[quote]ugaMMA411 wrote:
[quote]karim.arafa wrote:
Hey TNation,
I know I donÃ???Ã??Ã?¢??t have any posts on but I have been an avid reader of tnation for 4 years. A little background about myself…
Weightlifting has become my life. At 85kg and 5ft9 I was a very fat de conditioned 19 year old and had never set foot into a gym. Started weightlifting and got to 80 kg @ 9% bf. Learnt alit from working out and just got my personal training certification even though I have a career as a banker. Working out has been my vent in life and is what keeps me going. Enough with the violin tune and down to what seems to be an end for me in terms of anything related to weights.
About a month ago, had a great chest workout, the next day my shoulder was sore so I laid off for a couple of days but the pain crept up on me and eventually got worse. I had a clicking sound every time I moved my shoulder into flexion (overhead). Pulling movements were fine so I went in and had a heavy deadlift session and was able to hit a new PR of 120 KG for 5 reps. The pain however kept getting worse.
It�??�?�¢??s hard to explain what it actually feels like but moving my arm overhead causing a grinding feeling and the pain is felt in the ac joint and a deep pain below it as well as the top of my scapula. I went to 3 orthopedics and they diagnosed me with weak stabilizer muscles and tight traps and acute shoulder impingement syndrome (I wasn�??�?�¢??t convinced with their diagnosis but thought they might be right). Did 4 sessions (acupuncture, ultrasound, soft tissue work, heat pads, electro therapy, cortisone shots) all which alleviated the pain for less than a day post session to come back again.
I havnt set foot into the gym for almost 7 weeks now with no sign of improvement. I went to a couple of more doctors which I think may be right in terms of diagnosis. The first doctor asked for an x-ray (pics below) and noted that I have an irregular distal clavicle. He said that it has a very rough end contrary to the norm and seems to have degenerated which may be causing the pain and diagnosed me with ac joint osteoarthritis.
He prescribed voltaren and a muscle relaxant for tight upper traps and gave me a pain killer shot and said if the pain went away then that would be it (he wanted to rule out any other cause).The pain did go away for 2 days but I could still hear and feel the grinding and it came back as the sedative wore off. The second doctor asked for an MRI and an x-ray but did agree that I had an unusual distal clavicle end and added an unusually large space between the clavicle and the acronym.
The x-ray I had was only for my right shoulder so he asked for another x-ray of both sides to determine if this is how my body is structured or trauma I have suffered on my right shoulder.
He said that I probably won�??�?�¢??t be able to lift weights again even if it gets better since it will happen again, he said he wanted the MRI to rule out any soft tissue damage due to the awkward positioning of the clavicle but said regardless of the matter this is the condition I have and might want to pick up another hobby.
I am having a really hard time accepting this and can�??�?�¢??t imagine my life without lifting weights and was hoping for someone to give me some insight based on experience or knowledge of the condition or maybe even if it could be something else. I have attached the X-rays
I�??�?�¢??m really sorry this is such a long post just wanted to put up all the information and am desperate for some insight on the matter.
Just in case u couldn�??�?�¢??t be bothered to read all that, here are the cliff notes
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Had a heavy chest session, and started feeling shoulder pain the day after (nothing during the workout)
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pain gradually got worse over the week, specifically the ac joint itself (flexion,abduction,adduction) doesn�??�?�¢??t cause any muscular pain but more of grinding and soreness to the ac joint as well as the proximal superior part of the scapula)
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Diagnosed as acute shoulder impingement syndrome at first with weak stabilizers and tight trapezius (which I didn�??�?�¢??t agree with)
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Later got x-rays which showed an unusual distal clavicle shape (serrated end) and degeneration sighted
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got 2 different diagnosis and was diagnosed with ac joint osteoarthritis by one doctor and ac joint osteolysis by another
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told that there is nothing I can do about it and need to stop lifting weights
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it has not gotten better in 7 weeks (did not go back to the gym since it happened) and am not able to even perform a single pushup due to the pain
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The pain is most when I pull my arm across my chest as well as try to pull my arm down towards the floor
[/quote]
I had this EXACT problem a few years ago, and I know exactly how you feel. The worse part is that nobody has a good answer for the situation (not even doctors). On top of everything, I ignored the pain and kept training and then ended up separating my AC joint (Type II separation) while training for my first fight. I took 2 weeks off and like and idiot, began to train again. The pain crept up, just like yours, and got to the point where I couldn’t tough it out anymore. My doctor requested a MRI, and found that I had osteolysis, bone spurs that were impinging my RC, torn labrum, and mild degenerative osteoarthritis. I opted for surgery and took 8 months off from training. In that time I did physical therapy and almost became an alcoholic again (especially when the doctors said I should forget about fighting).
