Hey BigAnt, i read your post a while back to another guy on shoulder
impingement and it was sum good stuff so i thought id see if u could help
me out. I'm 17 and have been training mainly bodybuilding style for 4 years now. At the beginning of the year after a back/shoulder workout i
began to have pain in my left shoulder and the next day it was very
difficult to get my shoulder up to even take my shirt off, it also bruised
up pretty bad from my anterior to rear delt. I did not have any problems while lifting or any sharp pain during my workout although upright rows do sometimes bother me. It was not until the next day i noticed the pain. I was sent to get an MRI to
check for a torn labrum and it came back negative and ive been getting
physical therapy 3 times a week for a about 6 weeks now and have seen
some improvements, but not as fast as they expected and their not quite
sure whats wrong. For PT they usually have me doing external and internal rotations with a band, lat pulldowns, chest press, machine flyes and throwing with a medacine ball which usually causes pain. Another PT looked at it today and she thinks its
"classic strength imbalance of chest being stronger than back" and that is what's causing the
tightness and pinched tendons/ligaments. I would of never thought this, as back being one of my favorite things to train and always hit it as hard as any other muscle group. The pain is right in front of my
shoulder and on/around the AC joint. Next year is my senior football
season and i want to be completly healthy and i want to get back to
hitting the weights hard during this offseason. If you could help me
out at all on what i can do to strenghthen it back up and get back pain
free as soon as possible, any feedback would be great. Thanks for
reading and hope to hear back form ya.
Nick
coming from multiple shoulder injuries and 2 surguries... i would say the best thing would be start of a little lighter. Be careful during flys (dont go back too far because that puts a lot of strain on your shoulder joint) Also, try stretching out your shoulder before working out and icing it after. Peace
Hey BigAnt, i read your post a while back to another guy on shoulder
impingement and it was sum good stuff so i thought id see if u could help
me out. I'm 17 and have been training mainly bodybuilding style for 4 years now. At the beginning of the year after a back/shoulder workout i
began to have pain in my left shoulder and the next day it was very
difficult to get my shoulder up to even take my shirt off, it also bruised
up pretty bad from my anterior to rear delt. I did not have any problems while lifting or any sharp pain during my workout although upright rows do sometimes bother me. It was not until the next day i noticed the pain. I was sent to get an MRI to
check for a torn labrum and it came back negative and ive been getting
physical therapy 3 times a week for a about 6 weeks now and have seen
some improvements, but not as fast as they expected and their not quite
sure whats wrong. For PT they usually have me doing external and internal rotations with a band, lat pulldowns, chest press, machine flyes and throwing with a medacine ball which usually causes pain. Another PT looked at it today and she thinks its
"classic strength imbalance of chest being stronger than back" and that is what's causing the
tightness and pinched tendons/ligaments. I would of never thought this, as back being one of my favorite things to train and always hit it as hard as any other muscle group. The pain is right in front of my
shoulder and on/around the AC joint. Next year is my senior football
season and i want to be completly healthy and i want to get back to
hitting the weights hard during this offseason. If you could help me
out at all on what i can do to strenghthen it back up and get back pain
free as soon as possible, any feedback would be great. Thanks for
reading and hope to hear back form ya.
Nick
Hey Nick;
Some general info. your PT might have given you....The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. The muscles and tendons around the shoulder allow this mobility. The shoulder has three different areas or joints called the: glenohumeral joint (the ball and socket joint), acromioclavicular joint (A/C joint), and the scapulothoracic joint (the shoulder blade joint). Problems in any of these three areas can cause pain in the shoulder.
MRI---Was it with dye-contrast?
Some MRI's do not notice tears, please ask for an arthogram if one was not given.
Okay--rehab. Your PT protocol looks solid, but for you...for every one pushing movement, you have to incorporate two pulling movements. The seated row with a pinch is great, also the rear delt fly. Chest press should be done on a vertical machine and also incorporate a "serratus punch" after the chest press. Also shoulder dumbbell shrugs and very VERY light scaption and front raises are good! Horizontal Abduction and Flexion should also be aprt of your rehab.(please ask your PT to show you these movements!
Also add or try (remember without pain, we have to keep you in a pain-free zone when exercising) BOSU ball push ups...great for shoulder stability!
Med ball press-pass is good, but if it causes pain stop it!
Pain is sharp-stabbing and is bad! Muscle soreness is dull and aches, it is good! Fresh blood and oxygen are traveling to the injured area to promote healing.
Please ask your PT (IN A NICE WAY) lol to throw a hot-pack on before the exercises and for E-stim. with ice after your exercise.
Stretches...are they showing you the door way and arms across the body stretches?
You are young and because of your football playing, I am assuming you are in great shape. All PT's are good, but some you might have a better relationship with. Find one at your clinic who did play sports or has experience working with athletes. Stress the importance of your rehab and you want to have a very healthy football season.
Overuse causes most injuries, please journal your workouts and view them to make sure over training is not present.
***By all means I don't want to come across to "bash or slam" your PT. Again, your PT protocol looks very solid, in my experience, and I do work with a large majority of athletes, I tend to be a bit more aggressive with the rehab, once I am informed the patient can tolerate it and has sports specific goals, Example; your rehab is going to be much different from a 70 year old who's goals are to push a supermarket cart, garden and to play with their grandchildren pain free!
Hope this helps!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh and be positive, you will heal, it might take some time, but you know the saying "better late than never"
I have 100% faith that you will have an outstanding senior year in football!
Hit me with a PM to please keep me up to date!
I'm having a similar problem with my rotator cuffs. I hurt them doing military and they haven't been the same since. I wish i could help you with what to do but i cant. But i do have one thing for you to remember. Hold on to your Sr. year of football and enjoy every minute of it. I was a Sr. tailback last year, of a team from Ohio who made it to the state finals. Not a day goes by where i wish i was in someone like your shoes. I would kill to play one more year of high school football. Just bust your ass and train, practice, and play with reckless abandon and no regret. You don't want to look back and see you could have done something else any better than you did, because trust me it will bug you for the rest of your life. Good luck with your season.
"Strength hurts, speed kills, together they destroy"