Sick & Tired Of Injuries - Help

[soulforge]

Need some urgent advice, on how to deal with this injury..

looks like I have busted up my rotator cuff... Again

This time on my right shoulder... two years ago I had a rotator cuff injury on my left shoulder, and it took at least 2 years to recover from.. and it still is not fully back to normal.


I don't think it is a tear, but more thank likely just inflamed, it feels pretty much the same as how I felt with my last rotator cuff injury

I seriously do NOT want to drop out of training.. at the moment I am at a peak.. made some very good gains..

Looking bigger and stronger... I am not sure how I managed to do this..

Every workout I spend at least 30mins, with stretches, warm ups.. and I always lift light.. then work my way up to heavy weights.

the only thing I can put it down to is, that I have recently increased the weight I lift, especially on bench press.

The thought of dropping out of training now, is seriously depressing me!!

I have a few questions the need answering, so please feel free to give me your input..

01. Do I really need to quit training my upper body, and to let my shoulder rest?

02. Can I get away with taking a week off, then continue training, but with only light weights?

03. Will training the effected area with light weights, strengthen my shoulder?

04. Will a cortisone injection help, to heal up quicker?

05. Can I still do dumbbell bicep curls, but with light weights?

06. What is the best way to deal with this injury?????

 

[soulforge]

any tips or advise about this guys?

 

[Julian]

take a week off dude..its not gonna kill ya..your gains are gonna come back.

do you remember the exact moment u think u might have injured it/tweaked it? I know that when Im doing any exercise...the moment a rep feels "wrong" I stop right away,instantly...trying to work through it how u get fked up

 

[Billtx49]

If the common denominator of both injuries is training, then something you're doing there is obviously not healthy for your shoulders.

The best way to deal with it correctly and heal faster? See a sports injury type of Dr., get his asessment, treatment, and take his advice.

The first injury was a warning, this second similar one is a call for corrective action, professional training, and medical help.

Btw - rotator cuff surgery is fairly painful.

 

[soulforge]

take a week off dude..its not gonna kill ya..your gains are gonna come back.

do you remember the exact moment u think u might have injured it/tweaked it? I know that when Im doing any exercise...the moment a rep feels "wrong" I stop right away,instantly...trying to work through it how u get fked up

If the common denominator of both injuries is training, then something you're doing there is obviously not healthy for your shoulders.

The best way to deal with it correctly and heal faster? See a sports injury type of Dr., get his asessment, treatment, and take his advice.

The first injury was a warning, this second similar one is a call for corrective action, professional training, and medical help.

Btw - rotator cuff surgery is fairly painful.

Would you recommend light training or complete rest?

 

[Billtx49]

Would you recommend light training or complete rest?

If you sprain an ankle do you go out for a walk? Respect your body and get some professional advice.

 

[soulforge]

Got a doctor's appointment on Thursday, not happy about this man

 

[ubercat]

Everyone has weak points. I play tennis so I m used to shoulder injuries. I d suggest yoga and gentle stretching for 2 weeks. Then swimming and stretching for another 2 weeks. Then light dumbbell work including shoulder stability exercises. Shoulder injuries often come from poor posture. Do more core and back exercises in your routine than arm exercises.

 

[marmel75]

any tips or advise about this guys?

As someone who has dealt with many injuries over the past 10 years from lifting and someone who probably pound for pound is as strong as anyone on this board(1,420 lb Big 3 at 188 lbs), I will tell you that lifing heavy just isn't worth it in the long run. Once you have attained a certain size, you don't need to lift heavy to maintain it, you just have to be consistent with your lifting. Lifting heavy past a certain point will just lead to your body breaking down. I've experienced it several times, and it got to the point that it just isn't worth it to me.

There are 3 things at play here:

1) Natural Muscle Imbalances which get WORSE when lifting heavy becaue the side that is doing more work is lifting a greater percentage of the weight
2) Overuse injuries which occur when the body has just done the same movements too many times
3) Physiological issues which can be natural or can occur due to compression over time from the weights, shortened muscles which don't contract and extend fully anymore or any number of other things.

Some things that helped me tremendously are:

1) Pilates

2) Yoga

3) Foundation Training(if you have any lower back/hamstring/glute/hip tightness this is a MUST)---it's tremendous and REALLY helps fix posterior chain issues and re-trains your body how to fire the posterior chain properly making it key for any type of lower body exercise and also does wonders for anyone with low back pain(lime I had for several months--within two months it disappeared and never came back). Don't be fooled cause it looks easy. If you do it properly it is INTENSE.

4) Get adjusted by a quality chiropractor every 3 months. There is a reason bodybuilders have chiro's/soft tissue people that travel with them. If you are lifting seriously and not getting adjusted every 3 months, 4 months max, you are asking for trouble. Weight lifting is very stressful on the body and no matter how good you think your form is you will be out of alignment from it which can lead to a much higher rate of injuries and muscle issues due to them being too tight, shortened, in the wrong position, overextended, etc. I typically experience near "superman" strength gains in the week or two following being adjusted, sometimes with weights going up 20-30 lbs or more---apparently it has something to do with the nerve impulses in your body flowing properly down the spinal column when it's properly adjusted, I;ve read several studies on it, because I thought it was weird that everytime I got adjusted it was followed by a burst of strength, but apparently its well documented.

5) Body part specific rehab work with bands, rehab type exercises, etc...Dynamic Blackburns are very good for shoulder issues, as is band work. Stay away from heavy weight and find exercises that don't cause pain/issues or it will just keep getting worse and the recovery period will be longer. I know from experience.

