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Shoulder instability?

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lilawolf
lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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Weight in some positions, particularly carrying something relaxed in both hands (like you would carry textbooks just above your waist), will half dislocate both shoulders. Even a hard shiver with no weights will turn one or both out. You can see the ball of my shoulder outside of the cup but its not completely dislocated. This is called shoulder instability where the tendons stretch too easily. It isn't painful unless they stay that way for several minutes.

Strong muscles can really help hold the bones together, but if you train them with the wrong balance you can worsen the problem. Stronglifts seems very natural and unlikely to unbalance nature, but I'm not sure. What do you think? Do I need to see a sports doctor?

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  • abluebutton
    abluebutton Posts: 7
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    If you're not in pain, I'm not sure what a sports doctor would tell you. I have read that the overhead press develops muscles that help with shoulder stability.

    I have a tear in the labrum of my left shoulder so it's unstable in a different manner. The surgeon said surgery was optional and didn't guarantee anything. I was really careful and started light with both the presses and deadlifts. Initially, the muscles were very sore and I used a tennis ball for massage and ibuprofen for the soreness. 7 weeks later, the soreness is much more mild and the joint feels a lot stronger.

    EDIT: found the article I was reading, page 2
    http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/article/the_olympic-style_press
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    A sports doctor could tell me which muscles to target with which exercises, or at least what to avoid...

    I wasn't completely honest when I said I am in no pain. I have a hard time sleeping on my side, because the shoulder I am laying on will start to ache. That is really annoying. It just doesn't hurt when she shoulder pulls out a little.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    If you know you have a medical problem, I'd consult your doctor before starting any new routine. Either someone knowledgeable about your specific health or a sports doctor who's encountered the problem before. (Hopefully you find one you like, because you may need to consult him/her more than once in your life...
  • abluebutton
    abluebutton Posts: 7
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    +1 see a doc, better to be safe than sorry

    Yea, I also have that achy sleep problem. Shoulder on the L side, Hip on the R. No fun!

    My route to the gym went:
    10 years of intermittent pain from hurting myself while horseing around-->General practitioner -->orthopedic surgeon --->MRI to diagnose labral tear --> physical therapy as a non-invasive treatment --> 10 weeks of physical therapy and then released to such activities like walking, running, taichi, weight training...not rock climbing, swimming, or paddling which were my old activities.
  • fishlover888
    fishlover888 Posts: 132
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    Agree about seeing your doctor/sportsmed dr/physical therapist!!

    I have pretty bad shoulder instability and stronglifts is helping so far. However, I am not in any pain right now. Since it's painful I think you should get it looked at for sure. It'll be a lot easier to get taken care of now instead of waiting until it's more injured!


    I also do some exercises specifically for my shoulder. You could try them, but if they seem to aggravate anything again see a dr... it's hard to know without being able to actually look at your shoulder.

    1. Windmill
    http://www.myomytv.com/kettlebell-windmill-exercise-tutorial/
    I do this with 3 lb weights and a mirror to check form. She is using a HUGE kettlebell and I am impressed how good her form is.

    When you bend make sure the arm stays straight up and down at all times and keep your back straight. You will feel your shoulder rotate in the socket and it may click/pop a little but shouldn't hurt in the joint. I would start with just 10 on each side because this is a difficult exercise and it might make you sore at first. Also, if your form starts to decline your arm will wobble and that means time to stop!

    I do these to warm up before I do my overhead press because otherwise my shoulder wobbles/pops/clicks/hurts/is generally angry.

    2. Wall arm slides
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGLePIHsS7Q
    Back against the wall, head against the wall. slide the arms up and keep your elbows against the wall the whole time. Please go slower than the guy in the video though :tongue:

    3. Isometrics
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLBr3oLXuY4

    Also this may sound like obvious advice but... re-rack your barbell in between sets so you aren't standing around pulling on your shoulder joint, and start with lighter weights and work your way up so that you can develop the stabilization muscles that you need. If you do decide to start SL and are doing deadlifts, pull your shoulder blades together before you lift and that will help keep everything stable.

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