Anyone ever get a shoulder injury getting in and out of van? (especially women?)

[Giggles]

So, here's a weird question...I've had my Chevy van since Jan of last year.


Two weeks ago, I started having terrible shoulder pain, and it hurts like hell whenever I pull myself up into the van and while driving. At first, I couldn't think of how I could have hurt my shoulder, but now I wonder if I might have torn my rotator cuff pulling myself up into the van? 

Because since I broke my foot in 3-4 palaces last Memorial Day, I haven't wanted to put too much weight on my foot when I'm getting in and out of my van, so I've been mostly using my right arms and right shoulder, which is the shoulder that is really hurting. 

I googled "shoulder injuries from getting in and out of vans" on the Internet and something called "Trucker's s shoulder" popped up.

I should mention that I'm a single female, only 5'2''. Before I hurt my foot, it was a little difficult getting into the van without a broken foot because I'm so short, but now that I can't use my left foot to push off, it's even harder getting into the van.

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Anybody else ever have this problem? [/font]

If my shoulder doesn't get any better, I'm thinking of selling the my van, because I do NOT want to have shoulder surgery. I hate to sell it because I put so much work into it, but I don't want my shoulder to get so bad that I need shoulder surgery. 

Ugh....

 

[VanFan]

Yes!  I did suffer a strain-type injury once, and have been very cautious since, as it took quite a while and some babying to get over it.  The step on the van's fiber glass running board was out of commission, and I was parked on a sloped driveway loading stuff via the side doors.  Each time I stepped in or out, I held onto the "passenger assist" handle over the side door.  On about my 50th trip out, I pulled it pretty severely.  I am short, so it wasn't hard to do that.  I now use a sturdy, wide gym step outside those doors when camping, and am super careful getting in and out of the front.  When loading on that slope, I throw things in through the back doors to save wear and tear, too.

There are relatively inexpensive step options you might consider.  I don't want anything too small or potentially slippery, so haven't replaced the running board step or added anything to the front.  When one part of your body is compromised, the ones that compensate can suffer.  It helps to actively focus on body mechanics when a problem shows up.  You are wise to look out for your shoulder.  It's an incredible joint and deserves respect.  Rehab of even minor injury is slow.  That said, I would hate to see you give up the van!

 

[abnorm]

I've seen "Old Farts" like US use a stool-on-a-rope........Use the stool to get IN and then haul the stool back into the vehicle with the rope

 

[JeanInaBox]

I bought a step stool from Amazon that folds flat. Has a built in handle… there I tied a piece of thin rope… the other end a carabiner. When in the van, I can leave it out and hook the carabiner inside. Or pull it in.. flatten it… wind the rope around it and hook it near by. Sometimes I leave it open next to me while driving. It has anti skid on the top…great little side table.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BC Guy]

If you have barn side doors, it may be easier to go in that way. Won't work with a sliding door.

 

[maki2]

You are not the only person who has ever had reouble getting up into a van or truck.. Therefore there are already solutions on the market to solve your issues. You do not have to resort to selling your van.

Now you just need to knowv the keywords to find the products. Enter the keywords into the search engine and then choose to do an image search. In this type of situation image searches make it much faster to narrow the results down for finding something useful than doing written description searches.

Keywords for your search are:
"Cab step"
"Cab grab handle"

 

[RoamerRV428]

yea this could happen.

when we hurt something on us, we compensate and then use some other body part in a bad way LOL
I know when I hurt a knee or something, all my weight goes on that other leg and then that knee and hip can get injured in some way cause one is walking crooked, so yea, if you are using that shoulder way more different, yup that kinda stuff can go down.

small step stool type thing would help alot.

the old funny joke.....it hurts to lift my arm.....Dr says stop lifting your arm HAHA

so yea stop doing this repeating action and you should be better eventually

 

[Morgana]

There are lots of things that can go wrong and cause pain. Not all of them require surgery to fix. Like Roamer said, it may be enough to just stop doing the thing that seems to be setting it off. If not, there may be a range of nonsurgical solutions.

I had some pretty intense shoulder pain about 10 years ago -- never found out what caused it -- and the first doc I saw suggested surgery. By pure luck I decided I needed a second opinion and the second guy recommended physical therapy.

PT was annoying, painful, boring, time-consuming hard work, AND WORKED LIKE A CHARM. I was super impressed. Those guys do real good.

Giving up your van or having surgery seem like worst-case scenarios. There are plenty of less awful things that could be going on. I hope the solutions suggested above do the trick! If in the end you do need to see a doctor, ask lots of questions including about alternate treatments (I don't mean anything woo-woo, just normal conventional options that doctors and surgeons don't always have front of mind).

