Shoulder pain getting worse, making bench very difficult

[kloan]

My left shoulder is really starting to hurt. I'm not sure what to do about it.. I've tried the 'proper form' posted in other threads, but it actually made my shoulder hurt even more. I can't do incline bench at all without both shoulders hurting, and flat bench really hurts my left.

Is there anything I can do to remedy this? I've been trying the rotator cuff exercise to help ease the pain, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

Would that broom handle exercise help alleviate the pain in my rotator cuffs? I know I can bench a lot more, but the pain is really limiting me.

I'm wondering if there's some underlying cause to this.. looking in the mirror, my left shoulder is uneven compared to my right.. it looks slightly rotated forward. It does seem to affect the other exercises I do.. when I look in the mirror, I can see my left shoulder moving forward while my right stays relatively still.. when I try to control the movement, it hurts. Flexing my left arm hurts my shoulder as well. ****ed up...

I do a few different shoulder exercises, perhaps one or more is causing/perpetuating the injury?

- arnold press
- standing military press
- lateral raises
- hammer grip front raises

[faller]

Sounds to me like its time to have a Doc. look at it Kloan.

[jamex]

Check this out. http://www.intensemuscle.com/6997-how-cure-shoulder-problems-trust-me-will-do-90-time.html

I was having shoulder problems and found someone here shared this same link. I've only been doing it a few days but already seems to be helping, and at the same time showed me how inflexible my shoulders had become from lack of stretching. I think once your shoulders lose their flexiblity and pull\contract together all the time, it moves shit out of place during shoulder range of motion. I get awful pops\clicks and they're starting to subside more during the day. They usually subside completely for some time after performing the excersise.

Hope it helps.

[agingtechie]

I have to do a lot of work on the supporting muscles for my shoulder pain. I went to my Doctor but he tested the shoulder and there was no problem so he sent me to physiotherapy.

So now I do...
L-Flys w/3-5# db's
Bent over flys
(with light weight and really bringing the scapula together.)
Push up plus where you just use the shoulders.
1/2 push ups and hold

The pain is still there so I have to watch what grip I use on BP (narrow-ish) and Lat pull downs (wide grip.) But, at least I can lift.

Get tested, get fixed. Go do some physiotherapy.

[waderow]

what is your warm up procedure?

[ubcpower]

ART did wonders for my shoulders

[Talo]

Accupunture is what worked for me , big time.

After seeing a doc and him recomending surgury I refused to except that , so I did anything and everything people recommended me online . Then I went to physio with massage for over a month and that didn't help. I had accupunture done ( only 4 appointments ) along with some other crazy stuff that she did ( suction cups , seeds on my ear ) and it worked better than anything else. The main thing was to get the blood flowing back into the tendion ( in the shoulder ) so that the body can heal itself .

[agingtechie]

This looks good. I am going to add it to my warm ups. I saw a link there to a video of a guy doing these. But I would probabbly try doing it with a lot slower motion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33P5AI27eiU


Thanks!



Check this out. http://www.intensemuscle.com/6997-how-cure-shoulder-problems-trust-me-will-do-90-time.html

I was having shoulder problems and found someone here shared this same link. I've only been doing it a few days but already seems to be helping, and at the same time showed me how inflexible my shoulders had become from lack of stretching. I think once your shoulders lose their flexiblity and pull\contract together all the time, it moves shit out of place during shoulder range of motion. I get awful pops\clicks and they're starting to subside more during the day. They usually subside completely for some time after performing the excersise.

Hope it helps.

[agingtechie]

By the way, does anybody else here notice that their clavicle raises a noticeable bump after Bench Press or shoulder work outs?

[Redz]

That doesnt sound right ^^^^ Are you sure something isnt broken in there?

[Delt King]

ART did wonders for my shoulders

Agreed get some Active Release Therapy by a qualified Chiro or Massage Therapist first.

Secondly switch to DB work...warm up well and keep your elbows more forward while pressing.

Worked for me anyway.

[kloan]

what is your warm up procedure?

i do some stretching, use a lighter load to warm up.. usually 1 or 2 sets.. bench is 1 plate warm up for 12-15 reps.. even those are hurting like a bitch now.

--

i'll check out the links in this thread and see if anything helps. if not its gonna have to wait til i move back to canada next spring before i see anyone for it.

[CanadianIron]

The way you describe your shoulders being uneven when you look in the mirror, it sounds like you have the same problem I have. I busted my clavicle 10 years ago and it healed longer than my other one, it definately screws up my shoulders. My chest looks totally crooked when I watch myself in the mirror doing inclines.

