shoulder pain

**devil1** · 06-11-2005, 12:30 AM

a month or so ago i messed up my shoulder somehow or another. its a pain inside the sholder. it only really bothers me on incline bench, but ive noticed if i bring the bar down close to my chin and keep it about two inches off my chest it doesnt hurt as bad. am i sacrificing the lift by making these changes?

**CrazyKC** · 06-14-2005, 12:22 AM

No not at all. For a novice bodybuilder like yourself. It is good to experiment with differnent techniques. Have you tried going a little lighter on your upper chest and shoulder workouts to see if it would help.

**mark956101957** · 06-14-2005, 12:39 AM

Have you tried using deca or EQ they help immensely for taking pain away and lubricating joints plus you don't need all that much for it to be effective.

**devil1** · 06-14-2005, 01:01 AM

thanks for the info mark, ive recently been looking into eq but had no idea it might help w/ my shoulder

**bignatt** · 06-14-2005, 01:08 AM

Have you tried Glucosamine sulfate, or shark cartilage because those worked good for me

**CrazyKC** · 06-14-2005, 01:10 AM

Mrk makes a good point

**robkesl** · 06-14-2005, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by devil1

a month or so ago i messed up my shoulder somehow or another. its a pain inside the sholder. it only really bothers me on incline bench, but ive noticed if i bring the bar down close to my chin and keep it about two inches off my chest it doesnt hurt as bad. am i sacrificing the lift by making these changes?

it kinda sounds like rotator cuff, problems, different angles would agiatate it more. ive had a similar problem on my right shoulder deep inside, the the chiropractor gave me these rotator cuff exercises and i dont get the pain anymore!

oh and ive talked to numerous people about where to stop the bench bar! and from speaking to chiropractors they say 1-2 inches off your chest is best, anything beyond that your shoulders are doing the work, which could be why, when you come down to a couple inches off your chest it doesnt hurt!

**aminophiliac** · 06-14-2005, 11:15 AM

i have some pretty bad shoulder problems. two scopes in the last couple years and I still have sh!tty ROM. if I were you, i would switch it up for a while before going back to incline to let things heal up. Since its only been a month or so than it probably just needs a little more pain free time. I used to be able to do incline as long as somebody took the weight off the rack for me. But every now and again i would go too heavy or not concentrate enough on my form and would agitate the hell out of my shoulder again. You can afford to not do incline press for another month or two if its the difference between a healthy shoulder and one that limits you in the weight room.

**birsling** · 06-14-2005, 12:39 PM

I am also recently off of shoulder work. Slap tear and rotator impingement. Shoulders are lingering problems that take a lot of work to fix. Listen to your body, make sure you rest, and definitely make changes to your routine to accomidate.

If you are looking for a chemical compound to help. I know many people that use adequan. It is available for equine (horses) or canine use, and supposedly works amazingly for joint lubrication. Might help you. Most people use 1/wk injections with a slin pin

**JAYROD** · 06-14-2005, 12:55 PM

i have the same pain in my left shoulder, hurts like hell on incline. i have someone help me get the bar off the rack and i only do the bottom half or 2/3 of lift and this has helped alot with the sharp pain.

**devil1** · 06-15-2005, 08:08 AM

did chest in the gym yesterday, looks like im going to have to take a few weeks off the incline.

it hurt like hell

**SHAOKAHN** · 06-15-2005, 08:17 AM

broke the same collar bone two different times, and screwed both rotator cuffs on accident and by being stupid when I was younger. Gotta give it time. build up your shoulders inside out. Dumbells helped me.

**CrazyKC** · 06-15-2005, 09:15 AM

Have you ever injured that shoulder before? If so you might have a scar tissue build up .

**devil1** · 06-15-2005, 10:02 AM

Crazy your a thread slut!! HA HA HA you know ive never injured my shoulder before now. you got your 50 though. congrats

**v-twin** · 06-17-2005, 11:04 PM

I have the same problem in my right shoulder,Doc said i injured it before,news to me very painful on inclines even on deca . drop some weight and change upper body routine for awhile and yes DB's are also helpful
good luck bro know how ya feel

**devil1** · 06-18-2005, 01:55 AM

ive broke my right coolar bone a couple times and threw it out so bad i couldnt raise it off my side but the pain is in my left shoulder. weird huh?

