muscle wastage in shoulder(with pics)

Strangegirlz

Hi Guys
I've been wanting to get some advice on this for ages. Basically I have some very noticable muscle wasting on the side of my right shoulder. It is very obvious from the front, especially since I started lifting heavy as I have been able to build up muscle on the other side but not on this side. It is also obvious in my back.
Long story short(as short as possible.) First started getting shoulder problems around 11 years ago when pregnant. My shoulder was painful and when I would wake up in the morning it would be at my ear lobe! Very lifted as if in the shrug position. I was at university at the time and the only thing I can think that would have caused it was working on the checkout at a supermarket, just the constant movement when scanning things through.
Anyway since then I've had problems with regards to strength, pain and just the general aesthetics of it. Numerous doctors appointments, physio and then most recently nerve conduction studies. None of these were very conclusive, although when I began my last sessions of physio around a year ago I had been in a reasonable amount of pain in the shoulder and back area every day for about 6 months solid and the physio totally cured this after doing some work on my neck. So she suggested that the problem could actually be there. It was her that sent me for the nerve conduction studies and I think the general consensus with these was that there had been a problem with the nerves and the doctor described them as functioning now but maybe on 2 cyclinders as opposed to 3! However he said that the other muscles seemed to be compensating and that this was why the shoulder sometimes looked so strange. He didn't seem to think anything could be done to improve things. All the professionals are adamant that an injury must have occurred but I honestly can't remember one.
Anyway it looks really ****ty and although I'm grateful that it doesn't often give me pain very often now, I would like it to look better. My workouts also suffer because this side is so much weaker. This was a real problem when i did pump classes because I could squat a reasonably heavy weight but couldn't press it off at the end because the right side just wouldn't work to push it off!
The only time it has looked less weird is when I lost a lot of weight about 2 years ago when doing no exercise and the left side looked similar obviously because I was too skinny up top with no muscle mass on either side so it didn't stand out.
Any ideas, thoughts suggestions?

woodsygirl

Do you feel like it locks up? My friend has dystonia in her neck and her neck literally twists. Something like that perhaps?

heybales

Without there seeming to be a reason medically, only thing I can think of is greatly favoring it through life for whatever reason, may impinge slightly on lots of movements so you are careful, stuff like that.

I'd say as many lifts as you can with dumbbells instead of barbell, with whatever weight is correct for the weak side. May be maintenance for strong side for a while, but oh well.

Get some good isolation stuff in there too for specific muscles at end of compound lifts. See if you seem to hold and move it the same way and range of motion between sides.

Not much of a suggestion, but place to start if they thing nothing wrong. Though I'd bet there was old injury as kid.

ninerbuff

I've seen this several times before and it's usually due to 2 things:

A nerve or impingement issue in the area (previously and currently).

An event that caused and injury to the area and healing wasn't nominal.

You may have injured it when you were younger and just let it heal wrong. Not uncommon.

As mentioned, the approach to take is to do some isolation work and see if that helps to improve it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition