Shoulder Impingement Syndrome?

Raegold
Raegold Posts: 191 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm seeing a PM&R Dr. in a week, but for right now, I THINK I have shoulder impingement syndrome. I've been doing Strong Curves, just finished week 4. My right shoulder has been hurting for the past 2 weeks, just doesn't feel right. It sucks bc I don't want to lose momentum, but I think I need to modify some things. Like, I think I probably shouldn't do a barbell back squat because of the arm position. Wondering if I should stay away from deadlifts too. I definitely don't want to lose any strength/muscle gain that I've been getting, specifically in my lower body. Any tips from anyone? I'm definitely avoiding any chest presses, shoulder exercises. I've been doing some scap retractions and postural stuff, but maybe I should be doing literally nothing from the chest up.

Replies

  • ISweat4This
    ISweat4This Posts: 653 Member
    Yikes, I was diagnosed with shoulder impingement syndrome a few years ago. I couldn't lift weights for a few months, so I only did cardio (boring). My doctor told me to do rotator cuff exercises with the resistance band. You should avoid all upper body exercises until you meet with your doctor. Good luck.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    It is definitely a good thing you are getting in to see the doc. Rest, ice and pain reliever are the best things you can do for the shoulder right now. I would keep going with all the lower body work. If the back squat is bothering you, you could try holding dumbells in each hand and squat that way. If your gym has a safety bar, that would be a good option. I have a shoulder injury right now. Deadlifts don't bother my injury so I am still doing them. Best of luck to you.
  • TRI_CMDO
    TRI_CMDO Posts: 95 Member
    I had the same from weight training and swimming. Had to have 2 cortisone injections over 3 months and it sorted it out
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    I've been doing some exercises I found on youtube and they're helping but recovery is slow going.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    I'm in physical therapy for this exact thing right now. In fact, I just got back from my second appointment. They told me not to raise my arms above shoulder height and nothing behind my back until they clear me. Absolutely no weight in my hands at all for now. They've given me some band exercises to strengthen the muscle while I'm healing. Then they're going to teach me how to not hurt myself again. Mine was caused by too much weight too soon which results in bad form. It's very easy to do so learning the proper technique in crucial.

    Unfortunately, very few personal trainers or exercise class instructors teach proper form. Please take care of yourself because if you do too much damage you can cause a tear which they told me would require surgery to repair. Follow the rule if it hurts (not muscle burn), then you need to stop until you get help.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
    edited August 2017
    disasterman wrote: »
    I've been doing some exercises I found on youtube and they're helping but recovery is slow going.


    Can you share the link please @disasterman?
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    Ugh, this sucks. Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll hold off on doing anything until I see the dr
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited August 2017
    Raegold wrote: »
    Ugh, this sucks. Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll hold off on doing anything until I see the dr

    this is a good idea, because 'shoulder impingement' doesn't tell you anything much. a physio can tell you more useful stuff like what kind of impingement, where, and so forth.

    i had a nagging shoulder thing for some time before i cracked and went to one. for encouragement's sake, mine felt like a big hairy scary deal but responded very quickly and rewardingly to some pretty simple drills. i can't promise this will be your experience too, but just thought it was worth mentioning.

    meanwhile, i'll pass on the most useful thing i've gotten from it, which is also general enough to probably not steer you in any wrong directions: 'when you're doing drills for individual shoulder muscles (i.e. rehab), never push to the point of fatigue'. cost me 150 bucks to learn that, but for me personally it was an important mindset-fix, so i'm happy enough to pass it along.

    ETA: i see you are doing stuff already, so i'll mention too that the main thing that made my experience worth the money wasn't exactly the drills. it turned out that shoulder control and placement is so freaking specific that i really needed the guy there to super-pinpoint HOW to do them and what it should feel like to me.

    the drills weren't any kind of surprise. the big payoff was the stronger understanding i got of the entire way that my shoulder is structured and which of the muscles move what.
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    Ugh, this sucks. Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll hold off on doing anything until I see the dr

    this is a good idea, because 'shoulder impingement' doesn't tell you anything much. a physio can tell you more useful stuff like what kind of impingement, where, and so forth.

    i had a nagging shoulder thing for some time before i cracked and went to one. for encouragement's sake, mine felt like a big hairy scary deal but responded very quickly and rewardingly to some pretty simple drills. i can't promise this will be your experience too, but just thought it was worth mentioning.

    meanwhile, i'll pass on the most useful thing i've gotten from it, which is also general enough to probably not steer you in any wrong directions: 'when you're doing drills for individual shoulder muscles (i.e. rehab), never push to the point of fatigue'. cost me 150 bucks to learn that, but for me personally it was an important mindset-fix, so i'm happy enough to pass it along.

    ETA: i see you are doing stuff already, so i'll mention too that the main thing that made my experience worth the money wasn't exactly the drills. it turned out that shoulder control and placement is so freaking specific that i really needed the guy there to super-pinpoint HOW to do them and what it should feel like to me.

    the drills weren't any kind of surprise. the big payoff was the stronger understanding i got of the entire way that my shoulder is structured and which of the muscles move what.


    Thank you, that's great advice. I honestly don't know much about the shoulder joint and girdle, and I'm sure I'm doing a lot wrong. I've been focusing so much on lower body mechanics and form, and I'm just uneducated about especially chest and shoulder stuff. Hopefully I can get back on track asap!

    Struggling a bit to get in my lower body workout without hurting my shoulder... the goblet squat did seem to bother it a bit, but maybe 20lbs was too much, shoulder wise. Don't want to do this, but I might need to stick to body weight stuff :/

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