Rotator Cuff injuries ?

[QDubs]

Last Friday I might have pushed a bit too hard with landmines and hurt my shoulder. My wife thinks its rotator cuff. I've still got another week before I can get in to my doc so trying to learn what I can about others experiences.

From what I can tell... It it's torn then the only way to continue workouts will be surgery to repair it? Is that others experience? Or are there other options that might get me back to working out?

Thanks,

[air2fakie]

Surgery may not be needed, often you can improve the situation via rehab exercises, removing certain exercises (e.g., OHP) temporarily or permanently, making adjustments to your program volume/balance/exercises that could have led to the injury in the first place, etc. A lot will depend on severity of the injury.

Many people who work out hurt their rotator cuff at some time or multiple times, esp as they get older, and never even see a doc about it. I highly recommend you do see your doctor, but don't freak out in the meantime. Take a break until then just to be safe if you're unsure.

[QDubs]

Thanks. I read your reply earlier and brightened my afternoon a bit :-)

[Tommy W.]

Unless it's really bad just rest it then do a rehab. I had an issue and the doc's were all SURGERY! I didn't listen and rehabbed on my own. It took 6 months. The surgery is a sub acromial decompression and is actually not a big deal. There are 3 types of acromiums some respond better to surgery than rehab. My suggestion is to rest it for a few weeks as it may just be a strain then review and go from there

[QDubs]

Unless it's really bad just rest it then do a rehab. I had an issue and the doc's were all SURGERY! I didn't listen and rehabbed on my own. It took 6 months. The surgery is a sub acromial decompression and is actually not a big deal. There are 3 types of acromiums some respond better to surgery than rehab. My suggestion is to rest it for a few weeks as it may just be a strain then review and go from there

Thanks. Yeah, hoping for strain rather than tear. They've scheduled an MRI for a week from today so we'll see.

[Darkius]

Unless it's really bad just rest it then do a rehab. I had an issue and the doc's were all SURGERY! I didn't listen and rehabbed on my own. It took 6 months. The surgery is a sub acromial decompression and is actually not a big deal. There are 3 types of acromiums some respond better to surgery than rehab. My suggestion is to rest it for a few weeks as it may just be a strain then review and go from there

Must have been specialists. General practitioners try to talk people out of surgery, whereas specialist are more likely to advise it, since they are the ones who perform it.

[Tommy W.]

Must have been specialists. General practitioners try to talk people out of surgery, whereas specialist are more likely to advise it, since they are the ones who perform it.

2 GP’s and one Ortho.

[Darkius]

Many worshipped exercises are prone to rotator cuff damage or shoulder damage, and just not that effective either. Chest can be done with a bench, and side delts can be done with lateral raises. Front are hit during bench press but can also work with front raises.

I saw a swimmer today using bad form, at least based on what some olympic gold medalists and coaches said on youtube. His hands crossed the centerline every stroke. He also came down from above the surface instead of piercing at an angle. I did not say anything to him.

[drkelly74]

I don't even consider going to a doctor until I have been in pain for 3+ months. I have had numerous injuries over the years that have healed with time.

One time I thought I was DEEP trouble with my shoulder, but I kept going to the gym and just lifting light weights very slowly. 3 months out I had made zero improvement, then all of the sudden it got 90%+ better between 3 months and 3.5 months post injury. Give your body time to heal itself.

[OldFartTom]

Rotator cuff is a family of injuries in the same area.

Think of it like making a tear in your Achilles or any other tendons or ligaments. The pain and size of injury are not easily related, you can have some serious damage and some people can struggle on, but sometimes fairly minor injuries can be cripplingly painful

If you have a very small partial tear it can be really painful, but rest and rehab and it can heal fine. You can have bigger tears or detachment and then surgery is needed.

You need to wait and see (and see that doc). I hurt my right shoulder 8 days ago, I think it's a rotator cuff injury (not doc diagnosed) and I'm hoping it's minor. Very painful especially at night, trying to take off a t-shirt is a killer, reaching up to the top of a shelf ain't going to happen.

But.. today it is starting to feel less bad, maybe. Perhaps by Friday I'll be able to hold a bar to squat? I'm resisting hitting it with lots of NSAD (like voltorol/diclofenac) as I'm more than a week from injury and NSAD can slow the healing

If it's minor it might just heal over time. Here's to hoping that ours are minor!

[smokinHawk]

I've torn mine many times. Always rehabbed them myself. Your likely to heal the same time rehabbing it as it takes to heal rehab with surgery.
I've come back now pain free benching 500lbs.

[movesteel]

I tore my rotator cuff when I was young playing sports and I never got surgery. the last 25 years off and on I have re-injured that shoulder during lifting, sports, and even sleeping wrong.

A year ago I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to press again and could barely open a door. Today I am pressing more than I did when I was a college athlete.

Make sure you take a few months off (I took 5). When you start lifting again, you work around it and end any lift at the first sign of pain. I did pushups in place of bench for about 8 months and when I felt strong enough to work shoulders I did a few months of seated jammer instead of shoulder press. Add a couple sets of rotator cuff light weight lifts at the end of your sessions. The only lift I have not gone back to at this point is standard bench press (I do db bp).

Make sure you never sleep with your arms above your head also. The position your arm is in when you are laying with a woman in bed behind her head or your own is very hard on it. It delays healing, and could lead to further injury.

Never thought my shoulder could feel this strong so don’t give up on it.

[OldFartTom]

Hey QDubs,
Been a while since you posted. What did the doc say? Are you getting better yet

You still reading this thread?