Shoulder problem

[oldfella]

Have been slowly developing a problem with the front shoulder area. My belief is it's tendons or ligaments.

It now has a big impact on my bench :cry: , plus chins and obviously shoulder work. I also have trouble sleeping on either side. Not allowed to sleep on my back (missus has an issue with snoring :nod: ).

Been seeing a good osteo who seems to do a lot of work on my traps plus the whole shoulder area.

Thought I'd ask our resident experts as to what they've done to overcome it. Rest isn't an option. On a 5/3/1 program and will not miss a week.

[falla]

Do you stretch fully before exercising?

[oldfella]

What's this stretching you speak of?

[Daz69]

I've struggled with shoulder problems for years..

I can't do heavy wide grip pressing movements with a BB or DB anymore..

I have to use a closer grip (shoulder width) for my heavy work & use lighter weights on wider grip presses at the end of my sets...

I've managed to avert shoulder pains by doing this, the moment I go heavy beyond shoulder width, I can feel the pain start almost instantaneously...

Do you do any rotator cuff exercises..?

I always do em as warm-ups before training shoulders...

Its a shite getting old, all you seem to end up doing is working round injuries, or stopping old ones re-occurring...

[M.T]

Have exactly the same thing currently and cannot rest until Nov so put up with it for 3 weeks until seeing our resident Doc at the House yesterday while benching it was just too painful to continue. ANYWAY turned out that I tore a my right bicep some time ago and was out of alignment and kind of started to grow in the wrong place if that makes any sense? solution was to shift it back into place and with regular visits should start lining up like it should.

So if yours is the same or similar then hopefully just needs some re-adjustment then you'll be back smashing the bench. Unless it's a tear I guess then only time would fix that but I am no expert just my experience.

[oldfella]

I've struggled with shoulder problems for years..

I can't do heavy wide grip pressing movements with a BB or DB anymore..

I have to use a closer grip (shoulder width) for my heavy work & use lighter weights on wider grip presses at the end of my sets...

I've managed to avert shoulder pains by doing this, the moment I go heavy beyond shoulder width, I can feel the pain start almost instantaneously...

Do you do any rotator cuff exercises..?

I always do em as warm-ups before training shoulders...

Its a shite getting old, all you seem to end up doing is working round injuries, or stopping old ones re-occurring...

If I bench closer to my neck it's not bad but when I go further forward so my forearms are vertical it kills me. No rotator cuff stuff - did look around for something to do dislocations today but couldn't find anything.

Not putting this down to age - just yet.

[oldfella]

Have exactly the same thing currently and cannot rest until Nov so put up with it for 3 weeks until seeing our resident Doc at the House yesterday while benching it was just too painful to continue. ANYWAY turned out that I tore a my right bicep some time ago and was out of alignment and kind of started to grow in the wrong place if that makes any sense? solution was to shift it back into place and with regular visits should start lining up like it should.

So if yours is the same or similar then hopefully just needs some re-adjustment then you'll be back smashing the bench. Unless it's a tear I guess then only time would fix that but I am no expert just my experience.

Where are you feeling the pain? I'm getting this in both upper arms / shoulders.

[Android]

What's the bench for? Powerlifting...

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest you scrap machines or bars that lock your shoulder into a specific position. While you seem to have adjusted by going closer grip you've just lost the benefits of a wide-grip bench. I'm not sure what a wide-grip bench does though apart from put your shoulders in a dangerous position at the bottom, it really wrenches them backwards mate. If you want outer pecs do flyes with light dumbbells and feel the stretch, and dumbbell presses also let you come down low without the wide grip.

Give up on heavy reps and grow those muscles you have that need higher volume. It means YOU will have mentally squeeze the pecs you want to grow, whereas lifting heavy doesn't really require much thinking...lift heavy, muscle grows. Same result can be attained just without the injury IMO.

Yes I've injured my shoulder b4...once 8 years ago training for a powerlifting comp. Total agony, physio tried to help...in the end dropped my ego, dropped bars and machines and did shoulders and chest with dumbbells. 6 months later just noticed it was fine again and never once has it appeared in my training since then...2003 I think it was. I remember doing rotator cuff exercises for a month as physio suggested but dropped those as it improved.

All the best with whatever you find works mate :-)

[M.T]

Mine is in the front of shoulder where bicep connects to pec so as soon as the bar comes down towards my chest it pulls it and hurts like fuaaark.

Had persisted on with the help of ICE Spray until finally addressing the issue. In my very lose description a few tendons were/are detached from the rest of the muscle "anterior".

Pretty uncommon to have it in both shoulders from what I have seen so pehaps form on bench could be the issue not locking in shoulders, warming up etc?

[oldfella]

Sounds about the right place.

With my coach there's no bad form, it's very strict. Plus sufficient warmup. And he's an expert PLer.

Thinking about trying to find a doc who can diagnose it correctly - anyone know of one in Chch let me know. The family doc ain't much use on this.

[Deburgh]

Good doc.. Deb Robinson (All Black Doc), Sportmed Bealey Ave

She will see you right

[loveggs]

Good doc.. Deb Robinson (All Black Doc), Sportmed Bealey Ave

She will see you right

do u mean latissimus dorsi? for ya name?

[Deburgh]

Been commented on before about 4 years ago... yes i did

[oldfella]

Turns out I have brucilitis (not sure of the spelling or word) in the left shoulder and slap in the right.

Slap = long head bicep has torn where it joins onto the circle of tendons in the shoulder joint.

So no benching / pressing for 6 weeks, course of strong voltaren for 2 weeks.

Then just let them heal themselves. Bit of a dampener for the 5-3-1 I'm on.

More effort for squats and deads. Stuck with gayble flys etc for a while.

[M.T]

Piece of mind I guess good now you know, and I learnt what a 'slap' is totally what mine was too.