Rotator cuff injury

***Shredz*** · 01-03-2004, 05:28 PM

A good buddy of mine was wondering if I could put this up on the board for him so here goes.

Just recently he injured his rotator cuff. I believe it was from training. He went to see his family doctor who sent him to get an ultra sound. He also had a couple of other tests done but all of them came back normal. He has since tryed to get a hold of his doctor again because he is wondering what to do since the tests came back normal but the pain is still there. He has taken 2 weeks off from training but he finds that he felt better when he was working out.

For those of you who have had or have this injury what did you do to rehabilitate it?

I recommended that he go see a massage therapist so that he can at least start working the area and work on the scar tissue caused by the injury. What about rehab? What specific exercises have you done to help elevate the pain?

He is currently on a cycle but is just going to run it to the end and then do the usual PCT, since he is currently not working out.

Thanks in advance!!

**bigol'legs** · 01-04-2004, 02:17 AM

Da Bull has a lot of knowledge about rotar cuff..

I might suggest not doing behind the neck presses, behind the neck pull downs... stuff like that.

and make sure he warms up properly... get atleast 3-4 warm up sets in first. And stretch also.

**Bevo** · 01-04-2004, 02:54 AM

bump for da bull if he knows this cause i have the same problem...seperated right shoulder 2x and left one once in football when younger...seen a physical therapist and done all the exercises, taken glucosomine, etc...nothing works...have to do the minimum on shoulder days, and cant train upper body more than 3 days in row...most of time feels like i have gravel in my shoulder joints (on 4th wek of deca so hoping this will help soon, also only 21 so too young to have ****ty shoulder joints...)...

**BOUNCER** · 01-04-2004, 03:19 AM

Originally Posted by Bevo

bump for da bull if he knows this cause i have the same problem...seperated right shoulder 2x and left one once in football when younger...seen a physical therapist and done all the exercises, taken glucosomine, etc...nothing works...have to do the minimum on shoulder days, and cant train upper body more than 3 days in row...most of time feels like i have gravel in my shoulder joints (on 4th wek of deca so hoping this will help soon, also only 21 so too young to have ****ty shoulder joints...)...

Not much I could add to this reply. I've suffered with rotator cuff troubles for at least 12 yrs now and its agony 27/4. I also find relief in Deca , which can last months after the cycle. If your buddy is a lifter its absolutely no use doing the recommended rehab exercises' for the injury.
For a clear explination try a search on google, I found a ton of info there. Included images of exactly what it is.
If he's a lifter he must absolutely avoid behind the neck shoulder press and upright row's. I've also found hammer strenght machines to be my best buddy in the gym, their ROM work brilliantly for me. Best of luck to you buddy.

**Da Bull** · 01-04-2004, 04:05 AM

I got in a little late on this one guys.I'll put in my .02 here.
I agree that the exercises they give you in therapy are useless.there are a few tendon exercises around that help fractionally,but again if your lifting on a regular basis I found them rather useless also.Bouncer recomended a goggle search and I agree that's a great way to get answers and see for yourself exactly what your up against.Deca has helped me also,but I've found great relief in HGH.Can be a little pricey and also if you really want to heal 3-5 mos layoff is best.I 've been side lined in the past for mos on end,had it heal up just for it to return again later down the road when you start to lift heavy again.I suppose for me surgery is the only option left,but I've learned to live with the pain and countless times the rotor stole hours of sleep from me.Right now I'm relying on machines quite often and use free weights only when rotor feels good enough.

To the bros above,I feel your pain daily and respect your dedication..just train smart and all will be well.

peace

DB

**Doc M** · 01-04-2004, 06:51 AM

If he is experiencing this much pain and discomfort, his only recourse may be surgery. The "rotator cuff" is a very thin and fragile area that is easily injured. Often times people injure this area and never really notice it until they perform certain types of movements such as lifting weights, brushing their hair, movements that require lateral strength, etc..Once it's injured, it is very difficult to rehab the area..I would recommend he not do anything that requires him to utilize these muscles for several months..He should also get into an icing and anti-inflammatory regimine to help with the pain and to keep any residual swelling down..If after a few months he is still having this problem he may consult with a surgeon to talk over his options..The surgery that is performed is really not all that invasive like they used to be..Often it is just scoped and the scar tissue removed..

