Shoulder Rehab

Holliday

Holliday

Holliday

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Joined
12 Sep 2006
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888
I've already sought 2 different Doctors opinions already (both advising the typical rest and Ibuprofen advice) and a Physio, so I'm not looking for medical advice.

Basically I've had a bad shoulder for 6+ months and only began to realise I need to consciously try to rehab it rather than resting it and hoping it gets better on it's own.

I've been following this guide: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drryan9.htm whilst maintaining good shoulder posture through out the day. Now after a few weeks I can pretty much lift my arm above my head with no pain now and do several weighted (2-3kg) rotator cuff exercises.

My question is what type of pain, if any, should be expected when doing rehab like this and moving back to bigger weights? Overhead presses are still painful and I think will be for a long time. The guide above states as long as the pain is below 6/10 it's ok, yet some other guides mention no pain should be felt at all and if so to stop.
 
icecold said:
Really need to know what happened to your shoulder.

Also, read the mobility thread.
Click to expand...

I didn't want to be too specific as to look like I was asking for a diagnosis. Other than twisting and hurting it when bouldering 2 years or so ago, I can't think of any other time I've particularly hurt it.

Both shoulders used to hurt, the right one seems to have got better in the past few months but the left still troubles me. Since it was both I assume it was a mixture of bad posture (physio said I had rolled shoulders and winging scapula) and bad lifting form, both bench press and over head press being the main pain causes.
 
Mobility thread, Mobility WOD and buy Supply Leopard.

It's fairly 'expensive' but it's worth it. Though I have limited internet access just now, and slowly sorting my shoulder issues out.
 
icecold said:
Where is the pain and what movements cause it?
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As far as pin-pointing it, it's generally sensitive to touch on the inner side of that little bump on the top of the shoulder, forgive my terrible anatomy knowledge.

Lifts which cause sharp pain are overhead and bench pressing. Although moving the arm past about 100 degrees without any weight caused pain up until recently.

But as I say, the initial question was just whether some pain is a necessary evil when rehabing a joint as to regain muscle strength and endurance, or if any pain at all is considered to be doing more harm than good. I know for sure resting it completely for a few months didn't do anything for it.
 
Pain is pain, and generally speaking, not good.

The question is at what point does this pain disappear? After warming up properly? Or when you douse it in painkillers, ice, and freeze-sprays?

It sounds like you could have a number of problems:

- Tight muscles (pec, anterior and posterior shoulder);
- Bad motor patterns (benching/pressing with elbows all over the shop?);
- Issues with what your brain thinks it's doing (i.e. over-compensation/under activation) to try and protect your shoulder from pain.

Each requires different stuff to fix, but the middle one is certainly an 'easy' one to address... :)
 
mrthingyx said:
Pain is pain, and generally speaking, not good.

The question is at what point does this pain disappear? After warming up properly? Or when you douse it in painkillers, ice, and freeze-sprays?

It sounds like you could have a number of problems:

- Tight muscles (pec, anterior and posterior shoulder);
- Bad motor patterns (benching/pressing with elbows all over the shop?);
- Issues with what your brain thinks it's doing (i.e. over-compensation/under activation) to try and protect your shoulder from pain.

Each requires different stuff to fix, but the middle one is certainly an 'easy' one to address... :)
Click to expand...

I've stopped taking the suggested 6 or so Ibuprofen tablets a day one doctor suggested, I understand they are anti-inflammatory but only after a few months of taking them and I'd rather not mask any pain that's there. Plus they weren't that noticeable.

The pain now is generally only there when I move my shoulder a certain way or lift with it, at rest it's fine. When lifting it'll be a sharp kind of pain then pretty much straight after it'll go away.

I'm foam rolling my back and chest for any tightness as well as stretching after every session. Icing the shoulder after every session also.

I do/did pride myself on good form when lifting, but I admit I think years of doing bench press with flared elbows had taken it's toll.

Cheers for your input so far any way mate.
 
Hehehe... I have just learnt a reallly cool (read: horrific) way of working on pec tightness from a physio for my own shoulder rehab...

Lie on your back and - keeping your scaps pinned as you would for bench - bring your arm up so its perpendicular to the floor (straight up). Now, the movement to stretch is effectively a reverse pec fly: you are going to control your arm's descent straight out to parallel to the floor. The fun part of this is when your arm is straight up, jab a wooden spoon (or clawed fingers) into the pec just before (inch or two) the shoulder joint. But before dropping your arm and with the pressure still applied, pull the spoon/fingers down towards your toes.

THEN let your arm drop. I didn't think I had tight pecs before my physio did this to me. I now know I have. *whimpers*

5 on each side.

This is just an example of things you can do for your shoulder. Other stuff includes proprioception, capsule stretching, RC work, lat stretching, rhomboid and serratus strengthening...
 
mrthingyx said:
Hehehe... I have just learnt a reallly cool (read: horrific) way of working on pec tightness from a physio for my own shoulder rehab...

Lie on your back and - keeping your scaps pinned as you would for bench - bring your arm up so its perpendicular to the floor (straight up). Now, the movement to stretch is effectively a reverse pec fly: you are going to control your arm's descent straight out to parallel to the floor. The fun part of this is when your arm is straight up, jab a wooden spoon (or clawed fingers) into the pec just before (inch or two) the shoulder joint. But before dropping your arm and with the pressure still applied, pull the spoon/fingers down towards your toes.

THEN let your arm drop. I didn't think I had tight pecs before my physio did this to me. I now know I have. *whimpers*

5 on each side.

This is just an example of things you can do for your shoulder. Other stuff includes proprioception, capsule stretching, RC work, lat stretching, rhomboid and serratus strengthening...
Click to expand...

Had something like this done recently when I was on holiday. I've had sports massages in the past but holy ****this was something else. What you described, then knee in my back while stretching my arms back etc, hurt so much I was almost literally sick.

But will give it a go, cheers.
 
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