View Full Version : Torn Rotator Cuff - Help me out
Brothers, I've gone and done something dumb...Tore my rotator cuff. My doctor figures I tore my supra spinatus (I don't know if thats how to spell it correctly).
I figure I did it when doing seated dumbell presses. I felt my left shoulder "tweak" at the top of the movement, and then my left hand went kind of numb, but I finished my workout and went on my way. I didn't think much of it, and trained all bodyparts for another week, until I hit chest day, and tried to do dumbell flyes and at the top of the movement, my shoulder just collapsed. No real pain or anything, it just wouldn't work. Took a week off then tried to go back, but it wasn't happening. Went to see the doc and he told me I've got a torn Supra Spinatus and possible torn tendon. I need an MRI to figure out if I need surgery or not.
My questions here are:
1) Has anyone done this before?
2) How do I alter my training (once I'm back to it) so that I never do it again.
3) How do I stay positive when all I can do is legs, and that doesn't include squats because I can't hold the bar when its on my shoulders.
4) Anyone have any good ab routines cause, thats all I can do besides legs.
I'm doing legs every few days, cause I'm pretty limited in what I can do. I can do a couple sets of super light bi's and tri's, but I'm not allowed to "get carried away" as my physio therapist tells me. He also said "Use weight that I think is light, not what you think is light" (He knows me a little too well).
So, any advice or encouraging comments would be appreciated. I'm a little miserable.
never_2_big
02-26-07, 4:18 am
1)my training partner suffered from this kind of injury a while back
2) to prevent it happening again you need to start light and gradually increase the weight in small increments, check your form as well and make sure that you are nice and upright. the last thing i can say is if you touch dumbbells together at the top of the press dont do it, it adds extra pressure to the shoulder girdle.
3)to stay positive keep lookin at this site, now that youre laid off from the gym youll have plenty of time to read and learn and post heaps of good stuff on the forvm
4) for your abs, try a search theres plenty of stuff. but remember your lower abs give them heaps of attention.
take it slow bro and youll be back on top soon.
Keep your head up bro, eventually you will be back in the gym. I have had 5 dislocations and 2 surgeries on my right should (bankart repairs) and one dislocation on my left. I know that time off from the gym sucks, but look at it this way, the effort you put into your PT and recovery will get you back in there.
From my experience, follow your PTs strength and range of motion routine after whatever treatment they prescribe (surgery or time off). Once they clear you to go back to the gym start light with moderate reps, with super strict form. Your PT may tell you to avoid certain exercises at first. The part that I need to work on, but is probably most important, is keeping up with the rotator cuff exercises, sometimes I still feel weak on my right side at the bottom of DB and cable flyes.
So good luck with your shoulder, if you have any other questions just PM me. Keep positive and know that you are going to get back into the gym.
Brothers, I've gone and done something dumb...Tore my rotator cuff. My doctor figures I tore my supra spinatus (I don't know if thats how to spell it correctly).
I figure I did it when doing seated dumbell presses. I felt my left shoulder "tweak" at the top of the movement, and then my left hand went kind of numb, but I finished my workout and went on my way. I didn't think much of it, and trained all bodyparts for another week, until I hit chest day, and tried to do dumbell flyes and at the top of the movement, my shoulder just collapsed. No real pain or anything, it just wouldn't work. Took a week off then tried to go back, but it wasn't happening. Went to see the doc and he told me I've got a torn Supra Spinatus and possible torn tendon. I need an MRI to figure out if I need surgery or not.
My questions here are:
1) Has anyone done this before?
2) How do I alter my training (once I'm back to it) so that I never do it again.
3) How do I stay positive when all I can do is legs, and that doesn't include squats because I can't hold the bar when its on my shoulders.
4) Anyone have any good ab routines cause, thats all I can do besides legs.
I'm doing legs every few days, cause I'm pretty limited in what I can do. I can do a couple sets of super light bi's and tri's, but I'm not allowed to "get carried away" as my physio therapist tells me. He also said "Use weight that I think is light, not what you think is light" (He knows me a little too well).
So, any advice or encouraging comments would be appreciated. I'm a little miserable.
