I hear truck drivers are prone to getting rotator cuff injuries on their right shoulder, probably from shifting...
I am currently forced to stay home with a painful shoulder and the doc sais i strained/tore a tendon in my shoulder.
Can anyone share their experiences?

 

I'm a little surprised to hear about right shoulder problems. I drive a Prostar and it's pulled to the right since I started driving it 2 1/2 years ago. The steering wheel is about 4" left of center (about twice as much as a Freightliner I drove a couple of weeks ago). My left arm naturally does most of the steering and the end result is an always sore left shoulder. I'm a little surprised that shifting would create problems.

 

I don't think your shoulder gets hurt by shifting. You may aggravate an injury while driving....more from vibration than from shifting in my opinion.

Most of the rotator cuff injuries I have seen drivers incur, were caused by slipping out of Cab-overs and grabbing at the handrail as they fell, or slipping while walking and reaching out and grabbing a-hold of a fixed object. The shift tower would have to be pretty stiff for shifting to cause an injury I would think.

 

Ahem..
Hey "One" give the right hand a rest and start using the left one. A lot of repetative motion back and forth can hurt your shoulder.... that was my experience back when I was young...
I was once told there are only two kinds of liars in this world, One that says he never has and one that says he does'nt have to....

Just sayin: hope this helps lighten the mood while you are stuck at home...

Timberwolf

 

Dad had a shoulder injury way back in the day, his left shoulder. It came from the way he was getting out of the cabover, he was putting all his weight onto his rotator area without thinking about it. He was reaching back with his left hand and grabbing the bar on the side of the cab while still facing forward and then swinging his body out and around. Everything was going right into that left shoulder. Once he changed how he was getting out his shoulder pain went away.

 

Nothing like getting out of a cabover after it's been cold and wet, and the grab bars are covered with ice. ZOOP! THUNK!

We're old.

But anyway, I don't think I agree on the shoulder injury bit here. My right shoulder has been giving me hell for the longest time, and I really think it's from shifting. Especially in that cabinover with the stiff shift cables.

On the other hand, when I quit driving for a few years, at first my shoulder felt awesome, but then it started to hurt again. Now that I'm driving again, I don't notice much difference. Either way I go, my shoulder just hurts all the time.

 

Thats what I did, but it wasn't a COE. I slipped and held on with my right hand and pulled my shoulder out of place, and then like a dumbass I put up with the pain of shifting and couldn't lift my arm higher than my shoulder. That went on for about 10 months and everytime it started to get better I messed it up again. One day I slipped down the steps at home and cracked my elbow and heard a loud pop from my shoulder! Hurt like hell for a little and has been pretty good since.

 

Just a Gluton for punishment huh??