Shoulder feels horrible?

andymahn · Feb 4, 2009

Ok , I have had tears in both shoulders before which eventually led me to abandon all barbell pressing which for 5 years left me pain free. Well now its strange , but dumbell presses are actually excrutiating to me and barbell doesnt feel as bad. It's a very localized pain in an area about the size of a quarter that feels like it is around where my clavical meets my shoulder? Any ideas? It is incredibly painful during the first 4 inches of a lift? I have also noticed numbness in my fingers of the affected arm? Some kind of pinched nerve?

bearsfan · Feb 5, 2009

I had the exact same problem a few weeks back. went to the doc and was told i had bursitis. ice+motrin+rest healed it rather well. i'm back with the barbell press but had to narrow my grip to take strain off the shoulders. not saying this is your problem but it sounds similar. i'd suggest see the doc but at least when you feel unnatural pain, stop and try something that doesn't hurt

j8282 · Feb 5, 2009

I still suffer from something like that. I tore it back when I use to do bench comps. The doc said it was a labral tear and proved it by numbing it and telling me to go lift. It took years to figure this out with several xrays and MRI. It mainly hurts when I do flat bench barbell.

full_belly · Feb 5, 2009

have you tried tucking the elbows slightly to reduce inpingement??? ie not using the crucifix position?

andymahn · Feb 5, 2009

I know it happened on flat dumbell presses: I was working with the 130's for sets of 10-12 which normally is not very difficult for me. As soon as I started the first set- first rep I felt it. It went away after a few days than really bothered me one day after weighted pull-ups? Since then it is incredibly painful during the first few inches of any press. I have been doing barbell but not bringing it totally to my chest to avoid the pain.

Basically just praying it does not require surgery. I was thinking about taking a few months and backing off everything as far as weight and increasing reps to 20, shortening all workouts and ice/rest/antiinflams? I am tucking my elbows in more as wells.

Whats sad is after a few shoulder injuries my grip was already closer- soon my tricep press will be my bench press!

mrshoulders · Feb 5, 2009

Sounds like your supraspinatus tendon where it attaches to the clavicle area...Probably thickening....See if you can get a cortisone shat or two and then see about surgery to correct the impingement...The operation is pretty easy to recover from...

e6er · Feb 5, 2009

Same issue here, and if I do a reverse Pec dec it feels as through I got shocked in my shoulder. It's that little warning to tell you to stop.

andymahn · Feb 5, 2009

Hey i want to thank all you guys for the advice and replies- everyone here is very cool and informative.

j8282 · Feb 5, 2009

mrshoulders said:
Sounds like your supraspinatus tendon where it attaches to the clavicle area...Probably thickening....See if you can get a cortisone shat or two and then see about surgery to correct the impingement...The operation is pretty easy to recover from...

Sounds like your referring to the common AC injury. Each doc kept pressing this injury until I got a better doc. Normal steps will be needed xray then MRI. Physical therapy was a waste of time for me.

e6er · Feb 6, 2009

j8282 said:
Sounds like your referring to the common AC injury. Each doc kept pressing this injury until I got a better doc. Normal steps will be needed xray then MRI. Physical therapy was a waste of time for me.

Physical therapy is a joke in most cases. It's their way of juicing insurance companies. You go in for 10 minutes, they put electrodes on you, and they bill the ins company like $500 a visit, and they ask you to come in 5 days a week for a few weeks. On top of that you have to pay a co-pay which adds up too on every visit.

I had a back injury and went one time, realized it was a rip off and let it heal with ice and rest.