Possible slap tear?

[donk52]

I haven't found much about this kind of injury on the forum since it doesn't seem to really happen often, but I thought i'd ask.

Back in February, I benched with my elbows flared too much for a set. Didn't get pain or anything during the set, but within a few hours, I got a painful bump on the front of my shoulder, on the anterior deltoid. It was swollen for a few days, and would flare up again whenever I benched or pressed, so I stopped doing both for months. It mostly went away, but I had some residual tightness that persisted.

I started up again in June and it wasn't really an issue. Maybe some slight tightness in the area but it didn't get much worse. Playing tennis aggravates it alot though, where it gets stiff and painful, but that goes away if I don't play (i've played for 7 years without any sort of issue before, so this is new).

So, my symptoms are pain after playing tennis, hardly any effect when doing presses, and considerable clicking/crunching when shoulder is moved in various ways. MRI a few months ago was clean, but ortho now thinks it could be a SLAP tear and wants an MRI with contrast in the joint. This won't be for a few weeks.

Is it safe to keep adding weight to the bar? It definitely doesnt get worse when I lift, but the idea of there being a possible tear in my shoulder makes me uncertain of what to do while I wait for diagnosis.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Why would he think the symptoms of a SLAP tear would be palpable on the superficial anterior delt?

[donk52]

Clicking/crunching he felt in the injured shoulder makes him think it could be a tear of some sort, and anterior delt area could be sore if the biceps tendon is also inflamed from it. Though, i've had the clicking/crunching in that shoulder for years before the injury.

[Will Morris]

Clicking/crunching he felt in the injured shoulder makes him think it could be a tear of some sort, and anterior delt area could be sore if the biceps tendon is also inflamed from it. Though, i've had the clicking/crunching in that shoulder for years before the injury.

Clicking and crunching in a joint means next to nothing if the clicking and crunching does not accompany the symptoms that brought you into the provider's office. Anyone who has walked down the stairs first thing in the morning will be keenly aware of creaking, crunching, cracking, and popping joints. Diagnosing off of joint noise isn't perhaps the best diagnostic method. The lateral head of the biceps is involved in a Type IV SLAP lesion, but this is because the LH of the biceps brachii tendon is actually ruptured (midsubstance and parallel to the fibers) along with the labral tear. Something tells me that if you had a Type IV lesion, you would have known long before today.

There are several special tests to rule in / rule out a SLAP lesion.....but, if you have insurance, take the arthrogram. That is the gold standard for glenohumeral joint imaging.