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I've been working out at the gym for almost 5 months and recently developed some minor pain on my right shoulder. I feel it a little during a chest press and tricep extension, but it hurts the most when doing a chest fly exercise.
I've had this pain for about 2 weeks already and according to my google research, it appears to be Shoulder Tendonitis (or Rotator Cuff Tendonitis). I've tried to power through this pain by lowering the intensity and frequency of my workouts, but the pain is still there after two weeks, which means I must still be straining it. The only thing I haven't tried doing is stopping exercise all together, which would be terrible now that I've gotten into the groove and routine of working out consistently. Stopping now will just ruin all progress made and also can make me lazy to workout again in the future.
Anyone experience something like this before? If so, do you know what I should do? Do I really need to stop exercising my arms completely for now to let it rest and heal?
Last edited by TheWiseShopper; 11-25-2023 at 10:48 AM..
I've been working out at the gym for almost 5 months and recently developed some minor pain on my right shoulder. I feel it a little during a chest press and tricep extension, but it hurts the most when doing a chest fly exercise.
I've had this pain for about 2 weeks already and according to my google research, it appears to be Shoulder Tendonitis (or Rotator Cuff Tendonitis). I've tried to power through this pain by lowering the intensity and frequency of my workouts, but the pain is still there after two weeks, which means I must still be straining it. The only thing I haven't tried doing is stopping exercise all together, which would be terrible now that I've gotten into the groove and routine of working out consistently. Stopping now will just ruin all progress made and also can make me lazy to workout again in the future.
Anyone experience something like this before? If so, do you know what I should do? Do I really need to stop exercising my arms completely for now to let it rest and heal?
First and most important: congratulations on establishing a consistent training routine, and good job on the progress you've made so far.
Regarding your shoulder: what you believe is a type of tendonitis may actually be a different issue altogether, and the underlying cause of the movement dysfunction won't be found through Google. I very strongly suggest finding a good qualified physical therapist in your area, who will run you through a battery of tests to find what the issue is and what needs to be done to correct the issue in the long run.
It may seem inconvenient to have to pivot your training at this point now that you've gained so much momentum, but think of it this way: if you go to a PT this week, get an assessment and start your journey to correcting the issue, you may only be sidetracked for 2-4 weeks. If you push stubbornly through this for another few weeks, it may set you back for a total of 10-12 weeks or more (depending on the outcome).
Also, keep in mind that you can still keep the habit of going to the gym by switching up exercises and training movement patterns that don't hurt. For example, pressing movements may hurt, but if you can still do rowing exercises, deadlifts, squats, loaded carries, etc. without pain, there's no reason to omit them. Just omit the exercises that cause pain and don't go too heavy on the other movements for now, and keep up the routine.
Again, my strongest recommendation is to get to a good physical therapist in your area and get this issue corrected ASAP, because it might turn into something much larger if you neglect it and try to push through.
After the issue is resolved, it might not be a bad idea to check in with a good strength coach who will assess all of your movement patterns and your programming, to prevent you from developing imbalances that will lead to future injuries. It's a sound investment.
I pushed though shoulder pain which was a huge mistake. Originally, even the ortho doctor thought it was rotor cuff, but the MRI showed the labrum was shot and what is worse, I have cervical stenosis with a pinched nerve.
The exercises for recovery for each are a bit different, surgery for the rotor cuff and labrum have mixed results and the odds of it working decreases with age; the stats on recovery from shoulder surgery aren't good from a mental health standpoint; almost half get clinical depression and almost 25% stay depressed.
Also, shoulder pain can be caused or made worse by other factors, such as a pinched nerve from the cervical spine or even how we sit at the computer. It's a weak area, which gets a lot of use and abuse.
Long and short of it is, rest, anti-inflamatories and if that doesn't work, see an ortho sports doctor. The doc can order an MRI and perhaps a cortisone shot...I get good results from them, some people don't.