Fast forward 2 years, and I am now 4-0, and stronger than before the injury. I lift heavy weights consistently (yes I am bench pressing again! The only thing I don’t do is overhead presses. No need for them anyways). I’m telling you my story for many reasons. First off, you need to take time off, and do some physical therapy/strength training. Second point is to never lose hope. Doctors will air on the safe side and usually give you the worst news. Don’t let that keep you down, keep digging and I promise you will find a way around it.
Here’s my recommendations:
- Go see an orthopedist that is highly involved with sports medicine
- Begin physical therapy, also with a therapist who has extensive background in sports medicine (my therapist was a CSCS, Certified Atheltic Trainer, and Licensed Physical Therapist)
- Ice is your best friend!!! I used to ice my shoulder 3-10 times a day for 15-20 min sessions. (You can buy a cryo-cuff, they are great! If not then regular ice in a plastic bag and a thin towel will do just fine).
- Strengthen your RC, posterior chain, stabilizers, and lay off of the heavy lifting for a while
- Eat lots of green veggies with every meal (they reduce the acidity of foods i.e., meat. This will help with calcium balance in the bone)
- Soft tissue therapy such as SMR (foam rolling, lacrosse ball SMR), massage therapy, NMES therapy, etc., is a MUST.
- Exhaust every option before undergoing surgery (I did two months of non-invasive therapy and other modalities, but i’m very impatient. Surgery forced me to take a break basically).
- Listen to your body! Some days will be better than others. You will improve, and regress, and improve. It’s a pain in the ass!
- Don’t lose hope!!!
I know exactly how you feel dude, I was there myself not too long ago. I never had anyone give me any straight answers, I just kept trucking and it got better with time. I still keep up with all of my PT exercises EVERYDAY. Sometimes twice a day. You can never strengthen your RC too much.
Please feel free to message me whenever. I hope this helps.
[/quote]
@ugaMMA411…
Thank you so much for the kind words! You have no idea how good it feels hearing that you were able to get back, im glad you were able to do so. Im sure you know what i mean when i say when your diagnosed with such an injury / condition, you almost feel like youre on your own, it feels good that i can relate to some1.
Im gona take up your tips and recommendations with a Dr. that im goin to see on the 7th of Jan. I ran some blood tests for reumatism and CRP. the reumatism came out to be -ve but the CRP was elevated compared to the clinic’s range; it was at 8 compared to an upper range of 3.5.
Was cleared to start steroid and cotrison injections by the doc but then i was told that an orthepedic specialist was visiting the country for 4 days (he works with world class olympians and strength athletes) so i believe his view goin forward will be the best i can get out of all the doctors. Thing is he will only be visiting for 4 days, so if he recommends surgery should i take that route or opt for the injections first? id rather get him to perform the surgery over any other doctor. Would u say that u getting surgery was a mistake? coz from what ive researched (i have read up so much on the condition and people who had it) the people who actually got better and went back to lifting were the ones that opted to get the surgery done.
What concerns me is that from the X rays, the doc says that i have the condition on both sides, but the right is the one thats flared up right now, im just worried if i get one side fixed, its a matter of time till the other side starts up.
Its been 3 months now of no lifting, ive just been doin cardio and trying to ward off the fat gain coz as stupid as this sounds ive been finding comfort in food lol.
Just wanted to say thanx again for your post. very uplifting words and have definitly given me hope.
