I've come to this site regularly for advice on a training regimen, and have now injured my right shoulder. Looking for a bit of help diagnosing, and would love to know if there are common errors in form that would cause this (e.g. going too low on a press).
I work out at home, and my strength training was mostly limited to dumbbell presses/flies/curls, pullups, and pushups. Over a 4 month period I was seeing results. In early August I began feeling sharp pain inside my right shoulder. There was no onset that I can recall, I just began noticing pain. I've stopped lifting completely, as I'm afraid to cause more damage. Most days I go through with only minor twinges of pain, maybe twice per day, and only during very specific movements. Hoping that if I lay those movements out it will assist in diagnosing:
Full range of movement, no normal tasks cause me pain.
No aching, throbbing, or non-localized pain.
No noticed reduction in arm strength while lifting heavy objects.
I can put my right arm over my head and push it back with my left arm, hard, no pain.
I can put my right arm across my body and pull my right elbow into my chest (with left arm), hard, no pain.
If I extend my right arm behind me straight and move it up and really, really push, I can feel slight pain. If I hold that position and rotate my hand, sharp pain occurs when my palm faces upwards.
If I put my hand behind my back and move my hand up to the middle of my back, no pain; if I push up, hard, I can feel slight pain.
One things always causes sharp/piercing pain: attempting to scratch the middle of my back with my right hand.
Specifically, the act of turning my hand over to face my palm against my back seems to immediately exacerbate the problem.
Arms rolls cause pain, although not sharp. It's most painful at the top of the roll.
When pain materializes, it is always inside the front of my shoulder. I can't push with my fingers and cause additional pain. It's too deep.
If I sleep on my right shoulder, there is mild soreness in the morning, which quickly dissipates.
Thanks in advance for any help you guys can lend. If there are any range of motion tests I can try to narrow this down further, I'm happy to do so. It's been three full months now, and while this pain was never debilitating, I'm wondering what to expect regarding recovery, whether it's smart to begin light training again, and whether there is anything I can do to speed recovery along.
-Dan
I work out at home, and my strength training was mostly limited to dumbbell presses/flies/curls, pullups, and pushups. Over a 4 month period I was seeing results. In early August I began feeling sharp pain inside my right shoulder. There was no onset that I can recall, I just began noticing pain. I've stopped lifting completely, as I'm afraid to cause more damage. Most days I go through with only minor twinges of pain, maybe twice per day, and only during very specific movements. Hoping that if I lay those movements out it will assist in diagnosing:
Full range of movement, no normal tasks cause me pain.
No aching, throbbing, or non-localized pain.
No noticed reduction in arm strength while lifting heavy objects.
I can put my right arm over my head and push it back with my left arm, hard, no pain.
I can put my right arm across my body and pull my right elbow into my chest (with left arm), hard, no pain.
If I extend my right arm behind me straight and move it up and really, really push, I can feel slight pain. If I hold that position and rotate my hand, sharp pain occurs when my palm faces upwards.
If I put my hand behind my back and move my hand up to the middle of my back, no pain; if I push up, hard, I can feel slight pain.
One things always causes sharp/piercing pain: attempting to scratch the middle of my back with my right hand.
Specifically, the act of turning my hand over to face my palm against my back seems to immediately exacerbate the problem.
Arms rolls cause pain, although not sharp. It's most painful at the top of the roll.
When pain materializes, it is always inside the front of my shoulder. I can't push with my fingers and cause additional pain. It's too deep.
If I sleep on my right shoulder, there is mild soreness in the morning, which quickly dissipates.
Thanks in advance for any help you guys can lend. If there are any range of motion tests I can try to narrow this down further, I'm happy to do so. It's been three full months now, and while this pain was never debilitating, I'm wondering what to expect regarding recovery, whether it's smart to begin light training again, and whether there is anything I can do to speed recovery along.
-Dan