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Injured my left shoulder the other day while doing Bench press. First time this has ever happened so I'm trying to understand what occurred. On my last set I lifted the bar up and then proceeded to move the bar slightly forward (for clearance). This is when I felt something twitch in my left shoulder. I quickly put the bar back and called it a day knowing that anything further would cause more damage. It's been pretty sore since, but not debilitating. Pain seems to radiate from top of shoulder. I've been taking some Advil to keep inflammation down.
I usually have good form, but my guess is that I got sloppy and when pushing the bar up and then forward I hyperextended my shoulders causing some type of impingement. Was hoping someone with a good physiology background might be able to expand on what occurred and how to avoid in the future. For now, I'll stay away from bench/shoulder work and will probably go back to using machine or smith bench.
A warning that as we age, proper form becomes crucial!
I am the king of shoulder injuries and most have happened while doing chest exercises. I've learned through the years to go very slow, not terribly heavy and not to "squeeze" the dumbbells at the top. I no longer do bench presses with the bar as it locks your shoulders in to that same set position without being able to move.
Whenever I tweak my shoulder(s) I ice it, rest it and then start up again but VERY light weights...I'm talking 25% of what you were doing before. And as crazy as it sounds I also up my shoulder regime to strengthen my shoulder muscles as much as I can too.
Do yourself a favor and get checked out by your doctor. It should be a quick diagnosis and then they may recommend physical/occupational therapy or exercises to do at home. Then commit to it. Don't take advice from anyone who has chronic and repeated injuries because it usually means they're doing it wrong and didn't learn from their mistakes. It's very hard to make yourself rest the area for as long as you need, but that's the most important element of recovery. Take it seriously! Or else you'll be in pain for much longer than you have to be.
OP - I am a physical therapist and I also lift weights. Do go see a doctor or at the very least, a PT. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if you have sprained the tendon of your supraspinatus. It's one of the four muscles that are collectively called the "rotator cuff." The supraspinatus runs from the scapula on your back, to the top of the shoulder, and attaches to the top of your humerus.
You did the right thing by stopping immediately after you felt pain. Now do have it checked out.
I asked my physical therapist what his most dreaded injury was to re-hab. By far, it's shoulder injuries.
First of all, it takes upwards of a full year to get over them. And the therapy is painful. Many times, people are unwilling to do proper therapy and exercises if it hurts. Many people just don't do their exercises because of pain.
I'm not a fan of free weights--especially on older folks. There's a whole lot more chance of hurting yourself than if you do weight training on Nautilus machines.
Do yourself a favor and get checked out by your doctor. It should be a quick diagnosis and then they may recommend physical/occupational therapy or exercises to do at home. Then commit to it. Don't take advice from anyone who has chronic and repeated injuries because it usually means they're doing it wrong and didn't learn from their mistakes. It's very hard to make yourself rest the area for as long as you need, but that's the most important element of recovery. Take it seriously! Or else you'll be in pain for much longer than you have to be.
It's exactly the opposite. Those who have gone through know what to do, what to avoid and how to remedy it. Just because someone has an injury to the same area does not mean in any way they're "doing it wrong." Professional bodybuilders, professional athletes, trainers, etc. many with the top advice on the planet ALL break down at some point, it's almost inevitable to get injuries if you workout hard 5x/week.
Yes, it's important to get diagnosed by a physician. I thought that was obvious. But if it's just a minor tweak, I don't waste my time or money on expensive doctor's visits, x-rays and/or MRIs only to have someone tell me to rest and ice the area. If it's a debilitating injury, absolutely time to see a doc.
Thanks for the tips/advice. As far as seeing a Doc, has anyone tried scheduling a Doctors appointment recently? My Doc is booked 6 months out. Crazy times...
It's exactly the opposite. Those who have gone through know what to do, what to avoid and how to remedy it. Just because someone has an injury to the same area does not mean in any way they're "doing it wrong." Professional bodybuilders, professional athletes, trainers, etc. many with the top advice on the planet ALL break down at some point, it's almost inevitable to get injuries if you workout hard 5x/week.
Yes, it's important to get diagnosed by a physician. I thought that was obvious. But if it's just a minor tweak, I don't waste my time or money on expensive doctor's visits, x-rays and/or MRIs only to have someone tell me to rest and ice the area. If it's a debilitating injury, absolutely time to see a doc.
The goal of therapy should be not only to recover from the injury, but to prevent further injury through education. If you continue to get injured as a result of working out hard 5x/week, then you need to change your workout program. Nobody but a masochist should accept injury as "inevitable."
What seems like a "minor tweak" could be a number of different things that would be treated differently, and may not be minor. We can't diagnose the problem here. There may also be other underlying and related issues that need to be addressed leading up to the injury.
Thanks for the tips/advice. As far as seeing a Doc, has anyone tried scheduling a Doctors appointment recently? My Doc is booked 6 months out. Crazy times...
Try getting an appointment to see a PT. Most states are "direct-access" now, meaning that you don't need a physician referral to go to PT. Also check with your insurance as it may have more restrictive rules.
Avoid PT chains like ATI, Cora, etc. And if they ask you to come 3x/week for 2 months, run away as fast as you can. They just want to milk your insurance.
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