Dr. Ryan: I have a bench meet coming up on July 30. I am also recovering from a shoulder impingement (almost done, It’s coming along nicely with minimal discomfort now). Is there any way to work around my impingement for the meet? I would like to pound the crap out of my lockout as this will be my first time in a bench shirt as well.
fedaykin,
Glad to hear the rehab is going well.
Without knowing what limitations you have and what RH you have been doing it’s hard to give specific recommendation.
However, I will suggest a few things. First do a search of Mike Robertson’s articles for the one he wrote about Bench Pressing. It goes into a lot of detail regarding proper set up and bench form.
Search Eric Cressey’s articles for the Rotator Cuff program he describes.
Also, make sure to get a lift off with all benches since unracking the weight can cause significant shoulder strain.
You may want to post on the strength forum for suggestions regarding the bench shirt. I’ve never worn one, but from what I have read, there is a different groove when using the shirt and you may need to do some “grease the groove” type training to retrain the movement pattern.
If you have any follow-up questions, let me know.
Take care,
Ryan
Thank yo very much for the thoughts. I have a few more questions though.
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I think I have a problem (although slight) other than an impingement. I have discomfort in my upper trap (towards the front and it carries over to the neck, infraspinatus maybe?) My weakness(an lack of passive ROM) is in my external rotator when my elbow is on my hip. A shoulder horn on the left side is weak, but do-able and mostly pain free. Any suggestions to what this problem might be? I had no accident and the impingement happened while I was sleeping.
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I can still push weight through a full ROM, IF I get the bar path perfect and lower down (touching more towards my “floating” ribs then sternum) then normal.
Do you have any suggestions based on what I’ve told you? I’m probably going to buy a metal IPF shirt if that helps any.
[quote]fedaykin wrote:
Thank yo very much for the thoughts. I have a few more questions though.
- I think I have a problem (although slight) other than an impingement. I have discomfort in my upper trap (towards the front and it carries over to the neck, infraspinatus maybe?) My weakness(an lack of passive ROM) is in my external rotator when my elbow is on my hip. A shoulder horn on the left side is weak, but do-able and mostly pain free. Any suggestions to what this problem might be? I had no accident and the impingement happened while I was sleeping.[/quote]
It may still just be primary external impingement, but with some referred pain. You may just have tightness in the neck because your upper trap and levator scapulae are trying to hike the scapula to compensate for the inability of the supraspinatus to abduct the arm for the first 15 degrees of motion.
[quote]2. I can still push weight through a full ROM, IF I get the bar path perfect and lower down (touching more towards my “floating” ribs then sternum) then normal.
Do you have any suggestions based on what I’ve told you? I’m probably going to buy a metal IPF shirt if that helps any.[/quote]
The bench shirt will actually protect your shoulders as compared to benching raw. With that said, you’ll get more shoulder support from a shirt that is closed back without soft shoulder backs (i.e. some of the newer polys).
I would agree with Eric’s assessment of the shoulder. However, you would also want to rule out any neck problem that may be contributing.
What kind of specialist have you been seeing for your shoulder? They should be able to rule out neck involvement relatively easily.
Take care,
Ryan
Hey, I have a question about something that I’ve been putting off for awhile. I believe that I have a pinched nerve in my neck, as I was getting numbness and what not in my hands. I stopped working out for a while, just relaxed, and the problem has for the most part gone away. However, if I’m doing pulling exercises, such as chinups or bent over rows, I can feel that tingling coming back, although weaker than it was. Is this something that can go untreated, or can this get worse with time? Any input is appreciated.
Janoski,
Well I think you should get it checked out to find out what is causing your symptoms.
Tingling in the hands can be either neurologic or vascular mediated.
Depending on whether your symptoms are uni or bilateral and if it is only in the hands or also the arms, there are several things to consider.
Usually a pinched nerve in the neck will only affect a part of one hand. Carpal tunnel would have to be ruled out, but it should only affect the thumb, index and middle finger, occasionally, part of the ring finger will be involved. Any type of thoracicoutlet problem would also need to be checked.
If you could provide more info on the specifics of your symptoms, then I could give you more specific advice.
However, any type of nerve problem can get worse depending on what is causing the problem. That is why I suggest you find either a chiro/ortho/neuro that can evaluate your condition.
Take care,
Ryan