After reading many pages about shoulder injuries and physiology I’m getting confused. I injured my left shoulder about 4 months ago and although it’s maybe 90% it’s just not healing. I’m still staying away from incline pressing but have been benching again since July. (Must’ve been doing 2 sets of pullups at the end of a workout.)
Now it only gives minor discomfort at a point about where you’d end the stroke of a backhand in tennis. Swimming seems to create another ‘point’ or two, which goes away if I don’t swim. (I thought it was related to a bicept tendon: Strangely, about 5 weeks ago I pulled a bicept muscle, left side. Was fine maybe 4 days later.)
Now a gym bro swears it’s rotator cuff since I only feel it on the front side. Huh? Goes against everything I’ve read so far. He thinks taking 500-600 ml Aleve for a few days and then 200 ml a few times will clean out something or other. I have no pain, just minor discomfort at that one point.
I’m trying to follow various rehab exercises: bands and isometrics. Anyone else think rotator cuff is crazy? Because that would change my rehab exercises. Can’t afford a professional diagnosis but I’m hoping to do so soon.
[quote]Mac29 wrote:
After reading many pages about shoulder injuries and physiology I’m getting confused. I injured my left shoulder about 4 months ago and although it’s maybe 90% it’s just not healing. I’m still staying away from incline pressing but have been benching again since July. (Must’ve been doing 2 sets of pullups at the end of a workout.)
Now it only gives minor discomfort at a point about where you’d end the stroke of a backhand in tennis. Swimming seems to create another ‘point’ or two, which goes away if I don’t swim. (I thought it was related to a bicept tendon: Strangely, about 5 weeks ago I pulled a bicept muscle, left side. Was fine maybe 4 days later.)
Now a gym bro swears it’s rotator cuff since I only feel it on the front side. Huh? Goes against everything I’ve read so far. He thinks taking 500-600 ml Aleve for a few days and then 200 ml a few times will clean out something or other. I have no pain, just minor discomfort at that one point.
I’m trying to follow various rehab exercises: bands and isometrics. Anyone else think rotator cuff is crazy? Because that would change my rehab exercises. Can’t afford a professional diagnosis but I’m hoping to do so soon.
Really appreciate any knowledgeable feedback.
Thanks,
Mac [/quote]
Best case is that since shoulders heal slowly, it might just be the case you haven’t rested it enough to let it finish that last bit. Worst case as always is spontaneous combustion…
Being Some Dude On The Internet, I can tell you right now what the problem is! Well maybe not. Anterior shoulder pain can be due to any number of reasons including a long head of the biceps issue or a labral tear. Lots of stuff attaches in a small area so it does take a pro to figure it out. Also if you RC is messed up really badly you might get pain there too, since you would not be able to keep the humerus in correct position while in motion. That means a pretty serious tear which you’d notice oh say when you can’t feed yourself. Seriously though, pony up the money and get a good doctor to look at it. If is is something like an RC tear (supraspinatus, in particular) you can really screw yourself up doing bench press right or any exercise even a wee bit wrong. Once you know, program around it. Never work out with chronic pain because it will always come back to haunt you. Seriously.
If it hurts after 4 weeks of solid RICE… Get a X-ray and if needed a MRI… If its a tear or something like that it wont get better without surgerey sorry for the bad news
[quote]thehebrewhero wrote:
If it hurts after 4 weeks of solid RICE… Get a X-ray and if needed a MRI… If its a tear or something like that it wont get better without surgerey sorry for the bad news[/quote]
Since when??? Or else there would n’t be a field called physiotherapy
OP a little info on mechanism of injury may help us garner more information about your situation. Also age would helpp as well since some injuries occur more as we age.
According to the info you provided it does not sound like rotator cuff pathology, rtc tears usually are associated with pain at night when trying to sleep and problems/pinching when reaching overhead. Labral pathology can be tricky to decipher v bicep pain as the bicep attaches to the fibrocartilagenous labrum. Many times labral pathology is associated with instability or feelings of the shoulder is going to sublux or dislocate. Tears at the bicep labrum complex are typically deemed slap tears and occur more frequently in overhead athletes specifically throwers and tennis players
Some things you can do to decipher which is which is
A.) Give us movements which cause pain
B.) Palpate the bicep tendon on the anterior aspect of the arm and feel for irritation
C.) Have someone perform an obriens test and perform passive external rotation supine
