Anybody Else Have Shoulder Issues?
Bigsur2
Posts: 92 Member
Just curious if anybody can offer some advice other than a visit to an orthopedic and subsequent physical therapy. However, I may be at that point. I have bi-lateral impingements in both shoulders. The pain is unbearable when I do any sort of press, i.e. shoulder, bench, etc.
Anybody have any success with self-treatment, exercises, etc.?
Anybody have any success with self-treatment, exercises, etc.?
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Replies
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Are you sure they are just impingements? Impingements are usually chronic and you continue feeling pain even if you aren't lifting.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Are you sure they are just impingements? Impingements are usually chronic and you continue feeling pain even if you aren't lifting.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
That's what the doc diagnosed me with a year ago. "Maybe" some tendonitis. I may need to be looked at again.
But yes you are 100% right. I hurt at work when I have to sit and type. Have trouble sleeping, etc. It's an every day all day pain.0 -
idk what bilateral impingement means. i had internal rotation and some impingement caused by that, and i was helped by doing things to strengthen my upper back and the rear muscles of my shoulder girdle. [edit: oh, andandand! the pec stretch/release stuff!]
i had to learn to do this subtle collarbone/shoulderblade adjustment first, so as to open up the acromion area and 'make space' for the humerus to move in the socket. but it helped a ton, and probably learning to activate my lower traps was the biggest game changer.
eric cressey has done quite a bit of shoulder-related content and i usually like his stuff. overhead carries like waiter walks are my magic-bullet move for settling and resetting my shoulders. also turkish getups although i more go through phases with them, and then in between times i get too lazy to get down on the floor to do them.2 -
Start by checking your form on presses. Narrowing your grip will put less pressure on the shoulders. Make sure your shoulder blades are down and squeezed together on the bench. Keep your elbows near your body and not flared out. Deload the weights until you have no pain, then think about increasing.1
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I was just like you back in July 2015. I couldn't lift without major pain, couldn't go above 50% regardless, couldn't lift my arms above my head, hurt to sleep, hurt to reach out to touch a computer keyboard or my car's steering wheel, just hurt all the *beep* time. (Ironically I could do pulling motions pain-free, provided I could stretch out my arm far enough to grasp the weight in the first place.) Saw an ortho who took x-rays and diagnosed impingements in both shoulders.
The doc didn't think surgery was needed, but injections and physical therapy remained options. Before he prescribed either, he had me try a few things first:
1. *** - 800mg of Ibuprofen three times daily, every 8 hrs like clockwork, for two weeks, then drop to 400mg for two more weeks, then 200mg for a final two weeks
2. NO lifting PERIOD. This included gym time but also loaded laundry baskets and my children, anything heavier than a couple pounds
3. At night sleep with arms curled around a pillow across my chest. It had to be firm enough to keep my right arm supported and horizontal to the ground while I slept on my left side -- I put a couple flat pillows into a single pillow case, folded it in half, clung to that
After a couple weeks the pain had receded from a 6 out of ten to a 2 or 3, though I still had very limited mobility (anything above my head was still out). After a full month I began doing self-monitored physical therapy drills, basically moving my arm/shoulder through a series of movements, at first using body weight only then later adding VERY light dumbbells.
Six weeks after initial diagnosis I was given permission to return to the gym, armed with a few new exercises I hadn't been doing before, most prominent being a cable exercise where I stand sideways to the cable stack, upper arm pressed to my side with lower arm held out before me, twisting the arm either across my body or away, all to work the rotator cuff muscles. Combined with an enormous dedication to lateral raises (which I am religious about performing to this day) I slowly worked my shoulders up to the point I could resume my regular workouts, though any kind of pressing movements I started at about 10% of my previous weight and increased the weight only VERY slowly, all the while closely monitoring the pain in my shoulders for any flare ups. A couple times I quit a chest day workout halfway through, took 800mg of ibuprofen, and walked away, but these flare ups occurred less and less frequently as time went on.
The pain in my shoulders was almost completely gone by Christmas, replaced by a general stiffness which took another six months or so to dissipate completely. Great was my joy the day about a year later when I could reach above my head to the kitchen spice rack, grab what I was trying to get, and bring my arm back down without any pain, stiffness, or hesitation.
Fast forward to today and I'm about a year and a half removed from initial diagnosis. My bench press is just a few pounds off from my pre-injury lifts (285 then vs 270 now) and only very rarely do my shoulders ever give me cause for concern any more. But as mentioned earlier I still perform lateral raises and face pulls multiple times per week, and I am now willing to take an entire week off from lifting every few months. I'm also nearing 40, so somebody younger may be able to recover much faster than it took me.