Good luck and take care.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

My mother got hurt in a almost identical way doing temp work for UPS. She put too much of her weight on the grab handle instead of using her legs.  Because she wasn't doing it properly she didn't qualify for workers comp.  If she was a gymnast or a body builder it probably wouldn't have been a problem, but she didn't have the muscles and, as they say, something had to give.  I don't think it had any lasting effects.

 

[MrNoodly]

...Won't work with a sliding door.

???

The step up is just as high.

 

[MrNoodly]

...I'm thinking of selling the my van...

Before you get to that point, you might look into the type of bolt-on step rails off-roaders use.

 

[BC Guy]

BC Guy Wrote:
...Won't work with a sliding door.

???

The step up is just as high.

More stress on the shoulder to open/close a sliding door on a full size van.  I have had both types and I will not have another one with a sliding door.

 

[jacqueg]

There are lots of things that can go wrong and cause pain. Not all of them require surgery to fix. Like Roamer said, it may be enough to just stop doing the thing that seems to be setting it off. If not, there may be a range of nonsurgical solutions.

I had some pretty intense shoulder pain about 10 years ago -- never found out what caused it -- and the first doc I saw suggested surgery. By pure luck I decided I needed a second opinion and the second guy recommended physical therapy.

PT was annoying, painful, boring, time-consuming hard work, AND WORKED LIKE A CHARM. I was super impressed. Those guys do real good.

Giving up your van or having surgery seem like worst-case scenarios. There are plenty of less awful things that could be going on. I hope the solutions suggested above do the trick! If in the end you do need to see a doctor, ask lots of questions including about alternate treatments (I don't mean anything woo-woo, just normal conventional options that doctors and surgeons don't always have front of mind).

Good luck and take care.

A massage therapist, an experienced yoga teacher, or a professional specializing in sports injuries would also be helpful.

Selling the van seems like a drastic solution, and premature at this point, since you apparently haven't consulted a knowledgable person, nor actually tried anything to help yourself. If you really want to keep the van, go ask someone qualified for advice. Targeted exercises can do wonders. 

My sister, after a lifetime spent moving sick people who were larger than she is, wound up with damaged shoulders. She has some permanent damage, but the exercises her PT gave her ensure that she retains as much range of motion as possible, and she has no pain.

 

[crofter]

Pushups, planks, arm circles, barbells come to mind.

Some RVers have elaborate electrical steps that extend when the door is opened.

A handy add on is a knotted rope hung by the door, knots spaced one foot apart.
-crofter

 

[Sofisintown]

Get a step stool and keep it just inside the doors.
Open the door, get the step stool out and use it. Easy-peasy.
I also attached a handle at the top of the door to grab when entering.

 

[RoamerRV428]

also don't go too crazy and overthink LOL
you know that issue so just change up the entry routine best ya can, cheap as you want etc and do some 'self care' on that area and hopefully all pans out well for you!!

 

[Sasnak]

I tweaked my knee and ROCK TAPE has helped a lot with the pain. There are ways you can use this tape on your shoulder as well. Try it out!

 

[doublegregg]

I noticed this person hasn't responded at all,.... and the last entry on these forums was this op. Oh well. I'll chime in since I'm a softie. Get your shoulder examined by a shoulder guy, not a gp. Get it taken care of. Don't use your shoulder the way you've been over using it since you hurt your foot.

Maybe you've alreadyay soldyour van and are gone sville.

 

[CosmickGold]

Don't give up and sell your van!! My gosh, if you start giving up on things you truly value, that trend will continue with other things you value; the next, and then the next and so on. Stand your ground! Find a real solution!

I had a similar problem getting into my van, so I bought this plastic stool and secured it to my van with this thin-but-strong four-foot security cable. I leave the stool outside while I'm in the van, ready for my next stool-aided exit. No one tries to steal it.

And yes, my shoulder, arm, and leg are much better now.

The only problem I had was taking off down the road to the sound of the stool bouncing around outside the door. (Oops!) But now, pulling the stool inside before I leave is as automatic as closing the door.

The main point is, "DON'T GIVE UP!" For if you start "giving up", you'll never stop. Failure is addictive.

 

[mattvei]

see if there is a professional physical therapist association that meets near you. Contact their current head to see if there's low cost PT services in the area. Or go to one of their meetings and offer yourself up as a case study with maybe peer reviewed publication or publicity potential. Van life is a hot topic. PT's know how to make physical adjustments to heal and avoid further injury