Injury to shoulder - Bench press

[scottaii]

Hay there guys,

I'm in need of some help, I've been doing SS for about 5 weeks now
and have been making some VERY impressive gains (breaking PR's every week).

Last week (Friday the 5th) i felt a twinge in my shoulder when i tried to do a
bench press. The twinge happened when i tried to lift the bar from the stands.
I asked a spotter to come over and help me lift of the bar off the stands because i
could press fine, without it hurting, only when taking the bar off the stands did it hurt.

I then went to the Gym on Monday (8th) and again i just asked a spotter to help
me lift the bar from the stands.

I didn't go to the gym on Wednesday (10th) because i would have to do press and
power cleans and i though that involved the shoulder too much, i also though it would be
a good rest for my shoulders.

Anyway its Sunday (14th) and its still not quite right. I'm going to go to the gym tomorrow
and do the normal Squat, Bench press, Dead lift, Chin ups. Do you think i should give it
more rest so it feels absolutely fine?

Cheers,
- Sc

[Bluerex]

from some one how has pushed his shoulder too hard years ago, I would rest it or if you really want to, lift very light. I would also switch to db bench press which tends to put less stress on the shoulder when done properly until you are 100%. I hurt my shoulder in college and still years later it is messed up. I also have a couple friends who have had shoulder surgery from pushing a shoulder injury.

[scottaii]

from some one how has pushed his shoulder too hard years ago, I would rest it or if you really want to, lift very light. I would also switch to db bench press which tends to put less stress on the shoulder when done properly until you are 100%. I hurt my shoulder in college and still years later it is messed up. I also have a couple friends who have had shoulder surgery from pushing a shoulder injury.

Thank you,

I'll take this advice onboard

[Final_Rep]

A shoulder injury is nothing to mess around with. Even if you feel light pain. It often starts out light then progressively gets worse unless you rest it properly. Trust me, I've injured both of my shoulders. One from football, the other from baseball and lifting. It's a major pain in the ass and is even worse without proper recovery.

Everyone is different but a truly injured shoulder usually takes 6-8 weeks to heal enough that you can start building it back up. Either that or you need surgery to fix it down the road...

But you can't just heal and go back to what you were doing -- it obviously injured you somehow. Maybe because you were raising your weight without giving the rest of your body (tendons, ligaments, joints, etc) to catch up. In bodybuilding going too fast is going to wind up taking longer than just taking a nice conservative approach. I know it's exciting to be breaking PRs all the time but you have to be patient.

Anyway that's my $.02.. everyone is different though.

[noflyingcars]

I would also switch to db bench press which tends to put less stress on the shoulder when done properly

I know some people share this opinion, but I really don't understand why.

The bench press with proper form pushes your arms even toward your body, so it's much easier on the shoulder - compared to dumbells that push your arms directly vertically.

[Bluerex]

that is assuming you are evenly pushing the weight. The way it was explained to me by my doctor is that once a shoulder injury has occured that shoulder is weaker and your other side will push harder overloading the already injured shoulder. Also if I remember correctly there is something with the mechanics of the move. I am far from an expert, I am just suggesting looking into things that where suggested to me in the past.

[Finnegan Bell]

Taking the bar from the stand is dangerous to your rotator cuff. For the upcoming years ask someone to give it to you.

[jkgood]

For Rotator cuff strengthening. Use a piece of rubber tubing for these exercises. Tie the tubing to something a little higher than waist high. Turn sideways to the tubing. With your hand that is closest, bend your arm at a 90? angle and grab the loop of the tubing. Pull the band across your stomach. At first, do 1 set of 10. Try to increase the number of sets as your shoulder pain lessens. These exercises should be done every day.

[scottaii]

Thank you for all the responces.

I have obviously done something when taking the barbell off the stands. I wont be doing this again!.
Im guessing i will be ok to carry on with my squats + Deadlifts as i dont feel any pain atall whist performing these excersises.
Do you think i should carry on with bench press but use somebody to lift from the stands as i dont feel pain whist performing the excersis, or do you think i should give TOTAL rest for a month?