As for doing the bench with "proper form" and it still hurting.. it hurt for me for the first 2 weeks I tried this new form, but as you get used to it, it should get better. I should also add that after going "deep" on inclines I've had way more pain in my shoulders, it could be a matter of getting stretched out, but it maybe just be too deep for my body, try not going as deep for a few weeks and see if it helps.

[kloan]

2 weeks huh.. alright i'll give it another shot with a much lower weight.

interesting you should mention the clavicle, since my right is thicker/shorter than my left. i wonder if that has something to do with my shoulder being unevenly pitched... the chiropractor i was seeing was adjusting it but its too expensive.. $50 a visit and she wanted me to go in like twice a week at least.

[faller]

$50, thats pretty steep. Mine charges $25 and that was only as of this year, it was $20 for the longest time.

[PdH]

I've had problems with my shoulders for a long time. It got so bad at one point that it hurt like hell to hold the bar doing back squats. I'm going to try this broomstick stretch, shoulder dislocation thing. Just tried it and I can hardly get past vertical. Watching that vid made me realize how inflexible my shoulders are. I'll report progress. Hope you mend quickly Kloan. :)

[jamex]

I've had problems with my shoulders for a long time. It got so bad at one point that it hurt like hell to hold the bar doing back squats. I'm going to try this broomstick stretch, shoulder dislocation thing. Just tried it and I can hardly get past vertical. Watching that vid made me realize how inflexible my shoulders are. I'll report progress. Hope you mend quickly Kloan. :)

use the widest grip possible so that you're barely clearing your head with the bar. that should at least get you familiar with the movement and doesn't strain\stretch the shoulders much. also try just using your thumb and forefinger to grip at first because when you get it past your head and start going behind, your wrists start to stretch and angle funny too. work your grip inwards whenever it becomes too 'easy' to get the bar back over your head.

i'm less than a week in and my shoulders are still sore but the stretch seems to provide some immediate relief after its done. hoping doing these daily going forward means no more shoulder problems again.

[#8]

i had a similar problem but not to the extent you have. i was told to stay away from chest exercises for a month or so and concentrate on my back, lower traps especially.

i did this while getting ART / Accupuncture and it helped significantly. The more often you do chest workout, the tighter your chest gets and can actually rotate your shoulders inward if you arent extremely aware of your posture and do extensive stretching, muscle "rolling".

I would say take a least a month off from chest stuff and focus on rotating those shoulders backward with lots of back work and lower trap activation. It might help.

[Canadian Protein.com]

Sounds to me like its time to have a Doc. look at it Kloan.

I 100% agree with Faller. Find out what's going on first then address. Don't try to guess what it is because you may end up injuring yourself permanently and be left not being able to train upper body at all!

[Rhinobolt10]

I'm kind of surprised... and maybe I missed something.. but I read every post...

Dude, just quadruple your pulling work... and severely limit your pressing for like 6 weeks.

I banged my left shoulder up in hockey pretty bad, to the point where the doc said surgery, and pressing really hurt. I've still got a lump of calcium and bone fragments ontop of my AC joint.

All i really changed after that was I stopped benching for a while... but when I did i just benched with an arch, did decline, and did a shit load of back work. I also stopped going bench crazy and focused on OH pressing more... but that's probably not an option for you right now.

Honestly, you need to suck it up and let the bench go for 2 months or so, during that time train your back 4x's a week, 2 vertical pulling and 2 horizontal pulling days... not gonig crazy heavy. When you come back to it, I doubt you'll have lost that much off your bench, and you'll be able to get back to where you were very quickly.

I've got a close friend who broke his hand, so he squatted 3x's a week until the cast came off, and when he benched again, he'd lost like 20lbs off his max.

just my 2 cents man, but at the very least, I'd recommend a lot more back work.

[kloan]

sounds good.. i'll ditch the bench for a while and focus more on my back. it needs some thickness anyway. i really need to pick up a couple more 45lb plates though.. im maxed out at 220 w/ high reps (figured out how to hang my powerblocks off the clamps).

[fourarms]

You might want to stop the lateral raises and try scaption. I had trouble with my shoulders when I used to do lateral raises, but I can do scaption pain free. Link shows what it looks like if you haven't tried it before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5alBM-Kfxw

[nisser]

Speaking of which...is it common to get an uncomfortable feeling in shoulder joints when doing shoulder workouts. I've been getting these for a while now; it's just temporary discomfort that goes away within like 30 minutes after the workout. Am I just going too heavy and harming myself or is it expected?

I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary but it usually happens after DB lateral raises or front raises.

[kloan]

You might want to stop the lateral raises and try scaption. I had trouble with my shoulders when I used to do lateral raises, but I can do scaption pain free. Link shows what it looks like if you haven't tried it before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5alBM-Kfxw

Thank you, I'll try them next shoulder day.

