Possible shoulder injury?

[njdevilsfan87]

About two weeks ago, I overdid a workout... and and it felt like something in my shoulder got pulled. The best I can describe it as... it felt similar to when you get a finger jammed, except at my shoulder. A few days later, when I was doing my chest and triceps workout, it started acting up again. It began on the bench press, so I didn't push myself as much as I would have liked to. I could not do butterfly on a flat bench with free weights, my shoulder was hurting too much while coming up. Even on the machine, I just couldn't do it. Coming around was just painful.

Now, the pain was most intense right as soon as I stopped a workout. I could feel it slowly building up during the workout, and then as soon as I'd go loose, and shoulder would get hit briefly with what felt like a sharp pain, which would last a few seconds, and then completely disappear.

So I got a 3 day break (was just tired overall, about a month back into my gym schedule). Today I did a a little bit of everything just to warm back up into my schedule, and for the few workouts I did that worked out my chest and triceps, my shoulder was fine. I can say I faintly felt it, but there was no sharp pain... just more a feeling of tightness in the shoulder. But again, this was not a full workout of my chest and triceps.

The odd thing is was, while the pain was at its maximum, I could do a lot of shoulder isolation workouts just fine. It acted up when I would either push on something (like bench press) or do some kind of variation of a butterfly exercise (either free weights, machine, handles with strings attached to weights - no idea what that is called).

Anyone have an idea here?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Sounds like a rotator cuff injury. You have to utilize some stabilizers for exercises like those. I would go to the orthopedist just to make sure you didn't tear your labrum. You very well may have.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Sounds like a rotator cuff injury. You have to utilize some stabilizers for exercises like those. I would go to the orthopedist just to make sure you didn't tear your labrum. You very well may have.

Not sure what you mean by stabilizer exercises but before every workout regardless of what I'm workout I have been rotating my shoulder with some light weights, and stretching them out a lot. I also always do a light warm-up set for most exercises.

A tear sounds pretty scary... would I be experiencing any symptoms outside of the gym with a tear?

If it does act up my next chest/triceps workout I will be getting checked out no questions asked. I'm really hoping this is not a disabling injury as I still have a month to go before my planned calorie deficit to drop body fat composition begins.

Edit: Doing a bit of Google, I don't think I could possibly have this, at least not to a severe extent. Outside of the gym, I have no pain, or loss of range of motion in the shoulder.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Labrum tears are weird. Some people with more severe tears experience discomfort during everyday life, while people with some minor tears don't feel anything unless they have to put a weight overhead. There are several muscles in your rotator cuff and there are muscles that stabilize your scapula. You can strain these muscles and they would have a similar result. It's not really a debilitating injury, but it will effect what you'll be able to do. If it is something like that, your doctor will probably refer you to physical therapy which you could include while you continue to squat and do other exercises that don't cause you pain.

 

[StageLeft]

Take some more time off, then when you return go light for a bit. Also STOP any bar presses such as bench or military press, go with just dumbells for a while. I'd also drop should press with dumbells and just do arm raises with a much lighter weight. If in doubt, see a doc, but it's always hard to know whether that's prudent or not, though if you do cause more damage you'll regret not having seen one.

 

[Sust]

Just to lay out the general disclaimer: you should go see a doctor for your medical problems.
Additionally, you should educate yourself to stay involved/informed in your own health.

Frankly, there should just be the blanket statement to go and look up general problems on American Family Physician website first since there's usually something helpful there.

 

[bossman34]

I would go straight to a physical therapist. They can diagnose and provide great insight on what you should and shouldn't be doing to help your shoulder heal...whether it means surgery or just some rehab.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: bossman34
I would go straight to a physical therapist. They can diagnose and provide great insight on what you should and shouldn't be doing to help your shoulder heal...whether it means surgery or just some rehab.

Technically, it's the orthopedist's job to diagnose whether the problem is surgery or therapy worthy. The therapist usually attempts to figure out the problem and teach exercises while making other healing tools available. However, you usually can't go see a physical therapist without a prescription from an ortho.

 

[bossman34]

Actually, physical therapists can diagnose injuries and possible solutions. Of course, if they believed surgery was needed they would send them to an orthopedist. I am a personal trainer and have a couple PT friends who I send clients to on a regular basis (with shoulder injuries) where they are diagnosed one way or the other. I was actually surprised to hear that they can provide a clinical diagnosis because I didn't used to think it was their job either.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: bossman34
Actually, physical therapists can diagnose injuries and possible solutions. Of course, if they believed surgery was needed they would send them to an orthopedist. I am a personal trainer and have a couple PT friends who I send clients to on a regular basis (with shoulder injuries) where they are diagnosed one way or the other. I was actually surprised to hear that they can provide a clinical diagnosis because I didn't used to think it was their job either.

Where are you located? In CA, almost no PT will take you unless you have a prescription from an ortho. I've volunteered at several clinics and I've actually been to several clinics and this has been the case each time. I know they can provide a clinical diagnosis, but usually there must be a referral of some sort for legal reasons.

 

[bossman34]

Nope, I'm in Idaho now, originally from Minnesota. I'm not exactly sure how it works in Minnesota, but i refer clients to a physical therapist fairly often. Is it for legal reasons or insurance reasons that a referral is required?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: bossman34
Nope, I'm in Idaho now, originally from Minnesota. I'm not exactly sure how it works in Minnesota, but i refer clients to a physical therapist fairly often. Is it for legal reasons or insurance reasons that a referral is required?

I consider legal/insurance reasons the same. They both involve a lot of hoops to jump through But yeah, it is most likely for insurance purposes.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

I'm looking into this. I don't have chest/tri workout until Saturday... so hopefully I can find out tomorrow. My college provides free examinations for this type of stuff. If not I will be taking it very lightly and easily on Saturday... slowly piling the weight on. If there is any sign of pain, I will stop, and just work out another area of my body, or start looking into some exercises that will take the strain off my shoulder.