Cheers,
- Sc

jkgood - do you have a video for that as i am finiding it hard to picture.

[Finnegan Bell]

You'd be a smart man if you took some rest to figure whats wrong.

[scottaii]

You'd be a smart man if you took some rest to figure whats wrong.

Would you say TOTAL rest, so no gym atall?

[Finnegan Bell]

Would you say TOTAL rest, so no gym atall?

Your rotator cuff is used in Squats and deadlifts. I know how it suck to stop lifting in a middle of a new program with good results. But sometimes one step back is 2 steps forward.

[scottaii]

Your rotator cuff is used in Squats and deadlifts. I know how it suck to stop lifting in a middle of a new program with good results. But sometimes one step back is 2 steps forward.

Thank you for your advice, I've been enjoying SS so much.

What would you recommend that i do?
Shall i use machine for my legs, so at least i can carry on with something?
What do you think?

Cheers,
- Sc

[Finnegan Bell]

Thank you for your advice, I've been enjoying SS so much.

What would you recommend that i do?
Shall i use machine for my legs, so at least i can carry on with something?
What do you think?

Cheers,
- Sc

Instead go to a doctor and see whats wrong ,maybe you work on certain weakness,tightness or imbalances. I've been out from the gym for 3 months ,but I learned various kind of stretches and developed nice strength and flexibility in my delts. Remember ,you want to get back and make PRs for a long time ,not just train for another 3 weeks and boom pain comes again.

[scottaii]

Instead go to a doctor and see whats wrong ,maybe you work on certain weakness,tightness or imbalances. I've been out from the gym for 3 months ,but I learned various kind of stretches and developed nice strength and flexibility in my delts. Remember ,you want to get back and make PRs for a long time ,not just train for another 3 weeks and boom pain comes again.

You think i should go to the doctors!
It's not that painfull, it didnt pop or anything like that ( i can move it around all angles without it hurting), more like when you pulla muscle in your foot when your running, or something like that.

I think ill rest it for a good month, then if it persists, then ill go to the doctors,
otherwise I'll feel like im waisting their time.
In the meantime im going to look for some excersises for general shoulder health to make sure the blood is flowing so it will repair quickly.

Thank you for all the help,
Its also made me realise it could be a serious thing!
Cheers.
- Sc

[seriouslifter]

do broomstick exercise to really pump up the shoulders. im doing that right now. dont know if its helping but i just started

[punxnotdead309]

A shoulder injury is nothing to mess around with. Even if you feel light pain. It often starts out light then progressively gets worse unless you rest it properly. Trust me, I've injured both of my shoulders. One from football, the other from baseball and lifting. It's a major pain in the ass and is even worse without proper recovery.

Everyone is different but a truly injured shoulder usually takes 6-8 weeks to heal enough that you can start building it back up. Either that or you need surgery to fix it down the road...

But you can't just heal and go back to what you were doing -- it obviously injured you somehow. Maybe because you were raising your weight without giving the rest of your body (tendons, ligaments, joints, etc) to catch up. In bodybuilding going too fast is going to wind up taking longer than just taking a nice conservative approach. I know it's exciting to be breaking PRs all the time but you have to be patient.

Anyway that's my $.02.. everyone is different though.

Couldn't agree more with you.

[scottaii]

Couldn't agree more with you.

A helpful member PMed me with a link to 7 minuites RC workout which detailed how your shoulder works along with different types of prevention excersises and rehab excersises. I've reasherched the info and it is highly regarded.

From reading up info it does sound like an RC problem, but luckly nothing as bad as poping, or not being able to move my shoulder without it hurting.

Im going to give my shoulder a full months rest so no upper body workout, I am however going to use leg machines to workout my legs as i feel i NEED to do something!

I've managed to pinpoint the action of the pain:
* Stand straight with your palm on the side of your thighs.
* bend your right elbow 90degs up (so that your pointing at somebody infrot of you with a bend arm).
* No try to move you elbo to the ceiling behind you (see attached image), you should feel a stretch.

