Bone Spur + Bursitis in Shoulder @ 27

[Domjo54]

Hey Rip,

Right (dominant side) shoulder started bothering me 2.5 months ago. I'm hard-headed and continued to train through the pain because it hurt but wasn't horrible, and more importantly was relatively stagnant (i.e. more lifting didn't make it much worse). Overheads were by far the most painful and dropped, but flat pressing is tolerable and therefore kept around; also interestingly enough, dumbbells hurt more than barbells.

Given how long it's been, I finally got it checked out. Via x-ray, the orthopedic specialist I saw today said there was a bone spur on the shoulder, and significant bursitis. This is where I should note that while I've been training for about a decade, I'm only 27, with a frequent history of strains and various injuries across my body from the gym. Overuse, if I'm being honest with myself.

Received two cortisone shots (one into the AC, another into the bursa sac itself) and was prescribed three weeks of both daily NSAIDs (Celebrex specifically; not sure why not just ibuprofen) and a topical anti-arthritis cream (Voltaren, 4x / day), on top of regular icing (which I was skeptical could have much impact after this amount of time). No surprise, I was told to avoid lifting, specifically anything that could cause "impingement" -- which I know is generally less of a concern when full ROM is used, but I probably cannot do so right now. My questions are:

- Would you recommend completely stepping away from upper body work for a few weeks? Or severely limiting your exercise selection? Still planning to squat, deadlift, and the like unless I'm firmly advised against here.

- Is stretching actually a bad idea? I definitely don't want the ROM to close up on its own, but am admittedly not familiar with the physiology and treatment mechanisms at play here.

Thank you.

[Will Morris]

Hey Rip,

Right (dominant side) shoulder started bothering me 2.5 months ago. I'm hard-headed and continued to train through the pain because it hurt but wasn't horrible, and more importantly was relatively stagnant (i.e. more lifting didn't make it much worse). Overheads were by far the most painful and dropped, but flat pressing is tolerable and therefore kept around; also interestingly enough, dumbbells hurt more than barbells. Is it hard-headed to continue to participate in life despite some discomfort, or is it just the way of the world for the past several millenia?

Given how long it's been, I finally got it checked out. Via x-ray, the orthopedic specialist I saw today said there was a bone spur on the shoulder, and significant bursitis. This is where I should note that while I've been training for about a decade, I'm only 27, with a frequent history of strains and various injuries across my body from the gym. Overuse, if I'm being honest with myself. I'd suggest you look at the data out there as far as the success rate with sub-acromial decompression surgeries. SAD can be very successful for the right candidate, but probably not going to be in the cards right now for you.

Received two cortisone shots (one into the AC, another into the bursa sac itself) You will probably get really good results within 3-5 days from this. and was prescribed three weeks of both daily NSAIDs (Celebrex specifically; not sure why not just ibuprofen) Celebrex can be taken for longer without the same GI issues caused by ibuprofen.and a topical anti-arthritis cream (Voltaren, 4x / day)save this for your knees or hands if they start aching. Might be of some minor benefit for AC joint pain, but it is really good for hands. , on top of regular icing (which I was skeptical could have much impact after this amount of time)Ice is next to useless. No surprise, I was told to avoid lifting, specifically anything that could cause "impingement" -- which I know is generally less of a concern when full ROM is used, but I probably cannot do so right now. My questions are:

- Would you recommend completely stepping away from upper body work for a few weeks? Or severely limiting your exercise selection? Still planning to squat, deadlift, and the like unless I'm firmly advised against here.I think you should continue to train within the confines of a comprehensive strength training program, which, by all accounts, has to include upper body training. My physician counterparts generally recommend 72 hours away from training a body part that has just been subjected to a corticosteroid injection. I've had three injections for issues throughout the past ten years, and I always train immediately afterwards. YMMV.

- Is stretching actually a bad idea? I definitely don't want the ROM to close up on its own, but am admittedly not familiar with the physiology and treatment mechanisms at play here. stretching is going to be of virtually no use to you here. A little bit of shoulder pain should not cause you to go into a contracture. That said, babying your shoulder, not using it, and trying to protect it is a risk factor for adhesive capsulitis.....at least we think.

Thank you.

As above.