, thanks anyway.

You have to work out where the pillow works best: I had a thin pillow, and whether lying on my back or on my 'good' side found that it was much easier to position the arm in a moderately pain-free position using the pillow to hold it slightly away from my body. And I used to move the pillow, not my arm, to make any necessary adjustments.

Fire_Fox

marybelle01 wrote: »

I don't know about anyone else, and you clearly seem to know a lot about this sort of thing - but it would help if you spoke in English!

They didn't call it anything! I woke up on a Sunday morning perfectly ok and no discernible problems. Walked down to the park with my dog (it's not really relevant, but he's a "service dog" and needs a lot of exercise - he's both trained to find living bodies and to be "cute" for people in distress. Long story but I work normally in disaster and war zones, which is not a lot different to my fill in UK jobs in the UK!). I got to the park, took a few steps and my ankle suddenly and for no reason collapsed under me. Not totally, as in causing me to fall. Just suddenly went weak, and continued this way for a couple of days or so. Unstable / untrustworthy would be the best way to describe it. Oh - and painful. Very painful. No matter what I did or didn't do! Resting it was painful too! Not particularly going on to the ball of the foot, no.

The first doctor I saw claimed to be mystified and couldn't even say what was wrong - it was the second one who said it was the strain of the Achilles tendon. Didn't say anything else.

I am sure the acupuncture has worked. But once I knew what the problem was too, I have been gently stretching and flexing the tendon, which ought to have helped somewhat too.

It's possibly "wear and tear" - I admit to not being a spring chicken. The second doctor thought it might be a form of stress, although I am not generally at all stress prone. But again I have to confess that my normal work field is highly stressful but the sort of stress I can deal with easily and sort out - working in social services in the UK is getting harder at all sorts of levels, so I accept that it could also be a factor. It is actually easier to resolve your stress in a war or disaster zone than it is in a typical inner city social services department :eek:

As per earlier posts in this thread: SMR is self-myofascial release (DIY sports massage with a a foam roller), soleus is the lower of the calf muscles. Tendinosis is degeneration of a tendon without inflammation, tendonitis (rarer) is inflammation of a tendon.

Do you mean the doctor said it was a stress injury? If so they don't may not mean life stress or feelings of being stressed, the colloquial meanings. Many things can put the body into a state of stress - poor diet, over-exercising, sedentary, obesity or underweight, smoking, drugs and alcohol ... you often can't feel this happening.

Sorry to appear nit picky but you are likely not stretching or flexing the tendon because they have little flexibility and cannot be isolated, you are stretching the calf muscles. If you have strained the tendon (stretched) you don't want to repeat that but it is good to ensure the muscle is relaxed because that will stop it pulling on the tendon.

BarrelScraper

mountainofdebt wrote: »

Sorry to the wet blanket on the post but aren't we getting into forbidden areas about the rules about asking for / giving medical advice?

Perhaps & if we're risking a thread lock, i'd rather people didn't comment further. I don't view "go see a professional" as any sort of in depth medical advice, but when a thread gets deleted for enquiring about buying shoulder supports, anything could happen.

There's always PMs people could help by, which i would have no bother with. I know some folk like things out in the open, but help is help ATEOTD & sometimes you can't help people out in the open as you're not allowed.

Anyway with regards to the OP personally I think you need to give up the football

Are you the second person who hasn't read my comment on this? The giving up has already been mentioned & decided on, long ago.

and find a job where you aren't lifting heaving loads.

Possibly true. I was considering re-evaluating things when we move house (next year) once we're settled anyway. Still, the problem with this job is that due to the sheer overtime, i can earn just shy of £20k if i put 365 days in (i guess that's currently a big IF on past performances). I have to do 55-60hrs a week for that money, which i'd rather not do, but at the same time the thought of £14k & scrimping & saving doesn't appeal either.
The knee jerk reaction is to "go get qualified then", but this isn't done overnight & we're very likely at looking at giving up a job to do this. Giving up a job = giving up a regular income = paying the bills on 1 persons wage, which is £3k less than mine.

I'm not copping out, but what i'm saying is, it's a very tough decision & i don't really know which road to go down.

By your own admission the periods of sickness have nearly all come at quiet periods for the company - could they think that this is far too convenient to be a co-incidence?

Yes they could & they have done/do.

Despite the fact they wont believe me, it genuinely IS a coincidence.

While they may not believe this - they seem to fail to see the fact that while i am off work, i am NOT EARNING. This effects me too, as well as the business. I still need to pay my way, even though i'm currently living at home. Housekeep doesn't stop just because i'm not at work. My employer doesn't seem to see this fact & instead seems to think i do it on purpose ........ yes, because i REALLY love having NO money!! That must be it. Also, quiet time at work means reasonable finishing times, which i like - so if i was going to "put it on", surely i'd do it during the busier times where i would avoid all the horrible late finishes?

Then there's the fact that i must surely LOVE causing big time injuries to myself in order to get off work. Yes, because THAT makes sense doesn't it?! Not saying you're accusing me of this, but if that's the way THEIR mind is working then it must be what they're accusing me of.

zzzLazyDaisy

BarrelScraper wrote: »

I would assume that £16k wouldn't be low enough then.

Just to clarify - you would not be entitled to any means tested benefits regardless of how low your partner's income is, as you would be disqualified on capital grounds because of your savings.

Fire_Fox

BarrelScraper wrote: »

It's got to the point where i now HAVE to ask ..... what are trigger points?

