I’ve been training powerlifting for about a year so lots of squats, deadlift, bench and not a lot of direct arm work or pulling movements. After my first meet in Nov I decided to round things out and try a bodybuilding routine which would work everything fairly evenly.
Since this was new to me I started light. Second week into it I was alternating DB press with seated rows and after my 2nd set of seated rows I got a ache in my left shoulder that started off not too bad and got severe enough that I had to quit my workout.
There was no sudden injury, just an ache in my left shoulder. After that I took about a month off, partly to rest but partly because it was the holidays and I was busy eating a lot.
Last week I started a new powerlifting program and bench was fine but afterward I got a pain in both shoulders right at the end of the clavicle. Seems like an odd place to have pain but I knew something was wrong and I am going to have to fix it.
I read the Shoulder Savers article on here and decided to replace bench with a few rehab exercises and to add bicep and tricep work since it won’t hurt my shoulder. I did an external rotation rotator cuff exercise and found my left arm to be very very weak. I’ve done this exercise with both shoulders before and they have always been fairly equal.
Next I did tricep extensions, no problem. Then seated bicep curls and again my left arm is very very weak.
I tried stretching the shoulder by stretching the pec and that triggered another ache in my shoulder just like I had 6 weeks ago. Obviously something is wrong and I should see a doctor buy I don’t have insurance and money is pretty tight right now.
Has anyone else had something similar or have any ideas on what this is and what I can do to fix it? Currently I’m prescribing rest and some rehab exercises that don’t hurt until I can figure this out.
I’ve been training powerlifting for about a year so lots of squats, deadlift, bench and not a lot of direct arm work or pulling movements. After my first meet in Nov I decided to round things out and try a bodybuilding routine which would work everything fairly evenly.
Since this was new to me I started light. Second week into it I was alternating DB press with seated rows and after my 2nd set of seated rows I got a ache in my left shoulder that started off not too bad and got severe enough that I had to quit my workout.
There was no sudden injury, just an ache in my left shoulder. After that I took about a month off, partly to rest but partly because it was the holidays and I was busy eating a lot.
Last week I started a new powerlifting program and bench was fine but afterward I got a pain in both shoulders right at the end of the clavicle. Seems like an odd place to have pain but I knew something was wrong and I am going to have to fix it.
I read the Shoulder Savers article on here and decided to replace bench with a few rehab exercises and to add bicep and tricep work since it won’t hurt my shoulder. I did an internal rotation rotator cuff exercise and found my left arm to be very very weak. I’ve done this exercise with both shoulders before and they have always been fairly equal.
Next I did tricep extensions, no problem. Then seated bicep curls and again my left arm is very very weak.
I tried stretching the shoulder by stretching the pec and that triggered another ache in my shoulder just like I had 6 weeks ago. Obviously something is wrong and I should see a doctor buy I don’t have insurance and money is pretty tight right now.
Has anyone else had something similar or have any ideas on what this is and what I can do to fix it? Currently I’m prescribing rest and some rehab exercises that don’t hurt until I can figure this out.[/quote]
Sounds like a possible nerve impingement.
Are you getting a tingly feeling in your arm or fingers? Like it’s falling asleep?
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Have a look at something called ‘distal clavicle osteolysis’ and see what you think.
BBB[/quote]
Interesting but I don’t really have pain as described in the articles I read. They also don’t mention weakness. The only real information I’ve found is other people with similar problems and not getting a lot of answers.
[quote]PRCalDude wrote:
joburnet wrote:
Other then weakness I’m getting no pain or tingly feeling. I have full range of motion, just weak.
Sounds like scalene and pec minor trigger points. [/quote]
Can you please explain this a little more?
After I benched the pain I got seemed to be coming from the Coracoid process. If I had a problem with the tendons attaching to the Coracoid process then that would explain why my bicep is weak and that is what confused me the most. The Coracoid process connects to a bunch of other things and I’m sure one of them could explain the weak rotator cuff.
After resting it for a couple days it seems a little stronger, but I think it is going to take a while.
I read the Shoulder Savers article on here and decided to replace bench with a few rehab exercises and to add bicep and tricep work since it won’t hurt my shoulder. I did an internal rotation rotator cuff exercise and found my left arm to be very very weak. I’ve done this exercise with both shoulders before and they have always been fairly equal.
Next I did tricep extensions, no problem. Then seated bicep curls and again my left arm is very very weak.
I tried stretching the shoulder by stretching the pec and that triggered another ache in my shoulder just like I had 6 weeks ago. Obviously something is wrong and I should see a doctor buy I don’t have insurance and money is pretty tight right now.
Has anyone else had something similar or have any ideas on what this is and what I can do to fix it? Currently I’m prescribing rest and some rehab exercises that don’t hurt until I can figure this out.[/quote]
Hey joburnet. The weakness in the internal rotation sounds like it could be a nerve injury of some sort. How is the strength your external rotation? How about the other ROMs in your shoulder? Have you noticed any atrophy in the musculature of your shoulder? Take a look at your back in the mirror.
I was diagnosed with Brachial Plexus Neuritis (Parsonnage-Turner Syndrome) some 14 months ago now. Although for me the pain was very intense at the beginning (I knew from day one I had a serious problem), I have read that in some cases it can manifest itself in a dull ache or no pain whatsoever - just weakness and atrophy. Have you had a serious illness or trauma in the last few months??
If you can afford it I would suggest speaking to a doctor. Ask to be referred to a neurologist and have an EMG performed on your shoulder.
Yeah, the arm nerves travel through the brachial plexus, which is bordered and constricted by the scalene muscles and the pec minor. The pec minor pulls down on the clavicle when too tight, and the scalenes pull up the first and second ribs. That squeezes the arm nerves when the muscles are too tight from trigger points.
Weakness in the my external rotation was one of the first things I noticed, I took it in stride but would continue to have back spasms, basically I had surgery for impingement of the suprascapular nerve which feeds the infraspinatus. My external rotation on my right arm was extremely weak and the infraspinatus actually became atrophied and you could see it on my back. The right side of my back would overcompensate for the lack of the muscle which led to a giant imbalance. Not saying that this is what you have because it is relatively rare, but I first noticed severe weakness in my external rotation.
Your pec minor attaches there. Seems to agree with pec minor trigger points, but I doubt they exist without scalene trigger points as well as the scalenes refer pain to that area of the chest and your arms.
I’ve been attempting self massage as it suggests in the book. I’m pretty sure my dad has a copy of that book so I’ll pick it up next time I’m up that way to read in detail. He also has one of those tools which should help.