Can the doctor even help? (Shoulder tendonitis)

[Thunderforge]

Hi,

About a year ago I started to develop shoulder pain when benching/dips. This is exactly the type of stereotypical shoulder injury we get from poor benching form (elbows flaired). Unfortunately I didn't really even know I was doing it wrong until it was already hurt. I have also had tendon issues in my elbow so I was familiar with the long healing process. Like many of us I really just had a hard time cutting out all pushing motions and really tried everything else other than the proper ,stay off it, treatment. Eventually it did get better, but it took several months, 6-9.

So, here I am starting to enjoy heavy lifting again, training with Wendler's and actually starting my first cycle! I'm 41, 6' 190lb.

Annnnnd now my other shoulder is feeling the same symptoms. I really feel frustrated at this point since I'm 3 weeks into my first cycle I can't make myself abort. I'm left contemplating seriously restricting my pushing movements and focusing on pulling and legs and heading to the doctor. I know from past experience (elbows) that the doc really couldn't help me. Sent me to a sports doc who really didn't do much of anything. My girl used to be a nurse and she feels very strongly that the doc could help. Prescribe Prednisone or some other anti inflam.

What do you guys think?

I mean, I realize if it hurts you should see a doctor and all, but is there really much that can be done other than just resting the injured joint?

Thanks for the assist.

[Herman Munster]

Thunder,

I went through a similar issue w/ my shoulder. I am 44, years of heavy benching, inadequate warm-ups, stretching etc.. I now have arthritis in the AC joint. I haven't benched w/ a straight bar in years. I do however still perform dumbell and smith machine flat bench presses. Not sure what your goals are, for me that exercise is now on the banned list along w/ any movement behind the neck. As for dips, these also irritate my shoulder, they are also banned.

W/ the AC arthritis, I have tried ultrasound directed cortisone, rest, nothing really eliviates the pain except for resting then - not performing a bench press. MAybe not what you wanted to hear, but possibly time to move on to other things.

Seeing a doc might not be a bad idea, I would not have been able to diagnose my injury. He performed an ultrasound, ROM testing and told me I have bone on bone contact w/ spurs. They do not heal w/out surgery, any med would only mask the condition. I now avoid those movements that cause pain not associated w/ muscle growth.

[Thunderforge]

No, not really what I wanted to hear but it rings true. I'm not opposed to dropping the straight bar bench at all, just not real sure where to go for chest growth without that in the arsenal. If I stop benching completely can I still continue to grow in strength and size with DB presses etc and are these exercises going to be ok once I heal up? Or will they aggravate the injury again? You seem to indicate that they are ok?

[Herman Munster]

If you have the insurance/means/$ whatever, I would get it checked out. You would hate to find out there was something "Really" wrong and by lifting through it you just compounded the issue. If it is tendonitis, arthritis etc... I think then you just need to find what doesn't irritate the area, for me that was/is dumbbell presses. A simple turn of the wrist, moving the dumbbell in closer - just realigning my body takes pressure off my shoulder and focuses on the chest. As for gains in strength and size, Dumbbell presses will certainly get you there, I get a greater chest pump from dumbbell then I did with barbell. I found it was tough to retrain my thinking, a lot of the bench for me was ego and holding on to the "big weights - big muscles" mentality. I heavy benched, squatted and dead lifted for years, it’s what I knew and I believed was what I should be doing. Then A Sports Hernia surgery, Bicep repair surgery, AC arthritis, different bouts of tendonitis and currently hosting a marble sized umbilical hernia that will require surgery at some point occurred and forced me to reexamine my approach. I now work around what hurts and focus on what doesn’t. At 44, 5-11, 240lbs and a greying goatee I can still push a modest amount of Iron, I can catch the attention of the young cut-off sleeve, flat brimmed hat crews who parade around the gym - I just picked and choose when and hope I dont pay for it later.

Try searching the web for Doug Brignole, he has a decent article outlining why the bench is not the "king of chest exercises".

[Thunderforge]

Thanks very much. I'll check into that now.

[yannick35]

If you have the insurance/means/$ whatever, I would get it checked out. You would hate to find out there was something "Really" wrong and by lifting through it you just compounded the issue. If it is tendonitis, arthritis etc... I think then you just need to find what doesn't irritate the area, for me that was/is dumbbell presses. A simple turn of the wrist, moving the dumbbell in closer - just realigning my body takes pressure off my shoulder and focuses on the chest. As for gains in strength and size, Dumbbell presses will certainly get you there, I get a greater chest pump from dumbbell then I did with barbell. I found it was tough to retrain my thinking, a lot of the bench for me was ego and holding on to the "big weights - big muscles" mentality. I heavy benched, squatted and dead lifted for years, it’s what I knew and I believed was what I should be doing. Then A Sports Hernia surgery, Bicep repair surgery, AC arthritis, different bouts of tendonitis and currently hosting a marble sized umbilical hernia that will require surgery at some point occurred and forced me to reexamine my approach. I now work around what hurts and focus on what doesn’t. At 44, 5-11, 240lbs and a greying goatee I can still push a modest amount of Iron, I can catch the attention of the young cut-off sleeve, flat brimmed hat crews who parade around the gym - I just picked and choose when and hope I dont pay for it later.

Try searching the web for Doug Brignole, he has a decent article outlining why the bench is not the "king of chest exercises".

I agree 100% with all you are saying makes total sense, that heavy weight mentality has to go, has we age i am 39 it will take its toll.

You guys might want to look into prolotherapy, it did wonders for me. I have arthritis in the neck.

[Herman Munster]

yannick

Funny you mention prolotherapy, I was thinking of starting a thread on that. I am having achilies issues and have been researching this (slightly). I'm glad it worked for you, how often and how many injections

[yannick35]

yannick

Funny you mention prolotherapy, I was thinking of starting a thread on that. I am having achilies issues and have been researching this (slightly). I'm glad it worked for you, how often and how many injections

50CC for me, upper back lots of injections, lower back even more and hip joint on big injection of 20CC.

Current cocktail is 1cc for 1cc dextrose and xylocaine, B12 and B1 400IU each.

My steroid cycle is 100mg of test E per week, 100mg to 200mg of deca NNP, i still have some equipoise left that i will finish and just added Metyl D for its anabolic properties around 1000.

I got tones of stuff for my liver, i eat clean has hell, take around 20mg of glutamine per day.

Prolo should work good for achilies issues but stay away from PRP its unproven for your condition. Makes sure that you get a mix like mine and that you do get a lot of injection. My first prolotherapist used 12 CC 1cc dextrose for 3 xylocaine he was a cheap bastard and i had very limited results AMATEUR, my second one concentrated on trigger points instead of the instability of the spine upper and lower back. My third one is practicing under the table, he is a chiropractor, personal trainer, physio and kino at the same time, he knows the body like the palm of is hand, we both worked the protocol together for maximum results, along with the steroid cycle.

I never had that much effect that fast, i just had my third treatment, already upper and lower back vertebrae are thick, and solid in place, C4 to C7 D3D4 and L4 to S1, along the hip joint too.

[Herman Munster]

thanks - good luck

[yannick35]

I just bought some GH 18IU will be adding to prolo cocktail next week, at 2IU per treatment.

After i am done with this i will start a huge tread to cover everything about prolotherapy, what should be on the basic cocktail, what can be added, what dosage, how many injections and sessions.

There are far too many incompetent morons out there that are medical or sport doctor and say they know prolotherapy but are in fact amateur at best in what they do.