1) Have done this and went through physical therapy first and then the surgery. If you have an option go straight to the surgery. The recovery and therapy isn't bad at all.
2) There are a few rotator cuff strengthing exercises you can do. Raise your arm next to your head like you were beginning a military press at a 90-degree angle. Slowly rotate your arm forward and then return to the starting position. Start with no weight and then work your way up with 2.5 lb plate and then upward.
2) When you get back to training like you were you MUST stretch before every work out. After going through the surgery I didn't listen and tried going into every workout without stretching and ended back in rehab. Trust me, bro STRETCH.
brewtality
02-26-07, 11:05 am
Same thing happened to me. Seated dumbell military presses were the ones that injured me too. I lost control of my right db and it crashed backwards. I heard two distinct cracks (must be the rotator cuff tearing) and my shoulder popped out and got twisted backwards so bad. Almost lost consciousness because of the pain. I popped it back in myself but I was so scared of going to the doctor I waited a full week before going.
When I went to the doctor, I only did PT stuff. I didn't let them do any surgery. But I guess it was a mistake. Months later, my right shoulder still hasn't fully healed. When I returned to the doctor they said they can give me steroid shots to help it heal since i don't want surgery. It's been 2 1/2 years since my injury, and I only started lifting again last january. So my advice is do everything you can to help heal your shoulder.
I do 5 mins of rotator cuff exercises every chest day as a precaution. And I stay away from the incline bench. Feels like my shoulder's gonna pop out again even if I press using only the bar.
I torn my left shoulder skateboarding home from the gym after a shoulder workout, basically pile driven into concrete, had some of the gnarliest bruises. I couldn't move my shoulder for a week. I'm left handed so I did not have a symmetry problem with workouts with righty. After about 3 weeks, I worked into some rehab movements, like 5lb front,side raises. 2 months to get back to regular training strength. And at about 6 months I started to feel normal again with dumbbell flys.
before i began bodybulding i was a hardcore baseball player (LHP) i had gone through 3 rotator cuff injuries over the coures of three years and it put an end to my pitching career. one of the things i can't do anymore is flat bench. and if i do i can't go past 90deg with my elbows...same goes for millitary press. the db or bar will never go past my ears. injuries to the rotator cuff can be easly prevented by stretching the chest and lats along with the rotator cuff itself. doing external and internal rotation exersizes are important. you can also do lat pulldowns with less weight and keep the shoulder blades pinched the ENTIRE time. that will bring in more of the rotator cuff and help stabalize the shoulder blade (scapular insatbility is a big part of rotator cuff injuties). also do some db laterals with 8lb db and turn the hand over as u go up. good luck and BE CARFUL...these kinds of injuries can really slow training if not allowed to heal.
buddy...I live with this same injury...every fucking day it kills me...but I move through it.....it can be corrected...but will not go under the kife..and it was MRI'd 3 years ago...verified torn.....but the doc said...if I rest...it may heal and I can work with it...so...when I started lifting last July....pop...snap crakel and ouch...its fucked..but I use machines....get a hellatious pump....and keep moving forward....i do not have time to sit and worry about pain...I want to build...be in the gym...and work around this pain.....I feel for you bro.....understand the pain
Brothers, I've gone and done something dumb...Tore my rotator cuff. My doctor figures I tore my supra spinatus (I don't know if thats how to spell it correctly).
I figure I did it when doing seated dumbell presses. I felt my left shoulder "tweak" at the top of the movement, and then my left hand went kind of numb, but I finished my workout and went on my way. I didn't think much of it, and trained all bodyparts for another week, until I hit chest day, and tried to do dumbell flyes and at the top of the movement, my shoulder just collapsed. No real pain or anything, it just wouldn't work. Took a week off then tried to go back, but it wasn't happening. Went to see the doc and he told me I've got a torn Supra Spinatus and possible torn tendon. I need an MRI to figure out if I need surgery or not.
My questions here are:
1) Has anyone done this before?
2) How do I alter my training (once I'm back to it) so that I never do it again.
