Post: #1

Hey guys,

I have a pain at the lower left shoulder, more precisely around the Teres minor muscle insertion on the scapula, just below my arm. Because of it, I can't work out anymore since 10 months. It's really annoying because I can't do any sport (even jogging), I really feel like a larva sometimes.

I've seen a doctor (sport specialist), and he suspected a Tendinitis. We also did a radiography but he didn't find anything (but the radiography was not very well-made IMO). I have since january stopped working out (although I tried again 1 day on april). The pain is very blurred in day-to-day life, but I used to feel it a lot more after sports or anything that uses my left arm. Still, even after all those months, I "know" it's still there, a very mild pain that will become greater if I dare to do sports again.

I also can feel some bone crackle when I move the shoulder up and down. I have read that Tendinitis normally goes off after 3-6 months of rest. So I am wondering if it might be something else. Maybe some misplaced bone? (Given the small crackle I can make sometimes, that's the only suspicion I can find).

I know a lot of you guys are into sports, so I figured it might be a good place to ask for help. Frankly, I feel miserable because of that. My testosterone is lower, I have lost all my muscles, and I miss that feeling after a good sport session.

Anyway, here's a picture of where I feel the pain.

   

Post: #2

You should seek another professional opinion: go see another doctor.

In regards to losing all your muscle ... there is no excuse for not working out other body parts. When I injured my body in a "similar place" in which you describe, I went on a "squat everyday" routine; I got stronger, and bigger. I know this injury can kill your motivation, but you must seek other workout goals and objective. Squats have the benefit of working out your biggest muscles and your core. Be careful with your grip, you will feel the pain in your shoulder if your grip is not good and you position your bar too high or too low (and hence use your arms to support the bar.) If you do squats with perfect technique, you will not even feel the pain in your shoulders.

Depending on what your injury actually is (this is why I encourage you to seek another doctor's professional opinion, you need to know what you are dealing with), you will be given a different advise on how to deal and fix it. In my experience (not a doctor), as with most physical therapy, you need to let it rest and yes it will take months/years to go away if it ever does. The one thing that happens is that scar tissue build up during the slow healing, and in many cases this is where the pain is coming from, after the tendon is recovered; the way to deal with the scar tissue is to work out with very low weight and high reps, slowly, increasing the weight very slowly week after week. Regardless I a not a doctor, DO NOT take this as medical advise, go see a professional.

Post: #3

Thanks for your feedback Plus Oultre.

Yes, I have booked an other sports specialist for when I go back to my home country this year. My fear is that he'll tell me like the other one, that it's a Tendinitis and I have to rest until I die.

You mentioned working out the lower body. I have tried that already. Actually, the Teres muscles participate passively in the movements of Squat, it's a impossible to isolate them away. Same for jogging... It gives me pains during the next day.

Interesting what you say about the scar tissue. So what you are suggesting is that I am indeed healing, but that the pain could be a healing pain...

Post: #4

Exercise-conscious doctors will recommend a lower weight-bearing exercise, such as swimming or an exercise bike. What do you think about these exercises OP? Hell, I ought to swim more.

Post: #5

Hi The man w/ the Golden Gun, swimming I have tried and it's better than squat for the pains. But it still makes it worse a little bit, so I didn't continue. Exercise bike could be good, I will try that next time, thanks for the idea.

Post: #6

Get an MR Arthogram done on the affected shoulder and consult an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in shoulders. I had a long term injury and the one who saw me didn't bullshit around scamming me he just gave me a date for surgery within 5 minutes.

He knew what was up, don't trust these "sports doctors" and physiotherapists. They just want you to keep coming in and paying.

Edit: Don't settle for working around the injury unless you like being a cripple. Take action to get it repaired, you won't regret it.

Post: #7

Keep seeking out more and more experts to diagnose your issue.
Also, as a person who is in elite shape - I will tell you a secret that most guys in this bracket won't mention.

We are always in pain.

I train strenuous BJJ 5 to 6 days a week, a little yoga/calisthenics/heavy bag work/weights and play soccer throughout the week.

Often I have some kind of pain 24/7 in my body somewhere, I train through it.
Is this great advice? Absolutely not.

This is not great advice, it is the reality of a man who is in elite shape.

My body has adapted over time to the point where my mind doesn't even register these minor pains anymore.
Now a days it takes a strong muay thai kick to the leg or a really deep bicep/tricep/calf slicer submission for me to realize I am in pain.