*** - Here's a quick disclaimer: do consult with your physician before just blindly following the above advice, especially the part involving taking large doses of medication. That much ibuprofen can be damaging to certain individuals, your doctor will know if you are at risk or not. The pillow trick can be done by anybody, though.7 -
This may not be directly on point to the OP but may help others.
I believe I injured my rotator cuff by over-training my front and under-training my back. I took a few months off, and then added a dedicated back day and more rest time between sets. I added some exercises and eliminated others. My shoulder hasn't bothered me for some time now.
THE TOP 3 REAR DELTOID EXERCISES
The rear delts don’t get enough respect.
Most lifters spend plenty of time hammering their front and side delts through heavy chest pressing, shoulder pressing, front raises and side lateral raises, but end up heavily neglecting their rear deltoids in the process.
This has two main consequences…
1) You end up limiting the total amount of shoulder size and strength you can develop, since you’re under-training one of the three heads that make up this complete muscle group.
2) Just as importantly, you increase your chances for shoulder injury. When you place a larger amount of focus on building up the pecs and front delts in comparison to the upper back and rear delts (as nearly everyone in the gym trying to build muscle does without even realizing it) you end up creating an imbalance in the shoulder joint as it begins to “roll forward” and out of proper positioning.
In a nutshell, this creates instability in the joint which can set you up for a whole host of issues over the long run, from rotator cuff injuries to shoulder impingement to elbow problems.
If you want to develop a rounder, more muscular set of shoulders while improving your posture and decreasing injury risk at the same time, some direct rear deltoid exercises should definitely be included as part of your training plan.
Read more: http://seannal.com/articles/training/rear-deltoid-exercises.php0 -
If you are experiencing pain when you should not be there is only one thing to do - get a real personalized diagnosis and plan to recovery. A lot of the above advice is really just ways to work around fixing your real problem. Just because you can avoid being in pain doesn't mean you've solved the problem. Working around a problem like this only creates imbalances in your body and leads to more issues.
Having been down this road and with a lower back issue (I spent many years with on and off pain, drugs and had numerous misdiagnosis) - I'd highly recommend consulting with a MD, DO, PT, and a DC. Getting multiple opinions from various sources is expensive....but you know what's worse? Spending years in pain, shelling out tons of money anyways, and still not being fixed.1 -
If you are experiencing pain when you should not be there is only one thing to do - get a real personalized diagnosis and plan to recovery. A lot of the above advice is really just ways to work around fixing your real problem. Just because you can avoid being in pain doesn't mean you've solved the problem. Working around a problem like this only creates imbalances in your body and leads to more issues.
Having been down this road and with a lower back issue (I spent many years with on and off pain, drugs and had numerous misdiagnosis) - I'd highly recommend consulting with a MD, DO, PT, and a DC. Getting multiple opinions from various sources is expensive....but you know what's worse? Spending years in pain, shelling out tons of money anyways, and still not being fixed.
Excellent advice. I assume when you say PT you mean a physical therapist, not a personal trainer.
I was lucky enough to find a doctor of physical therapy with 20 years experience who is also a certified strength and conditioning coach.
Imo the mother lode.1 -
I do plan to do that. PT is expensive but may have to move forward with it. Thanks guys!!0
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my chiropractor was able to fix my shoulder issues, might be worth a check, a good one will know and tell you if your issue is not one they can help with0
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About 4 years ago I dealt with impingement and had pain pretty much all the time especially at night where i'd get a dead arm. After going to my doctor and being told it was impingement he recommended physical therapy. I couldn't afford it, so he gave me a shot of cortisone and a topical anesthetic (Voltaren) and sent me on my way. After 3 months of "powering through it" I tore my labrum.
I then spent the next 8 weeks wearing one of these
My point? Don't put it off, go to a physician so they can do an MRI and if they recommend physical therapy DO IT! Even if it costs a couple thousand dollars, it is worth it to not be in the pain and have to wear one of these stabilizing slings. It literally was the most terrible 2 months of my life.
edit: ps. if you can't tell that type of sling makes it impossible to move your arm in any direction, your arm is literally glued to your hip. Want to drive with it? Brush your hair? Brush your teeth? Type or use a mouse? Good luck if it's your dominant hand like mine was. Oh, and once it's off you'll still need the physical therapy.1 -
tcunbeliever wrote: »my chiropractor was able to fix my shoulder issues, might be worth a check, a good one will know and tell you if your issue is not one they can help with
I will just say that I went to one before an actual physician, and I would never ever recommend chiropractors to anyone with an actual problem.
You can't fix all these problems by popping a back and fixing subluxations.2 -
I do plan to do that. PT is expensive but may have to move forward with it. Thanks guys!!
