rotator pain

Hey everyone,

I developed, and have been nursing, an annoying shoulder injury for about a month now. I believe I pushed too far too fast on my planche and back lever work but I can't be certain. The supinated grip on the back lever seemed to be much much more difficult for me and also I think I spread my hands too far trying to not lay on my lats. My stupidity. So, my current issue is a deep shoulder tension and pinch only through the over head range of motion. However, when bearing a load there is no pain. I am doing everything I can in my diet so as not to get any inflammation from my food (fish oil, strict paleo diet, etc.)

For join mobility, I have been doing everything under the sun for at least 10 reps at a time.

My questions: should I continue to train but be aware of the injury and stop the exercise when I feel it? Should I just rest entirely for 2 weeks and only do joint mobility work? Should I do much higher rep ranges with the mobility work? Contrast baths?

I definitely have a problem and this pain is more disconcerting than anything, I just don't want it to develop into something much worse. Any comments, links are welcome.

I think you answered your own question. Any nagging injury like that, lay off the aggravating exercises. You run the risk of making it worse and causing long-term chronic problems which could cause months of problems.

Do your joint mobility, stretching, high rep exercises - working especially on rotator cuff work, scap stab exercises, shoulder proprioception exercises (balance work) massage etc. Use this as a time to work on other skills you may have neglected - perhaps lower body flexibility or strength, core work or maybe general joint prehab

If its just a niggling injury should sort itself in a month or so which is only a short amount of time in the long term

cheers

Mikey88

John,

I suggest you rest it for a couple of days and use a more extensive anti-inflammatory aproach. (Traumeel-S in cream and oral form, even an injection if you can get it. Traumeel is a homeopathic anti-f remedy with a lot of research behind it, used extensivly in europe)

After that initial period, I would use a combination of soft tissue work before working out, extensive local joint prehab work for very high rep and NO PAIN at all during it and a bit of a lower intensity strength work (lower than usual and NO PAIN, again) in an effort to maintain strength as much as possible until you are able to resume your schedule.

The combination of high rep joint prehab work with soft tissue external manipulation, anti inflammatory agents and low intensity strength work, and without any pain will allow for a faster healing rate, while minimalizing scar tissue formation and a better mental health also...

Feel better, update me on your status,

Ido.

Ort, that sounds similar to my right shoulder. Mine has been aggravated for a long time, which seems to have made it slow to heal. It's healing though. I get pain sort ofinside my right shoulder near the front, and my right arm is much less stable in the socket. It hurts if I start moving a load from bent arm positions, like when you start a machine bench press. It feels kind of funny, like painful but not bad anymore, when I bench, but that symptom has almost disappeared thanks to somewhat diligent rotator work and inlocate/exlocates with heavy-ish bands and broomsticks.

Also, you need the inflammation to heal. It hurts, but unless there is acute trauma there's no real reason to actively avoid inflammation. Hot/cold therapy would be good, since it forces bloodflow and therefore nutrients, which leads to faster healing, but it'd really have to be immersive. Shower or, ideally, a hot bath and a cold bath. Make sure to give adequate rest too! I don't know if this applies to your situation but I've noticed better healing when I do the rehab/prehab stuff a few times a week instead of every day. If you are happy with what every day work gives you then keep going

Ido's pretty knowledgeable, I'd definitely go for the massage and doing everything with no pain

1. What shoulder articulations hurt (google if you don't know what a 'shoulder articulation' is)

2. Pic of where it hurts (google marked picture).

Thanks for all the responses everyone

@mikey

Yes, I have been doing all the the above. Thanks

@Ido

I will look into that immediately and I will keep you updated most definitely. I have already started increasing my warmup and joint prep/prehab and flexibility, as well as cut back on my training significantly... I just didn't want to be a puss 'n boots about it and not train for 2 weeks. Should I stop bridge work? Should I just work wrestlers bridges to maintain my flexibility in my back?

@slizz

Yes, I agree.

@ braindX

1. It hurts when I externally rotate, right on the acromion but also deep within the humeral (right in my armpit). As far as musculature, it feels like my teres major is a knot a lot of the time, and when I raise my arm (especially on a 45 degree angle above my head) and push back, it gives my a sharp pain. Once I warmup, I am mostly fine... it's the next day when I wake up that it is sometimes very stiff... almost frozen.

2.http://content.answers.com/main/content ... lder.1.jpg

right where they are pointing to the acromion. It hurts there, when I raise my arm up.

On a side note guys, it is most annoying because in the time I pulled back my training... I, apparently, got STRONGER.... despite my injury. I was doing chestroll HeSPU the other day (on a good day when my shoulder didnt feel terrible and after a long warmup) when suddenly I realized I pressed, without a pause and without touching my chest, right up into a handstand! I know if I continue to do such things it will only lead to serious degeneration, or so I believe. I have stopped all my training of back lever and planche work for now. Front levers dont seem to give me a problem but just hanging on a bar (without warmup) can be a pain... literally. And I would continue to train squats more but I am fighting an old patellar injury from maxing out pistols years ago.... ARGH!

Anyway, I sincerely thank all of you for taking time to write in this thread :!:

-John

Sounds like impingement with maybe destablized rotator cuff muscles that are cramping...

Standard prescription for impingement is rest, ice, massage, anti-inflams (fish oil it up) and mobility work

Yea, but only anti-inflam right after a workout. That inflammation is due to increased bloodflow, and without it the tendons and the other connective tissues can't heal properly. That's why if tendonitis doesn't clear up after around 6 weeks you'll notice that any inflammation signs are gone, but the pain remains. The pain is not due to inflammation at this point, so those anti-inflammatories, are likely to impede the healing process. Fish oil is weak compared to NSAIDS, but don't overdo it. And for god's sake, no NSAIDS.

Fish oil seemed to help a ton. I am still doing 16 caps a day right now. Rotator feels much better. Just yesterday I manged to start skin the cats again. Handstand work is doing great along with front lever work. I have been avoiding back lever and planche work like the plague. I am going to start from the full tuck planche position and supinate my hands this time. If I am to start over, I might as well develop a new skill from the ground up... I figure.

I can't seem to get my hands on Traumeel S. I went to the pharmacy and no one had heard of it I did find it online however.

Hey John,

I just reread and saw you found Traumeel online; in case you were still looking for it...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=traumeel&x=0&y=0

Hope your shoulder improves.

best,

jason

Quick update:

I finally got my hands on the cream version of traumeel. Stuff is GREAT! Thanks Ido.

My shoulder feels MUCH MUCH better. I am about 99% healed. I have been doing a pronated version of back lever work to keep most of the stress off of my shoulder but I took a long time to work into even this. I have been doing much joint prep (6/7 days a week) and TONS of fish oil. On a side note, I have leaned out a bit too hehe.

Update:

I still have a lingering shoulder ROM issue every day before I train. Once I warm up, it merely remains tighter than the other side. I proceed to work it out before loading up anything for an overhead ROM. Overhead squatting is one of the last things I do (have done/experimented with) that helped me get warmed up enough to trust it completely. I believe I need some specific soft tissue work and I hope I can find a specialist that may want to trade sessions for sessions. I will continue to dream while I look.

As far as capacity goes: I can again do supine grip back levers without elbow or shoulder pain. I mostly feel the tension in the teres major region when I move out to a 45* angle (somewhere around there) and tension on the medial delt (near the acromion) again, only in the overhead position.

Side note: one arm back levers now make me cringe.

Thanks again to everyone for posting and for trying to help

Nice! I'm glad your situation has improved!