Active Rest and Body Hardening.
These are Ancient Eastern Asian concepts that have forged men made of granite.

If you have exhausted all means and found out there is no way to exercise without pain - then exercise with pain.
It will hurt but at least you will gain back your self respect.

Post: #8

Unless it's a severe issue try alternative upper body workouts. I've had relatively minor but still sometimes quite painful shoulder and elbow problems coming and going for the the last few years, and for the first six months - and still to some extent - I was completely unable to do any kind of overhead presses. Regular bench press was also out of the question, but alternatives that worked for me was getting the right hand position and angles with dumbbells (for chest, for overhead shoulder exercises they remained out of the question) and push up variations.
Sometimes just moving the hands a few inches or turning them a little can eliminate strain on the injured part of a join. For me with push ups for instance that means hands close together and angled a bit inwards.

I've since switched almost entirely to body weight and some dumbbell and elastic band exercises (I have a set of heavy duty Bodylastics bands). It seems that after hitting my late 30s after a couple of decades in the gym, some of my joints really appreciated a break from heavy barbells and other common gym weights. But I still have to deal with some shoulder and elbow problems.

Post: #9

Are you taking any supplements

Post: #10

Hey The Kind, seeing an MR Arthogram can be a good idea, I will see one when I go back to my country end of this year, I'll keep this thread updated. Might be interesting after the result to consult a surgeon too as you suggested.

I understand what you say ScrapperTL, but in my case I don't think it's a good idea to force my body. It'll just stress it more and worsen the case. It's not the same as pains from fights...

MikeS, I definitely can't do any upper body workout in my case, I have tried. Glad it worked better for you though.

Ltcfreedom, the only suppelements I was taking were Whey protein, Zinc, Magnesium and fish oil. Nothing dangerous.

Post: #11

(10-18-2017 08:30 AM)rajabat89 Wrote:  Yes, I have booked an other sports specialist for when I go back to my home country this year. My fear is that he'll tell me like the other one, that it's a Tendinitis and I have to rest until I die.

Hey... I had a similar injury in the shoulder. I couldn't lift for 5 months... no doctor could fix it. I went to an orthopedic surgeon that was a customer of mine. He gave me a Kenalog shot and it was fixed within 1 week. It has never come back.

Post: #12

Hi EndsExpect, did he diagnosed what was the problem in your case? Also, how long ago was it and did it stay fixed in the long run?

Post: #13

I actually had the best results from a chiropractor for my shoulder pain (even though 9/10 of them are scam artists). He did active release therapy and it worked after 5-10 visits.

For workouts I focused mostly on squats and did the thumb over the bar, it puts less pressure on your shoulders.

Post: #14

Don't see a chiropractor ^^ and don't see a "sport specialist", PM&R, etc. These people have a vested interest in not treating the actual problem. Go see an orthopedic surgeon. You don't have "bone cracking", you have impingements in your shoulder. More than likely, you should be doing physical therapy to loosen your shoulder up. If that doesn't work, you should be a candidate for arthroscopic debridement.

Post: #15

I have some shoulder issues as well. You really should be able to work around it. Barbell benching and heavy OHP irritate mine so I dropped those. Average doctors will just recommend rest (which is generic b/s). You need to go to a quality sports medicine doc and get an MRI to really see what's going on. A PT who works with ahtletes/lifters may be able to help as well. You really should be able to do lower body work though - slight discomfort should not stop you.

Post: #16

Experienced Physiotherapist here. Agree with some of criticisms of conventional treatments. I would not just go to any physio/chiro/ex-phys.. you have to find a really good one to avoid wasting time/money.

To OP - your injury is almost certainly caused by overdevelopment/overtraining of anterior shoulder and chest muscles. This can make the posterior shoulder tendons impinge or just be in a weakened position.

Just from your story, I would recommend rest and light exercise until pain settles then avoid chest exercises but focus on self-massage of chest and anterior shoulder using lacrosse/tennis balls. Then focus on gradually strengthening posterior shoulder and upper back with better form. Specifics depend on your individual case but unless you have really fucked yourself up or keep encouraging a chest-back imbalance, you will get back to normal within a few months.

Making sure you never have this again is a whole other story. Good luck!

Post: #17

Hopefully if you go to an orthopedic surgeon he doesn't want to do surgery first thing. I would hope he would suggest physical therapy and if that doesn't work than surgery. The physical therapy after the surgery is quite a beast and its difficult to sleep in a sling.