**dirtymike** · 06-18-2005, 12:48 PM

Have you tried using dumbells for incline? I got the same problem with my left shoulder. Very frustrating

**dirtymike** · 06-18-2005, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by robkesl

it kinda sounds like rotator cuff, problems, different angles would agiatate it more. ive had a similar problem on my right shoulder deep inside, the the chiropractor gave me these rotator cuff exercises and i dont get the pain anymore!

oh and ive talked to numerous people about where to stop the bench bar! and from speaking to chiropractors they say 1-2 inches off your chest is best, anything beyond that your shoulders are doing the work, which could be why, when you come down to a couple inches off your chest it doesnt hurt!

What kind of exercises? I heard using the cables about waste high, holding it at a 90 degree and bringing it into your waste is suposeed to be good the rotator cuff.

**birsling** · 06-19-2005, 11:22 AM

Your rotator is made up of 4 muscles I believe, and the motion you described hits one of them. The same motion going outward away from your waist is another. #3 is done with your thumb facing downward, starting from your waist, and moving your arm in a diaganol motion up and away from your body. Those were the three that I have always done to strengthen/rehab

**birsling** · 06-19-2005, 11:24 AM

Here's more for you. This was posted by LACBodybuilder @ www.worldwidebodybuilding.com

Created by In-Human

Four Exercises to Strengthen the Muscles of Your Rotator Cuff

Remember that the exercises described on the next two pages, which help strengthen the muscles of your shoulder (especially the rotator cuff), should not cause you pain. If the exercise hurts, use a smaller weight and stop exercising when the pain begins.

Perform each exercise slowly: lift your arm to a slow count of three and lower your arm to a slow count of six.

Warm up before adding weights: stretch your arms and shoulders and do pendulum exercises (bend from the waist, arms hanging down; keeping arm and shoulder muscles relaxed, move arms slowly back and forth).

Keep repeating each exercise until your arm is tired. Use a light enough weight that you don't get tired until you've done the exercise about 20 to 30 times. Increase the weight a little each week (but never so much that the weight causes pain): start with 2 ounces the first week, move up to 4 ounces the second week, 8 ounces the next week, and so on.

If you do all four exercises three to five times a week, your rotator cuff muscles will become stronger and you'll regain normal strength in your shoulder. Each time you finish doing all four exercises, put an ice pack on your shoulder for 20 minutes. It's best to use a plastic bag with ice cubes in it, or a bag of frozen peas, not gel packs.

Exercise 1.

Start by lying on your stomach on a table or a bed. Put your left arm out at shoulder level with your elbow bent to 90 degrees and your hand down. Keep your elbow bent and slowly raise your left hand. Stop when your hand is level with your shoulder. Lower the hand slowly. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then repeat the whole exercise again with your right arm.

Exercise 2.

Lie on your right side with a rolled-up towel under your right armpit. Stretch your right arm above your head. Keep your left arm at your side with your elbow bent to 90 degrees and the forearm resting against your chest, palm down. Roll your left shoulder out, raising the left forearm until it's level with your shoulder. (Hint: this is like the backhand swing in tennis.) Lower the arm slowly. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then repeat the whole exercise again with your right arm.

Exercise 3.

Lie on your right side. Keep your left arm along the upper side of your body. Bend your right elbow to 90 degrees. Keep the right forearm resting on the table. Now roll your right shoulder in, raising your right forearm up to your chest. (Hint: this is like the forehand swing in tennis.) Lower the forearm slowly. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then repeat the whole exercise again with your other arm.

Exercise 4.

In a standing position, start with your right arm halfway between the front and the side of your body, thumb down. Raise your right arm until almost level (about a 45 degree angle). (Hint: this is like emptying a can.) Don't lift beyond the point of pain. Slowly lower your arm. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then repeat the whole exercise again with your other arm...

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**devil1** · 06-20-2005, 11:56 AM

thanks birsling, i use similar exercises in the gym before shoulder day and chest day, seems to help. ill try these and see where they take me. thanks again bro

**Chase Waste** · 06-21-2005, 10:13 PM

Great tips for rotator strengthening.

I tore both sides of my shoulder/trap almost a year ago. I began lifting again a few weeks ago and I feel a lot of sensitivity and light pain in the same spots. I'm really paranoid I'm going to tear it again but I'm not too excited about resting any longer (I've gone from the 180's to the 160's). Is there a miricle product that heals muscle tears? I suppose I should take potassium supplements at least. Any insight would be helpful.

CW