Thank's Mike, Sid
Problem is i'm in a lot of pain, whatever i do is going to have to be gentle, i thought maybe light swinging of a kettle bell may help. I've been trying to ignore it, i keep being offered quartezone injections but that's just going to mask the pain, not make it better. I'm pretty locked up in my left shoulder and it's just getting worse.
Anyway thanks for the thread Sid, it's given me the push i need to get my head out of the sand and sort things out. I may even sort out a Yoga class.
Ske, our issues are probably completely unrelated, but I thought I might share my experience in case it helps. I used to get a lot of pain and locking and clicking in my left shoulder. I was also offered the evil cortisone shot. My orthopedist couldn't see anything in the x-ray, however, and said I had good mobility and joint health. Then I read up a bit on shoulder impingement, and found out it is often caused by imbalances in the shoulder complex, specifically, having the anterior side a lot stronger than the posterior. In my case, impingement may have been caused by bench pressing too much in relation to my back work, but with all the sitting we do these days, the anterior deltoid and pectorals tend to shorten and tighten no matter what. And I first got this pain when I was out of shape and not training at all. So I think it was more aging than anything else, and I have no idea if there was any real impingement occuring.
My solution was to (1) aggressively massage all the trigger points in the shoulder area--quite painful at first, (2) stretch out the joint and upper body throughout the day, and (3) strengthen the posterior deltoid and upper back muscles with rows and pulldowns. You can also do face pulls and reverse flyes if you have access to the equipment. A row or pullup can be done almost anywhere, with anything. If you can't do a pullup, get a giant rubber band to assist you. Finally, the issue completely disappeared once I began to get serious about overhead presses, and improved bench press technique.
As for "the core", I find doing back squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, and overhead squats is a lot more efficient than all the plank stuff. I never do the latter, but I had my chiropractor ask me to hold a plank during a clinical visit. I could hold that position all day. Doing air kicks and leg swings is also great, and seems more natural to me. You can add ankle weights for greater resistance.
Also, before going the kettlebell route, you might consider an adjustable dumbbell set. Some people find the latter easier on the wrists. Somewhere in the epic "Optimal Strength Training for Runners" thread, Sid and I and maybe Abide discuss the relative merits of kettlebells versus dumbbells, their history, and post links to various articles on them, if you're interested. I think it was about a year ago.
A pair of light clubbells might be a good idea. You can make them yourself with a hollow plastic (whiffle ball) bat for kids (if they sell baseball bats in the UK), by filling it with sand and sealing it with silicone, or pick up some wooden ones for $50 or less. That modern Gada looks interesting, but pricey for what it is. You could probably DIY it with 3/4" plumbing pipe, a flange and a 1" collar.
Hope that helps. I thought I had a chronic, age-related condition, but I learned how to manage it. Maybe you can find a way to do the same. I'm very skeptical about surgical solutions to non-acute injuries.
In any case, all the best!