 

[soulforge]

As someone who has dealt with many injuries over the past 10 years from lifting and someone who probably pound for pound is as strong as anyone on this board(1,420 lb Big 3 at 188 lbs), I will tell you that lifing heavy just isn't worth it in the long run. Once you have attained a certain size, you don't need to lift heavy to maintain it, you just have to be consistent with your lifting. Lifting heavy past a certain point will just lead to your body breaking down. I've experienced it several times, and it got to the point that it just isn't worth it to me.

There are 3 things at play here:

1) Natural Muscle Imbalances which get WORSE when lifting heavy becaue the side that is doing more work is lifting a greater percentage of the weight
2) Overuse injuries which occur when the body has just done the same movements too many times
3) Physiological issues which can be natural or can occur due to compression over time from the weights, shortened muscles which don't contract and extend fully anymore or any number of other things.

Some things that helped me tremendously are:

1) Pilates

2) Yoga

3) Foundation Training(if you have any lower back/hamstring/glute/hip tightness this is a MUST)---it's tremendous and REALLY helps fix posterior chain issues and re-trains your body how to fire the posterior chain properly making it key for any type of lower body exercise and also does wonders for anyone with low back pain(lime I had for several months--within two months it disappeared and never came back). Don't be fooled cause it looks easy. If you do it properly it is INTENSE.

4) Get adjusted by a quality chiropractor every 3 months. There is a reason bodybuilders have chiro's/soft tissue people that travel with them. If you are lifting seriously and not getting adjusted every 3 months, 4 months max, you are asking for trouble. Weight lifting is very stressful on the body and no matter how good you think your form is you will be out of alignment from it which can lead to a much higher rate of injuries and muscle issues due to them being too tight, shortened, in the wrong position, overextended, etc. I typically experience near "superman" strength gains in the week or two following being adjusted, sometimes with weights going up 20-30 lbs or more---apparently it has something to do with the nerve impulses in your body flowing properly down the spinal column when it's properly adjusted, I;ve read several studies on it, because I thought it was weird that everytime I got adjusted it was followed by a burst of strength, but apparently its well documented.

5) Body part specific rehab work with bands, rehab type exercises, etc...Dynamic Blackburns are very good for shoulder issues, as is band work. Stay away from heavy weight and find exercises that don't cause pain/issues or it will just keep getting worse and the recovery period will be longer. I know from experience.

I have also come to the conclusion, lifting heavy is just not worth it for me..

Do i need complete rest? Or can i continue with light weights?

Will cortisone injection help?

 

[ubercat]

Mate everyone s said. Yoga or Pilates. Medical interventions always carry downside. Ask any experienced nurse.

 

[marmel75]

I have also come to the conclusion, lifting heavy is just not worth it for me..

Do i need complete rest? Or can i continue with light weights?

Will cortisone injection help?

Cortisone will help temporarily but if it's just to keep lifting what's the point? You are just going to damage it worse.

I would start do I band work and dynamic blackburns for the shoulders...look up shoulder rehab exercises on youtube

 

[soulforge]

Cortisone will help temporarily but if it's just to keep lifting what's the point? You are just going to damage it worse.

I would start do I band work and dynamic blackburns for the shoulders...look up shoulder rehab exercises on youtube

 

[soulforge]

I wasn't suggesting heavy lifting.. 8kg to 10kg bicep curls

But your right, its too risky.. I will take the rest and focus on shoulder rehab instead

 

[Manup]

You have my sympathy, recently started BJJ, despite being pretty fit I have picked up a groin and shoulder injury!
I would recommend Brachial(sp) Hanging once any initial inflammation has subsided I was left with some impingement that has improved a lot after a couple of weeks of hanging.
There is an orthopedic surgeon who's name escapes me that has dramatically reduced the number of surgeries performed after implementing hanging exercises.

 

[zekko]

Soulforge, how did the doctor appointment go? I'm curious since I have shoulder problems myself. I've had to cut down on the weight, frequency, and intensity of my lifting, and I have to say it's pretty annoying. My left shoulder gives me trouble.

I've done some yoga too, but when my shoulder is seriously irritated, I can't even do the resting child pose (balasana) because it hurts too bad to outstretch my left arm like that.

 

[marmel75]

Soulforge, how did the doctor appointment go? I'm curious since I have shoulder problems myself. I've had to cut down on the weight, frequency, and intensity of my lifting, and I have to say it's pretty annoying. My left shoulder gives me trouble.

I've done some yoga too, but when my shoulder is seriously irritated, I can't even do the resting child pose (balasana) because it hurts too bad to outstretch my left arm like that.

Dynamic blackburns and band work will do wonders

 

[soulforge]

I like to think of injuries as opportunities.

I would focus doing strictly lower-body exercises.

well currently I am strictly focusing on legs.. also lots of cardio..

I am doing very light bicep curls.. maximum weight 8kg per dumbbell..

I have been watching various shoulder rehab videos on you tube, and have found a good workout involving stretching of the shoulder also strengthening..

I am in two minds about the cortisone injection? it may reduce the inflammation, and help the rotator cuff heal faster???

is it worth a try?

 

[zekko]

Dynamic blackburns and band work will do wonders

Thanks Marmel, I'll look into it.

 

[soulforge]

Another personal thought about this:

I'm not convinced it's necessary nor beneficial to consult a physician in this case. If it were me I'd simply refrain working my upper body for a week or two and focus strictly on lower-body and cardio. Time is key. Let the body heal and focus on legwork and cardio. In a few weeks you'll know if you're ready.

Remember that shoulders get a lot of ancillary work on all upper-body lifts, so in my opinion you'll risk exacerbating injury if you continue upper-body lifts.

would you really consider a couple of bicep curls, with very light weights 8kg? as upper body work