PSA. Do not let anyone surgically repair your torn rotator

I was headed towards hip replacement about seven years ago but was lucky enough to find yoga first and all of my problems were fixed with that. I would try yoga therapy if you can find someone who does that in your area. I know people who have avoided spinal surgery by doing yoga. If you're ever in the area, I can hook you up with some very fine yoga teachers who have a great deal of experience and knowledge and can tell what you need just by looking at you. It's really amazing to watch them in action but it would take a lot of work on your part. I was never injured and was in pretty good shape to begin with and I still have to work very hard in class to this day but it beats the crap out of surgery and you feel better right away. You're right, surgery is not the way to go.

A good yoga studio that I've been to in Altamont Springs is Lake Center Yoga ( http://www.lakecenteryoga.com/ ). They teach Anusara yoga which is Iyengar-based but very therapeutic in nature.

 

You might consider using DMSO. It is very effective in reducing the pain and inflammation of injuries like a sprain or other soft tissue injury. It is an approved veterinary drug, but has very limited approved application for humans.

I like the description at http://www.elephantcare.org/Drugs/dimethyl.htm . The site is really dedicated to the care of elephants, and thereby avoids the hysteria of conventional medicine's comments on its use in humans.

The best DMSO is prescription veterinary DMSO gel. But if you don't have access to that, then a 70% gel sold all over the place is probably the best bet. If you use too strong a version, it tends to cause skin irritation.

A personal usage report... Several years ago I twisted my ankle, badly enough that I had a lot of trouble even walking on it. This happened on a Thursday, and I had plans to run a 10k on Sunday. On Friday it was obvious that some miracle would be required to do any running on Sunday. We had some Syntex veterinary DMSO gel that had been prescribed for our dog (swelling due to a cancerous tumor). It had been effective on the dog, and I was hurting. So I rubbed some of the DMSO gel on my ankle. Less than a minute after applying it to my ankle, I had this metallic taste in my mouth. Over the next hour or so, the pain and swelling went down considerably. I applied more every few hours, and listened to all sort of derisive comments about how I smelled like I just came back from the garlic festival. I did the 10k run on Sunday, and did ok.

I've also used DMSO gel mixed with vitamin C powder to control an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Another use is to apply a little gel to toenail fungus, topped off with an iodine solution (SSKI).

DMSO is in my medicine cabinet alongside the bandages and antibiotic ointment. I've found it safe, useful, and effective.

 

Bikram is hot, that's for sure. If you like doing strenuous exercise in an enclosed room at 105 degrees, that is. I've always had a problem with excessive heat in yoga because it makes it difficult to breathe and keeps your body from producing and utilizing its own heat.