Shoulder pain

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Last year I finally started getting back in shape, and have been working out most of this year. I've taken it slow and am right on track where I want to be, but am limited by old shoulder problems.

When I was around 12 or 13 I hurt my right shoulder pulling back a bow that was too big for me. I'm thinking I injured the rotator cuff, it was a month before I could raise my arm to shoulder level. I didn't say anything to my parents, as I was afraid they'd take the bow away. The left shoulder got trashed in college, during wrestling practice I got paired with somebody several weight classes above me. He tried to go around me, I locked my arm, and he went anyway. I felt something tear again, and had trouble with it for years afterwards. I still have to be careful swimming, as I can partially dislocate it fairly easily.

Fast forward to now, I'm 33 and am working on general fitness. I've lost 25 lbs and a lot more fat, but still have a lot of shoulder pain working out. The worst are exercises like the military press and tricep pressdowns. By the end of the first set I have a sharp pain in the joint both shoulders, and it happens sooner with each set. I'm not lifting heavy at all, not much more than half my max. I've been doing some exercises trying to build up my shoulders to support any damaged areas, but I'm looking for more, I'm not sure the ones I'm doing are working. Any ideas before I go see a doc?

 

[Steck]

Re: Shoulder pain

Obviously it sounds like you have some chronic injuries in the shoulders that are not getting better on their own. A Dr. will probably ask for an MRI and see if there are any tears. If so, the next step would probably be surgery as this is usually how they "solve problems."

If that's a route you don't want to take just yet, you may look into a chiropractor who does applied kinesiology. He may be able to muscle test your shoulder to see if certain muscles are "turned off." Once the muscles of the shoulder are working properly, some of the pain may go away. Another method that may help is call Muscle Activation Therapy (MAT). I've seen this do wonders for clients of mine.

If you have limited range of motion, chances are you need to get the joint moving properly again before it can start to heal.

Either way, get it checked out so you know what you're dealing with.

 

[HajjWhisperer]

Re: Shoulder pain

FWIW look into rotator cuff exercises to see if those help. My buddy is a physical therapist and wrote on article on bowhunters tearing up their shoulders by not maintaining their rotator cuffs. He swears by the rotations done using bands or weights. I include them in my workouts with light weights a couple of times a week and my shoulders have improved. I'll see if I can get that article too.

 

[YTALER]

Re: Shoulder pain

Try the rotator cuff exercises and use low weight. I have had both of my shoulders fixed with excellant results but I keep them injury free now by doing the exercises regularly.