think i tore my rotator cuff... what should I do?

[briantech]

Well maybe not torn, but I've certainly strained it at least.

Maybe a month and a half ago I started getting shooting pain in my left shoulder during my workout. It wasn't horrible, just a dull ache. I would stretch it out and it would feel slightly better, I would try to massage the area (kind of the back top of my shoulder) but couldn't seem to find the spot that was hurting. It was as if it was hurting somewhere deep in my shoulder, not just somewhere on the surface that I could rub or massage.

Well, then it went away, and I felt fine.

Aaaand now its back, this time with a vengence. It started feeling sore again on my last chest day, felt even more sore last night when I went in to do back and biceps. And thats what really did it.

Everytime I did any kind of pulling motion on a back exercise (like a row), it would hurt slightly while pulling it back but once I let go and started returning to the start position, THATS when it ****ing started sending shooting pain all through my shoulder. I was like WTF.

My right shoulder is fine... its just my left.

So am I right in thinking it is my rotator cuff? And if so, what should I do? Would a doctor even be able to do anything for it, would an XRAY help, etc?

I really don't want to be told that I need to just quit working out for 2 months

[Tumescent]

Q) Think i tore my rotator cuff... what should I do?
A) Go see a Doctor.

Allthough we are ALL fully qualified doctors on this site, there is no way any of us can diagnose you without a consultation (and of course the bill following that).

[Chipman]

Well maybe not torn, but I've certainly strained it at least.

Maybe a month and a half ago I started getting shooting pain in my left shoulder during my workout. It wasn't horrible, just a dull ache. I would stretch it out and it would feel slightly better, I would try to massage the area (kind of the back top of my shoulder) but couldn't seem to find the spot that was hurting. It was as if it was hurting somewhere deep in my shoulder, not just somewhere on the surface that I could rub or massage.

Well, then it went away, and I felt fine.

Aaaand now its back, this time with a vengence. It started feeling sore again on my last chest day, felt even more sore last night when I went in to do back and biceps. And thats what really did it.

Everytime I did any kind of pulling motion on a back exercise (like a row), it would hurt slightly while pulling it back but once I let go and started returning to the start position, THATS when it ****ing started sending shooting pain all through my shoulder. I was like WTF.

My right shoulder is fine... its just my left.

So am I right in thinking it is my rotator cuff? And if so, what should I do? Would a doctor even be able to do anything for it, would an XRAY help, etc?

I really don't want to be told that I need to just quit working out for 2 months

Okay, I just went through shoulder rehab so I know what I am talking about. None of us can tell you exactly what the problem, Yes there are symptoms but the symptoms for impingement are a lot like rotator cuff tear, is and from the pain you are describing it ain't gonna get better on it's own. Trust me I went through months of hurting before I went to the doctor it's stupid..Yep, sometimes will get better but usually it won't so all you end up with is a lot of unneeded pain and really bad workout..everyone says yo can still have good workouts on the other body parts...That is pretty much bull**** my other body part workouts were good at first but got worse and worse the longer the pain played with my head..

You need to go to the doctor.....

The doctor will Xray and possibly MRI it to see if there is a problem there. He then will suggest either therapy, cortisone, or he will send you to a specialist.

I have been told by my specialist that if I had went to the doctor right away I would probably have all the use of my shoulder back instead of only 90%..
I was stupid and was trying to be superman.

go to the fukin doctor.

[briantech]

Okay, I just went through shoulder rehab so I know what I am talking about. None of us can tell you exactly what the problem, Yes there are symptoms but the symptoms for impingement are a lot like rotator cuff tear, is and from the pain you are describing it ain't gonna get better on it's own. Trust me I went through months of hurting before I went to the doctor it's stupid..Yep, sometimes will get better but usually it won't so all you end up with is a lot of unneeded pain and really bad workout..everyone says yo can still have good workouts on the other body parts...That is pretty much bull**** my other body part workouts were good at first but got worse and worse the longer the pain played with my head..

You need to go to the doctor.....

The doctor will Xray and possibly MRI it to see if there is a problem there. He then will suggest either therapy, cortisone, or he will send you to a specialist.

I have been told by my specialist that if I had went to the doctor right away I would probably have all the use of my shoulder back instead of only 90%..
I was stupid and was trying to be superman.

go to the fukin doctor.

Alright, ya scared me enough... just called and made an appt for 1:30.

thanks

[MisterMak]

When I tore my rotator cuff (bench pressing without fully warming up) I didn't know what had happened. It hurt but I continued my workout. Not enough pain to stop so I continued through it.

A week or so later I was looking for my ice scraper and reached behind the driver's seat with my hurt arm and that is when the pain really started.

From then on I couldn't sleep on that side and my range of motion greatly decreased. The pain was a dull pain deep inside my shoulder, very similar to what you described.

I never saw a doctor which was a huge mistake.

Now, I can still flat and incline press but cannot do decline or dips.

Go see a doctor.

[30xbuck]

and I can tell you to go see an orthopedic surgeon. A regular doc won't cut it. The only way to know if it is a tear is an MRI. They can tell which muscles are involved in creating your pain, but the difference between tendonitis, impingement, and a full through tear can only be seen from an mri.
And I can tell you that the pain you feel from a tendon tear is not normally felt in the location of the tendon, but refered down to the muscle where there are more nerve endings. Mine felt like a pulled muscle. I didn't want surgery if I could get back to normal without it. 6 mos of taking it easy, slow improvement, then another injury benching. Then an MRI showed not one but two tears. So go get it done. Should have done mine right away. And shop around for a surgeon that specializes in shoulders if you can.
And Good luck, hope it isn't a tear.

[avianofdarkness]

Definitely see an orthopaedic surgeon. I've just recently started lifting again after a 5 month layoff due to a torn labrum (cartilage) in my left shoulder. At first, i started feeling some pain deep in my shoulder. Saw regular doctor who said it was probably just tendonitis but pain persisted with lifting so I saw an orthopaedic surgeon who said the same thing so i continued lifting. Two months after I initially saw the ortho and I decided on my own to get an MRI done which showed the labral tear. Lesson of the story is to listen to your body. If it's hurting, don't let ANYONE tell you otherwise. Take what they say with a grain of salt even if it's an orthopaedic surgeon. If it's hurting, something isn't right.