Nisser, I've been wondering the same thing. I get the discomfort with just about every shoulder exercise I do, but even with lighter weight.. it just starts to burn a lot in the rotator cuffs. My left shoulder is feeling a little better now that I've skipped flat bench last workout. I'm gonna continue to lay off any bench lifts until it gets better... then I'll see if I can start again with the 'proper' form and less weight.

Shoulder exercises on the other hand... just gonna keep experimenting til I get it right.

[fourarms]

Just a thought, if you have shoulder problems avoid upright rows like the plague. Narrow grip with EZ or straight bar always hurt me, then I read that they cause nerve impingement, dropped them and feel much better. Recently added them back in with dumbells and a slightly wider than shoulder width grip and these seem ok so far, but I'd wait till your shoulders feel perfect before trying them.

[PdH]

I've been trying the broomstick stretch, shoulder dislocation thing for a few days now and it's already made a difference. It still hurts somewhat to do pressing movements, but not as much, and more importantly, it doesn't hurt when I'm not training. I'm really glad people posted this. Thanks. :)

[kloan]

I've been trying the broomstick stretch, shoulder dislocation thing for a few days now and it's already made a difference. It still hurts somewhat to do pressing movements, but not as much, and more importantly, it doesn't hurt when I'm not training. I'm really glad people posted this. Thanks. :)
K, I'm gonna grab the spare broom handle from the garage and give this a go.... been doing another exercise, but it hasn't helped. I sure hope this one does....

[agingtechie]

The shoulder dislocation has been helping me in the gym and out.

Thanks guys!

[GYMBRAT]

It's shitty to hear BUT, I'd give your shoulder some complete rest as in a mth or whatever it takes! or it will never get better imho (if it is your rotator) that is. It SUCKS I know cause I had to do it as well, but it feels great again and I'm extra, extra CAREFUL now days ;)

I use my hockey stick (or broomstick) everyday for my shoulder stretches even before work

[jamex]

K, I'm gonna grab the spare broom handle from the garage and give this a go.... been doing another exercise, but it hasn't helped. I sure hope this one does....

2 weeks into doing this stretch daily, even non-training days, and all pain was gone in my left shoulder which had been bothering me and never getting better with rest. I still have some mild popping during certain motions but I'm starting to think that might be harmless and just something that will always be there.

[faller]

I went and bought a 6ft. length of dowling yesterday for the shoulder dislocation thing, i did 50 reps as soon as i got home and man did i ever get a pump in my traps and rear delts! I have very poor flexability in my shoulders so i'll be doing these every day. Thanks for posting that!

[BAM]

Kloan, have you considered taking some time off the gym or perhaps just pounding your legs & abs for a while?

I used to have a shoulder problem and the only thing that fixed it was time off.

[natenator]

Kloan, have you considered taking some time off the gym or perhaps just pounding your legs & abs for a while?

I used to have a shoulder problem and the only thing that fixed it was time off.
word. Tore my left rotator twice. 8 months out of the gym each time. I tried working through it both times and it was a bad idea each time.

[AlladdinSane]

Kloan, have you considered taking some time off the gym or perhaps just pounding your legs & abs for a while?

I used to have a shoulder problem and the only thing that fixed it was time off.

Double werd.

Relax man. You've got your whole life (advice I wish I would've listened to earlier).

[natenator]

Double werd.

Relax man. You've got your whole life (advice I wish I would've listened to earlier).
bingo!

As the saying goes. This is a marathon and not a sprint.

[kloan]

This looks good. I am going to add it to my warm ups. I saw a link there to a video of a guy doing these. But I would probabbly try doing it with a lot slower motion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33P5AI27eiU


Thanks!
Are we supposed to do it that quickly?
[Edit: apparently not, http://www.intensemuscle.com/691965-post284.html]

I just tried it out with a broomstick... grip wasn't very wide, but the movement seems to be ok for me, I can go all the way back with no problems with flexibility.

I'm going to do this exercise diligently. I really hope it helps, it's to the point where just using my left arm for different every day things such as pulling a window closed hurts.

I'm really starting to suspect my bed is somehow related to all the recent problems I've been experiencing. I wake up frequently with aches and pains in places I normally don't have any problems with, such as today it was my right knee (wtf??)... and my shoulder hurts like hell when I'm sleeping... but once I get up and move around the pain subsides to a lower level.

I think I'll put a memory foam topper on my bed and see if that helps at all.

[GYMBRAT]

bingo!

As the saying goes. This is a marathon and not a sprint.

yup, such a correct saying!