It's odd that you think rotator cuff injuries correct themselves with rest. They don't. In the absence of an MRI we're just speculating here, and all we have to go on is pain in the posterior shoulder.
Member
Rotator Cuff issue (sorry I know it must be laborious to you Rip)
Rip, for the last couple of months I've been having an issue with my right shoulder. I've just taken three weeks off from lifting and it seems to have gotten much better, although the pain is still there...
- Age, Gender, current training status
25 male, I've been doing SS since 2010, did SS, and I'm now on texas method.
- Chief Complaint
Pain in right shoulder when I have my palms facing behind me and push, for example pushing my palm back against a wall. I also get pain in my shoulder when a bar with any decent weight on it is resting on my back in the squat position, although I've not tried this for three weeks.
- Narrative describing the mechanism of injury: In your own words, explain what happened, what you were doing, where it hurt, how long has it been since you first injured it.
about ten weeks ago I started to feel slight discomfort in my right shoulder. This would be on the recovery day after squatting heavy 5x5 on my volume day. I decided to work through it because the pain was really rather minimal. fast forward two weeks, I again managed to do my 5x5 volume day, but when it came to my 1x5 intensity, the pain in the warmup sets was much higher, to the point where getting the loaded bar on my back (205kg's) was agony, as soon the pain stopped as soon as the bar was settled however and I made my set.
I decided to take the next week off, because I've had minor rotator cuff injuries before and I know with rest they should correct themselves. I took a week off with copious menthol rubbing and light shoulder dislocations.
I came back the following week and did my 5x5 volume with no pain whatsoever, then it got the the recovery day 48 hours later and the pain was back, albeit low. I still worked through it. By the end of the week, during my intensity set, the pain was back again as potent as it was before.
I took two weeks off after this, again using menthol rub and massage, including light shoulder dislocations.
I came back after the two weeks off and tried once more to train, using very light weights. The pain still returned, though not as severely.
I decided to bite the bullet and take three weeks off, without any exercise whatsoever, just taking ibuprofen and using menthol rub. After these three weeks the pain has seemed to completely dissapear from regular life, aside from a slight pain when pressing my palm backwards against a wall or putting my arms up as if i were holding an imaginary bar.
- Pain (on a scale of 1-10)
throughout the day there is no pain whatsoever. During the intensity set when I was trying to get the bar positioned on my back I'd say the pain was 8/10
when i push my arm back the pain in my shoulder is about 2/10
- Describe the pain (burning, shooting, aching, deep, sharp)
Feels like how I'd imagine a tear to feel, a sharp aching in my shoulder, It might be right where the supraspinatus is...
- What makes it better?
Rest, doing nothing, pressing helps, I've been pressing sporadically over this period (not for the last three weeks however), nothing else.
- What makes it worse?
Squatting, I've made sure I've got the bar where it's supposed to be. Just having it sitting there seems to make the problem worse, but like i've said, i've not squatted or done any form of weight lifting in the last three weeks.
- How do your symptoms behave throughout the day?
There isnt really any pain aside from when i'd do something like pull my trousers up when they begin to fall, that motion of grabbing my hips and pulling up seems to aggrivate it.
- Signs and Symptoms
I think this whole injury began by not focusing on keeping my elbows up during squatting, hence some of the weight was offset onto my elbows giving me this shitty shoulder injury.
I've not been to see a doctor or anything. In fairness the injury has been feeling much better, and i'm planning on going back to the gym today to see how everything feels. I'm gonna go for 80% of my previous 5x5 best and see how it fares.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what I could have possibly done Rip, I'd go and book myself in to see an orthopedic surgeon if symptoms continue to persist.
Thanks for your time,
Matt.
TMPHBITEU
It's odd that you think rotator cuff injuries correct themselves with rest. They don't. In the absence of an MRI we're just speculating here, and all we have to go on is pain in the posterior shoulder.
Member
Am I right in thinking they heal with Presses and chins? I thought time off until the pain dissipated and then focusing on these lifts is key.
Starting Strength Coach
Not keeping your elbows up when squatting forces you to go into external rotation....shoulder external rotation with abduction and shoulder extension is a perfect mechanism for posterior superior glenoid impingement. At 25 years old, and without sudden trauma, it is doubtful you tore a rotator cuff tendon, but then again, this would need an examination from a PT or physician to confirm.
TMPHBITEU
Depends on what you mean by "heal". Will a ruptured patellar tendon "Heal"? Why not?Originally Posted by Aslin
Member
because they don't? they're not vascular. Surgery is needed.
Member
This is probably the 427th time I've posted this, but I was diagnosed with impingement syndrome in my left shoulder a few years ago. The only thing - emphasis: THE. ONLY. THING. - that keeps my shoulder healthy and usable is training presses. Not performing rehabilitation sets, not hammer out a few when I hurt, but actually and legitimately getting my press to 135 for sets of five across. I have numerous suspicions as to why this is the case, but at this point I don't fucking care anymore. Training the press makes my shoulder (and by extension, me) happy. Not training presses leads to much sadness. It's a pretty obvious one-to-one relationship.
TMPHBITEU
Because a tendon with a hole in it cannot heal, because the tension on the system keeps the hole open. It can scar down, but that's not the kind of "healing" that returns the tissue to a functional state.
Member
So in this example how do you get the kind of healing that returns the tissue to a functional state? Is surgery the only way to close a hole in connective tissue under tension? I'm just curious; I've managed to spare myself from this type of injury thus far.
TMPHBITEU
Surgery is the only way. This is what makes living now better than living "back then".
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