The comment regarding the hip is an interesting one, as IIRC .... at the time i went i was having problems with my hip area on one side. I think it was the front of the right side, but it'll be a good few years since i went now, so the memory is a bit hazy. I'm almost certain i had hip issues at the time though.

Thinking about it - how do i find out what sort of physio the physio i am seeing is? I dare say there's a better way of going about it than opening with "how good are you then pal?"?? It would be helpful to know if they specialise in such an area that i'm having trouble with.

This is one i don't get.

The GP says shoulder tear, but doesn't go specific.

I cast my mind back to when i tore my hamstring. I knew about it the moment i did it - it hurt like hell & i could both feel & hear it tear/rip. I couldn't put any weight on it really & i hobbled around instead.

Now i know that's the hamstring & a shoulder is a shoulder, so they're different. It makes me question what is actually wrong with me. I can function throughout the day, i can lift 25KG from the floor (so long as i'm not extending the weight, as in holding it away from me), i have full ROM even though the limits hurt. If i'd TORN IT, i would've expected to be unable to do some of these things. I would've certainly expected to NOT have FULL ROM & only partial ROM instead, even 90% ROM for example, but no, i have 100% ROM.

I've been at the computer a bit today & the way i hold my right arm to type & control the mouse aggrevates it, so it's quite, hmm, tired is probably the best word to describe. Uncomfortable.

Trigger points are what you might describe as knots, sorry I thought I used both terms at some point. Where the muscle fibres don't lie neatly next to one another when relaxed, they are constantly in the contracted position or 'knotted' up.

All NHS physiotherapists should know about shoulder injuries, it's good your GP isn't being specific he is right to refer you. My concern for you is that you need a full body assessment because all these injuries are sparking off one another and causing imbalances up and down the body - I doubt you will get such an assessment on the NHS. They are also looking to get you back to basic health, not to optimum function for sports, gym or an active job.

The rotator cuff is stabilising muscle primarily evolved to hold an unstable joint together/ stop dislocation when the arm moves, the hamstring is a prime mover evolved to bend the knee/ move the leg. You use the hamstrings with every step and even when standing still. Do also consider the hamstrings are huge so even a partial tear is going to hurt, the RC is tiny so there aren't as many nerve endings involved.

When you are lifting a weight from the floor close to your body the RC isn't doing much work, much of the strain will be on your trapezius (slope of the shoulder) with some assistance from the pecs (chest) and lats (armpit). As soon as the arm extends away from the body the RC gets stretched and starts working. We didn't evolve to sit at a computer/ car with our arms extended for long periods so this can overwork muscles even tho it is an 'easy' activity. You may have strained one of the four muscles but the other three are fine, or the others are feeling overworked and are spasming.

Reduced ROM with a tear is down to which muscle was the limiting factor to full ROM was prior to injury, how much muscle goes into spasm or how much pain your have, what position the joint is in when that muscle starts being stretched, whether the position of the joint when you are measuring the ROM takes the relevant muscle to its limits. Complicated.

BarrelScraper

Thanks again Fire Fox. I do hope this thread doesn't get shut down as what you're saying ties in with what i've read on medical sites, so you're not giving advice as such, just basically quoting what is on other sites.

What you say also sparks more questions for me to ask the physio. Again, i'm seeking the professionals & will act on their advice. Not that i'm dismissing what is said online as i'm not. I'm taking it all on board, but it'll be the professionals i see in person whos advice i act on. This is just to point out for those who think i may take advice from MSE & then come back to try & sue later or something else equally as silly.

I really hope it's just strained & not torn. Still, 8+ weeks into the injury is long enough for me. Things happen & i think it's a bad one & that it's torn - such as when the pain gets really quite bad, i'll lift or twist or turn & it'll flare up. Then other things happen, such as i can lift a 25kg weight perfectly fine, or i can perform a movement that hurt before but doesn't hurt now (but then hurts later on lol) & i think it can't be THAT bad surely.

I guess ATEOTD i need to wait & see this physio. Being an impatient person really doesn't help though.

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Just to clarify - you would not be entitled to any means tested benefits regardless of how low your partner's income is, as you would be disqualified on capital grounds because of your savings.

Just to say that if we were in the position where we've bought a house before i was to require a long time off to recover, it's likely (depending on how much of a deposit we put down) that we would have very little savings.
It'd probably be wise to keep 6 months or so of bill payments back for me due to my record, but as we're not a couple who live the big life, the 6 months worth of bills will literally be essential bills & not unnecessary ones such as alcohol etc.

mountainofdebt

BarrelScraper wrote: »

I was considering re-evaluating things when we move house (next year) once we're settled anyway. Still, the problem with this job is that due to the sheer overtime, i can earn just shy of £20k if i put 365 days in (i guess that's currently a big IF on past performances). I have to do 55-60hrs a week for that money, which i'd rather not do, but at the same time the thought of £14k & scrimping & saving doesn't appeal either.
The knee jerk reaction is to "go get qualified then", but this isn't done overnight & we're very likely at looking at giving up a job to do this. Giving up a job = giving up a regular income = paying the bills on 1 persons wage, which is £3k less than mine.

I'm not copping out, but what i'm saying is, it's a very tough decision & i don't really know which road to go down.
.

No its not a tough decision at all

The way I see it yes you can potentially earn £20K but for goodness sake are the injuries you've been getting, whether they are work related / agravated or not, could mean that you are earning zilch if they decide your sickness record is unacceptable....which was the whole point of the thread in the first place before we went off on a tangent.