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Thread: Approaching rotator cuff strain

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    10

    Default Approaching rotator cuff strain

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    I’m looking for some help on how to approach an apparent rotator cuff strain, and have some follow-up questions to other shoulder rehab materials I’ve seen on here.

    I’ve been doing the NLP, and during the bench press 3 weeks ago, I felt a tweak/pain in the front of my left shoulder during the last rep of last set. I saw an orthopedic surgeon last week, and he suggested that’s it’s probably a rotator cuff strain, and possibly but highly unlikely a labrum tear. He recommended doing PT for a few weeks, and MRI afterwards if PT fails. Isolation stuff with bands and 3lb dumbbells…

    Press: I can press without pain. Should I start from weights that I can do at high volume and increase from there, or just deload a bit and do the program normally?

    Bench: Do I just ditch it for now? Working at light weights (I started with 100 lbs the other day) doesn’t bother me.

    Chins: I can do them, but they do hurt, especially at the bottom. I was thinking I’d start with inverted rows and see how that goes. Any guidance on how much pain to tolerate?

    More detail, if helpful: Pain is in the neighborhood of where I see the supraspinatus labeled in the illustrations in the book. To the side of the chest, not quite at front deltoid, below the clavicle. Doesn’t hurt at rest/sleep. 4/10 at worst. It hurts when I reach over my head to grab the opposite ear, and if I reach across my chest to grab the back of my right shoulder and then lift my elbow. Ibuprofen and warming up help. Since the injury, it has gotten maya little better.

    I’m 5-11, 193. Squat: 250, Deadlift: 260. Press was at 112.5, Bench was at 172.5 when I injured it.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Posts
    47

    Default

    Hi Sunil Rao,

    Based on the orthopedics' comment it sounds like a low grade strain (I or II). From a rehab perspective this is manageable.

    Regarding your press, even though its pain free, I would suggest taking 10-15% off the bar and climbing back up with 2.5# jumps. Complete the press as you normally do. This will give you a window of 4 weeks or so to rehab the shoulder with the bench.

    Regarding your bench,
    - Is the 100# reset completely pain free? Full ROM?
    - Where in the ROM of motion does it bother you? If its at the bottom I would start from the top and do a partial ROM. If its at the top I would start at the bottom by setting the bar on the pins or safeties and complete a partial ROM.
    - Narrow your grip. If the partial ROM from above does not help, you can also narrow your grip to a close grip position and perform the same partial ROM bench press based on where the pain is.
    - Start at a pain free weight where you can complete 2-3 sets of 8-10reps (might be lighter than 100#). Each time you train the bench you should slowly add weight, increase ROM and decreased reps from 10 back down to 5. This process should be stretched out over the course of 4-5 weeks.

    Regarding the chins, do you have access to a lat pull down? Here you can also reduce the ROM, weight and tempo of the movement and climb back up over the same 4-5 week progression. A banded chin up would work too.

    Hope this helps!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    10

    Default

    Hey Chris,

    Got it. I'm looking forward to getting to work with this approach. Thanks for your help!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Posts
    47

    Default

    good luck

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