If you explain to the PT the cost is an issue (no/poor insurance) check if the office has any cash payment discounts. Also, see if you can work with the therapist to get instructions on home exercises you can do and maybe come back less often to follow up and get progressions.
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I do plan to do that. PT is expensive but may have to move forward with it. Thanks guys!!
i can relate about the expense, since i pay for anything like that out of pocket myself.
what i did tbh was see a guy for long enough to learn the basics of what was wrong with me, especially as far as knowing the formal name of the diagnosis. and then i went internet. while i realise there's a lot of crap out there and talking to strangers to get diagnosed isn't really a wisdom-based thing . . . once you do have a diagnosis there are certainly resources that you can use for proactive self-care.
i'd feel exploitative about it except that i paid the guy 75 bucks a shot for what was amounting to 15 minutes of his precious time. so, y'know. 'get what you pay for' should go both ways. i didn't mind paying him to diagnose me and didn't mind paying him to teach me the literal concepts that i didn't know. but paying him $300 an hour to supervise me doing something i'd already learned? no.1 -
canadianlbs wrote: »I do plan to do that. PT is expensive but may have to move forward with it. Thanks guys!!
i can relate about the expense, since i pay for anything like that out of pocket myself.
what i did tbh was see a guy for long enough to learn the basics of what was wrong with me, especially as far as knowing the formal name of the diagnosis. and then i went internet. while i realise there's a lot of crap out there and talking to strangers to get diagnosed isn't really a wisdom-based thing . . . once you do have a diagnosis there are certainly resources that you can use for proactive self-care.
i'd feel exploitative about it except that i paid the guy 75 bucks a shot for what was amounting to 15 minutes of his precious time. so, y'know. 'get what you pay for' should go both ways. i didn't mind paying him to diagnose me and didn't mind paying him to teach me the literal concepts that i didn't know. but paying him $300 an hour to supervise me doing something i'd already learned? no.
Good point1 -
I had some shoulder pain. It was only my right shoulder though. This is what I did to improve it:
Lay down on your back. You do one arm at a time. Stretch that arm out perpendicular to your body. You could bend at your elbow, lifting your forearm off the ground if fully outstretched is too uncomfortable. Lift the arm a little bit off the ground. You can use your other arm to assist by reaching over with it and grabbing behind your shoulder to lift up on it a little. Take your shoulder through the range of motion that would otherwise be painful if not for the assistance of your other arm. If you can't use your other arm to do this, you might need someone else to hold it up for you. This was very effective for me.
If a diffent part of your shoulder is affected, you may need to do this exercise laying on your stomach, or while standing.1 -
Any chance you could share those movements?After a couple weeks the pain had receded from a 6 out of ten to a 2 or 3, though I still had very limited mobility (anything above my head was still out). After a full month I began doing self-monitored physical therapy drills, basically moving my arm/shoulder through a series of movements, at first using body weight only then later adding VERY light dumbbells.
Your symptoms sounds quite similar to mine.
I have had some physio in the past along with exercises. To be fair, I didn't do them enough, but also they didn't seem to be helping that much. Now making a real effort to get it fixed, so looking at options.
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If you're intent on working around the injury, I would try different types of presses. I've had shoulders pain and injuries before, and in order to work around it... sometimes altering the grip, type of bar, path, etc. helps.
Have you tried anything with a neutral grip?0 -
Then it may have something to do with degeneration in bones and discs in your neck. It can lead to kyphosis. Get an orthopedist to check you out.Are you sure they are just impingements? Impingements are usually chronic and you continue feeling pain even if you aren't lifting.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
That's what the doc diagnosed me with a year ago. "Maybe" some tendonitis. I may need to be looked at again.
But yes you are 100% right. I hurt at work when I have to sit and type. Have trouble sleeping, etc. It's an every day all day pain.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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rainbowbow wrote: »tcunbeliever wrote: »my chiropractor was able to fix my shoulder issues, might be worth a check, a good one will know and tell you if your issue is not one they can help with
I will just say that I went to one before an actual physician, and I would never ever recommend chiropractors to anyone with an actual problem.
You can't fix all these problems by popping a back and fixing subluxations.
I'm going through this now doing PT after talking to surgeon and getting X-ray and MRI. My shoulder is Solid No tears degeneration anything just an impingement but like RainBow said GO SEE A MEDICAL DOCTOR a Labrum tear is Nothing to mess with. This will cost me $3000 deductible but well worth it to eventually do what I love Lift weights.
Positive note my legs and abs look fantastic0 -
i have shoulder issues. Mainly because i have a herniated disk and bulging disk in my neck.0
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