In my left shoulder, i can feel a stretch, but in my right shoulder i feel pain.

[HALON]

A helpful member PMed me with a link to 7 minuites RC workout which detailed how your shoulder works along with different types of prevention excersises and rehab excersises. I've reasherched the info and it is highly regarded.

From reading up info it does sound like an RC problem, but luckly nothing as bad as poping, or not being able to move my shoulder without it hurting.

Im going to give my shoulder a full months rest so no upper body workout, I am however going to use leg machines to workout my legs as i feel i NEED to do something!

I've managed to pinpoint the action of the pain:
* Stand straight with your palm on the side of your thighs.
* bend your right elbow 90degs up (so that your pointing at somebody infrot of you with a bend arm).
* No try to move you elbo to the ceiling behind you (see attached image), you should feel a stretch.

In my left shoulder, i can feel a stretch, but in my right shoulder i feel pain.

Any joint, shoulder or rotator cuff injuries can become chronic or reoccur if not diagnosed or treated correctly. Its no point in guessing. Especially with rotator cuff injuries which can take a long time to heal.


I would go to a sports doc or physio to get your injury diagnosed. The sports doc or physio can do some physical tests which can show what you may have injured.

With a proper diagnosis they can give you a proper rehab exercise plan and what exercises to avoid and how to prevent this injury from occuring again.

Did you remember to RICE when the injury occured?

[scottaii]

Any joint, shoulder or rotator cuff injuries can become chronic or reoccur if not diagnosed or treated correctly. Its no point in guessing. Especially with rotator cuff injuries which can take a long time to heal.


I would go to a sports doc or physio to get your injury diagnosed. The sports doc or physio can do some physical tests which can show what you may have injured.

With a proper diagnosis they can give you a proper rehab exercise plan and what exercises to avoid and how to prevent this injury from occuring again.

Did you remember to RICE when the injury occured?

So you really think i should go to the doctors?

Unfortunalty for me i was too ignornt to think i would have an injury so never really read up on it, so i didnt RICE.

[scottaii]

Im going to book a doctors appointment i think,
After listening to all the comments, im thinking that if i go to the doctors now then
they can catch it early and give me some excersises to get rid of it, and how to prevent it from happening again,
I like the quote "1 step backwards, 2 steps frowards"
Cheers,
- Sc

[Finnegan Bell]

Im going to book a doctors appointment i think,
After listening to all the comments, im thinking that if i go to the doctors now then
they can catch it early

Very smart move on yours ,good luck and keep us posted.

[scottaii]

Very smart move on yours ,good luck and keep us posted.

Hey guys, just an update.

They told me to rest it for about a month and take regular NSAID's (ibuprofen). After 3/4 days its already feeling better after the regular NSAID's.
After the month im going to start strentghening my RC's. Also going to start ligher on the BenchPress just to "test the water".

Cheers for the help again,
- Sc

P.S Im never taking the bar off the stands by myself again!

[WibbleWabble]

Hey guys, just an update.

They told me to rest it for about a month and take regular NSAID's (ibuprofen). After 3/4 days its already feeling better after the regular NSAID's.
After the month im going to start strentghening my RC's. Also going to start ligher on the BenchPress just to "test the water".

Cheers for the help again,
- Sc

P.S Im never taking the bar off the stands by myself again!

good idea. it is very important when starting lifting to SLOWLY work your way up. personally, i think even 5 lbs per week is often too much in the very beginning. the first month should just be about getting your body used to the motions (what is called "anatomical adaptation") and you should not be getting anywhere near failure with anything- but that's just my opinion. it's not about the muscles. the muscles can handle it. it's the joints- they take forever to get strong enough to support what the muscles can do.

take a look at this section of the forum....... we've got about 20 out of 25 threads about shoulder injuries.... lotta people recently started working out.... i dont think it's a coincidence that shoulders have a very inadequate blood supply and recovery from shoulder injuries take forever.