3) How do I stay positive when all I can do is legs, and that doesn't include squats because I can't hold the bar when its on my shoulders.
4) Anyone have any good ab routines cause, thats all I can do besides legs.
I'm doing legs every few days, cause I'm pretty limited in what I can do. I can do a couple sets of super light bi's and tri's, but I'm not allowed to "get carried away" as my physio therapist tells me. He also said "Use weight that I think is light, not what you think is light" (He knows me a little too well).
So, any advice or encouraging comments would be appreciated. I'm a little miserable.
Okay you are getting an answer from someone who tore both his left and right supraspinatus, works in Physical Therapy and also competes in Natural Pro Bodybuilding!
#1 Ask for an arthogram (MRI with dye-contrast) A Radiologist will numb the area with an injection of Xylocaine. This will feel like a bee sting for just a moment. (doesn't hurt) After the area is numb, the Radiologist will place a needle into the joint space. The Radiologist will then inject a small amount of contrast into the joint space. You will then be asked to exercise the joint in order to distribute the contrast throughout the joint. The technologist will then take X-rays of this area to determine what kind of tear if any!
#2 Partial or Full thickness tear ( I had both) and your lifestyle-age will determine if you need surgery...I had surgery on my full-thickness tear, rehabbed myself on my partial tear. After surgery it took me six months to come back!
#3 Strengthen your rotator cuff muscles. There are four muscles in the Rotator Cuff: The Teres Minor, Infraspinatus, Supraspinatus and the Subscapularis. Using a T-band or tube do internal-external rotations and extensions. Also seated rows with a pinch and serratus punches. Wall stretches and high pulley stretches are very good! Abs...physio ball curls, crunches, incline crunches, reverse crunches (watch your shoulder-hand position on this one, you gotta be in a pain free zone)
#4 Using selectorized leg equipment only...no lifting the big ass 45lb plates to load the leg sled up to 1,600 pounds, you want to heal right! ?? Also keep the cardio up for endorphine release (helps fight pain)
#5 Before exercising (your PT stuff) heat the shoulder up, use mineral ice, icey hot or place a damp towel in the microwave for 2 minutes, wrap it around another towel to place on shoulder...BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOUR SELF. Ice the shoulder afterwards with a frozen bag of peas for 20 minutes. Also keep protein in your diet for repair and rebuilding!
**Info. you might-might not know....The flexible of the shoulder gives it great range of motion but limited stability. (the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body) It is prone to injury as we age (At the age of 70, everyone will have a minor tear in their cuff) Activities requiring overhead reaching put particular pressure on the rotator cuff tendons, and any form of repetitive movement, trying to lift something or to participate in an activity that exceeds the strength of the tendons will-CAN cause a shoulder impingement...if not treated properly, it will turn into a tear!
My tear..staying motivated, I will be 100% honest, I was in the deepest part of my-season, big, hard, strong, and it tore...I was like shit, ohhhhhhhhhhhh no! Sure a little depression sat in, but I always see the glass half full, I worked legs, also did cardio, took time to develop my personal training business and still went to watch bodybuilding shows. I watched bodybuilding DVD's and read all the mags. My 6 months after surgery went fast, I also did this rehab alone in my home, just saw my orthopd. once a month for six months. He did give me certain exercise to do, for example, tricep push downs, bicep dumbbell curls about 2-3 months after the shoulder surgery. (you never want to start strength training unless you have 100% range of motion) And than, some light machine vertical presses, back rows, very very light scaption lateral raises. It was a great learning experience for me. I have learned , as I age, I am not that invincible as I thought I was, I do still train hard, but also I now train SMART!
PT's are good people LOL---you have to inform them of your goals (football player, bodybuilder, to play with grand kids without pain) so the protocol will be individualized. Don't miss your appointments, try to stay positive, do not be afraid to ask questions, and listen to them!
I hope this helps!
Hit me with a PM if you have any other questions!
Just wanted to extend a deep thanks to all you brothers who took the time to read my post and lend a helping hand. Every post has helped me out and made me feel better, and the consideration will not be forgotten.
Just want to say that BigAnt is pretty much the man when it comes to injury related threads.