A few tests for the severity: can you raise your arm to the side and front without any pain? If you can't, don't even think about exercises without seeing the doc who might order an MRI and then PT and so forth. Face pulls are a big culprit it seems. Overhead presses are no longer part of my workout.
I wasn't a candidate for surgery; two practices told me that, but my PT (who also goes to the gym, important IMHO) gave me a regime of exercises and am mostly pain free and with his plan, my shoulders are actually stronger now that ever. A PT can show subtile changes, even on how one grips, can affect the shoulder.
(As I was typing this a friend called. He had rotor cuff surgery three months ago; his pain is worse. He had the other should done a few years back with successes, this one not so. Needless to say, he's depressed over it.)
A few tests for the severity: can you raise your arm to the side and front without any pain? If you can't, don't even think about exercises without seeing the doc who might order an MRI and then PT and so forth. Face pulls are a big culprit it seems. Overhead presses are no longer part of my workout.
It aches slightly when I raise my arm, but doesn’t hurt badly. When I do a chest fly where my arm is extended out and I push a weight forward, THAT is when the pain gets a bit sharper.
As noted by NJmmadude, back off, do other things and let it rest. I'd give it two weeks (yea, that sucks); if not better see a doc. It could be just an impingement, a tear, a fracture, a touch of bursitis, muscular, or something more, but overuse and letting it become chronic isn't good either. Muscles, nerves, tendons, cartilage, it's a jungle in there and alas, a diagnosis here isn't possible. Hopefully, rest, Advil, and if needed a cortisone shot and/or PT would work.
Your insurance will have guidelines for a PT and/or a specialist, some states by law don't require the referral for PT- the PT will know. Getting appointments with someone can take time, so one can always make one and then cancel.
It aches slightly when I raise my arm, but doesn’t hurt badly. When I do a chest fly where my arm is extended out and I push a weight forward, THAT is when the pain gets a bit sharper.
If you have pain doing a particular movement, don’t do that movement.
Chest fly’s are some of the best chest isolation movements (as close to isolated as possible). You experiment with the Pec fly machine or cable flys to see if the pain is present.
Probably though, you went from being inactive to being active regularly for 5 months. Your body was put through a shock. Maybe taking 1 week off of weights (you can still go to the gym to do cardio and or stretching/mobility work) is not a bad idea.
If the pain re-appears after a week that’s when seeing a PT might not be a bad idea. All of us gym rats have stories of minor pains that turned to serious injuries because we chose to ignore them. Learn from us.
Thanks guys. Not an easy thing to do, but I will lay off the weights. I’ll probably concentrate on cardio, abs and lower body exercises for now until the shoulder pain goes away.
Thanks guys. Not an easy thing to do, but I will lay off the weights. I’ll probably concentrate on cardio, abs and lower body exercises for now until the shoulder pain goes away.
If you find out what is actually causing the pain and what to do to prevent it, the pain may go away that much sooner!
If you find out what is actually causing the pain and what to do to prevent it, the pain may go away that much sooner!
The only sure fire way to know is to get an MRI.
Considering it’s not a serious pain yet, it might be better to rest it and wait it out. The only concerning part is why it won’t go away and it’s been 2 weeks since the pain started.
But this is why working out at the gym never works out for me. I remember when I tried going to the gym consistently several years ago. I developed a tight pain on my lower back. Would never go away until I stopped exercising completely. Seems like my body just doesn’t like me lifting weights.
But this is why working out at the gym never works out for me. I remember when I tried going to the gym consistently several years ago. I developed a tight pain on my lower back. Would never go away until I stopped exercising completely. Seems like my body just doesn’t like me lifting weights.
The problem isn't the gym. You could end up with the same injury doing a manual labor job every day or overindulging in some intensive sport too often too. A long term friend of mine has never set foot in a gym. She's owned and operated commercial gardens most of her working life and has ended up with major shoulder issues because of the manual labor.
Last edited by Parnassia; 11-25-2023 at 03:29 PM..
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If you find out what is actually causing the pain and what to do to prevent it, the pain may go away that much sooner!