Doc M

**hoss827** · 01-04-2004, 07:41 PM

Lay off the shoulder excercises....and NEVER do military press behind the head. You'll seriously **** up your rotator cuffs.

**Lord Humungous** · 01-04-2004, 08:40 PM

I'm certainly not going to try and tell you what you should or should not do, but here's my .02

I am just now recovering from a nasty impingement of the left supraspinatus. I can tell you first hand that it's very, very painful and working it hard and ignoring it will just make matters worse.

I saw a doc (the guy that was Paul Anderson's ortho back in the day....yes, he's old...) and he basically told me to lay off, then gradually build up strength in the area and work it back SLOWLY. 6 months later I'm still not back to full speed.

If it was torn, he'd need surgery. My bro in law had it done and he healed pretty fast.

But if it's an impingement, that sucks. I used lots and lots of ice, and always warm up my rotators with L-flyes on cables, both directions. I should probably do more, but it's been sufficient for me so far.

Best bet is to lay off completely. But if he's like the rest of us, that's probably not gonna happen

Well, this post was probably useless, but what the heck.

-LH

***Shredz*** · 01-04-2004, 09:11 PM

Thanks for all your quick replies. I will forward on all your replies to him and let you know how he makes out.

Thanks again!!

Swellin · 01-04-2004, 09:22 PM

All I can offer is to recount my own experience.
I damaged my shoulder playing football. It never got fully healed. Ten years later, I got carried away in the gym and did more damage. While doing incline bench, I actually heard the tear in my anterior pec. I didn't hear the "tear," but I heard something go wrong...as the weight fell, it forced my shoulder into a horrible position. The initial investigation showed a small impingement. For the shoulder problem, I had a shot of cortisone and then PT. I laid out of the gym for a couple of months.
I then went back in the gym and it continued to cause problems. My orthopedist told me I had a problem with my biceps tendons. Eventually, golf claimed the last of my mobility....I scheduled surgery.
He removed the impingement, trimmed a frayed biceps tendon, and created scar tissue on the front, inside of my joint...to tighten up the joint. It had actuall gotten loose from lifting weights.
One year later, I was able to go back to the gym and take it slow. I have to use dumbells everywhere I can...it takes a lot of pressure off the joint.
I have been taking glucosamine for 8 weeks, and deca for 4 weeks...my shoulder has not felt this good in years. Only recently has it started keeping me up at night...again. The deca did not "fix" my biceps tendon...I will forever have problems there.

Tell him to take time off.

**BOUNCER** · 01-05-2004, 05:37 AM

Originally Posted by hoss827

Lay off the shoulder excercises....and NEVER do military press behind the head. You'll seriously **** up your rotator cuffs.

Hoss, just so you may pretend you have the experience to advise around here.. As many people mess up, or make worse their rotator cuff during chest exercises. Some people recommend using a seated chest press machine because it has less negative pressure. I have never found that the case. Personally I find heavy inclined DB press's the worse. Simply from lifting the weight from the floor to my knee's and shoulders, next I'd say flat benching and up right rows. Even free weight barbell curls are out for me sometimes. In the end I've usually to take a few weeks off training sadly.

Bouncer

**hoss827** · 01-05-2004, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Bouncer AKA bouncer

Hoss, just so you may pretend you have the experience to advise around here.. As many people mess up, or make worse their rotator cuff during chest exercises. Some people recommend using a seated chest press machine because it has less negative pressure. I have never found that the case. Personally I find heavy inclined DB press's the worse. Simply from lifting the weight from the floor to my knee's and shoulders, next I'd say flat benching and up right rows. Even free weight barbell curls are out for me sometimes. In the end I've usually to take a few weeks off training sadly.

Bouncer

Not to sound like a smart-ass or anything...I have had bad experiences with them. I've had three dislocations this past year alone, and the doctors advise me never to do military presses behind the head, or in front...i still occasionally do them though, but if you do them behind the head you're more likely to mess them up.