2 years ago in university I hurt my left shoulder inline bench pressing (dumbbells).
I was already warm and just doing light weight before beginning my sets. For perspective, my 3 Rep Max was 75lb, I was doing 40's.

On the push (near lockout [never fully extended]) I felt a weird movement inside my shoulder. I felt no pain but I knew this was abnormal. I was able to put down the weight, I suspected something went wrong.
A few days later I started to feel pain when doing certain movements.
I stopped for 30 days and went to get an x-ray. As suggested to me it came back clean.
My suggestion was MRI, I skipped the MRI as I was busy and instead took 2 months off and as suggested to me try ibuprofen.

Neither really helped.

Fast forward 2 years later my symptoms are:

1) Grinding in my left shoulder when rotating it (not working out, just moving my shoulder like a locomotive train), even something simple as a bicep curl will grind. People can hear it. If I workout, it grinds and pops a lot afterwards.
2) Constant weakness in that shoulder, I can feel the fullness and strength of my good shoulder, however my bad shoulder I do not feel anything. It feels empty, disconnected even like nothing is there. If I workout and doing something with that shoulder, I don't feel like I am using my muscle, it's more my brain telling my arm to move a certain way during a lift.
3) With the weakness comes fatigue very easily in that shoulder. To the point where in America when driving I do not keep my elbow on my door as that position is uncomfortable, especially if I just used my shoulder for something (carrying groceries for example).
4) Pain in certain movements, some of these movements are these:
- Doing a frontal lateral raise, but bring your arm all the way to point to the ceiling, when I reach the point where I can "high five" the ceiling, I am in pain.
- When my arm is raised straight up to the ceiling (tip of finger pointing to ceiling), moving it side to side, like an excited unbent wave, or washing a tall window side to side.
5) Can't use my shoulder muscles, forget about any shoulder exercises, if I do even a warm-up set targeting my shoulder I'm in pain and can't move it the next day.
6) Stretch, I notice when I stretch it like using bands it begins to crack and grind constantly if I move it, also, I feel more of a "disconnect" or "emptiness" in my shoulder aka weaker.
7) Overhead Wall Rollout during the day at work causes pain to my injured shoulder but it feels good at the same time. That range of motion at the "peak" of the movement hits my injury.

I went to an orthopedic, I didn't have a good vibe about the young doctor but I had an MRI done. No contrast/dye just a shoulder MRI. It came back clean and I was prescribed PT.

After reading this, what are your thoughts?

Either get a second opinion, get a contrast MRI which I thought I was going to get to begin with from a different practice, go to PT.

Thanks,

This post was edited by ArtofApocalypse on Apr 24 2018 08:57pm

As a pt student I'd say just go to pt.

Work on scapular stabilization, posture, etc.

One of the worst things to do after an injury is to stop, especially for as long as you did.

You really don't need a second opinion or more imaging.

Vouch, see a physio and get a rehab plan in place and execute


Edit/ you may not land the best physio the first time, be mindful and open but you may benefit from seeing 2

This post was edited by uGhost on Apr 24 2018 07:44pm

mind boggling how moron doctors always send you for an xray for something thats obviously not detectable via xray

big, big mistake skipping that mri though

This post was edited by devilslayer on Apr 24 2018 07:51pm

Nothing is obvious in the medical field..

They’re ruling out issues like arthritis and fractures.. Than they’ll do more testing if necessary.

Don’t be arrogant, insurance companies will fuck both you and the doctor if shit isn’t done correctly.

I did the initial 1-2 month stop because it was recommended to me by the doctor that ordered the xray at the time / ibu to take a break.
Afterwards I was on and off 5x5 plans until I gave up because my shoulder couldn't handle the demand of the plan. (Even stabilizing a squat bar few days after directly hitting shoulders or a day after chest is futile). So I went back to more of a 4 day split and been doing that ever since on and off over the 2 years.

Eventually I graduated, landed a job and began the MRI process.



I just don't understand how physio will repair this rather than Arthroscopic surgery (assuming I get diagnosis differently that warrants it). Perhaps I just don't understand and have never been to PT before. I can't wrap my head around doing specific exercises over the course of x time will repair my shoulder....



I was told before the xray by the dr that she doubts anything will come up as they never do for shoulder surgeries but it's usually recommended before MRI.

P.S I did some research, during work I like to do Overhead Wall Rollout, that motion really hurts my injured shoulder (I get that pain) but feels good at the same time.


This post was edited by ArtofApocalypse on Apr 24 2018 08:57pm

In Canada it's $$$$$$ for X-Rays. They can bill it. But as someone stated; it's to rule out any bone issues which may be unknown

A physio *should be able to diagnose the issue. They will run you through some different movements/angles to understand what exactly has gone wrong.

For instance you mention the overhead roller really hurts.. they will take into account the type of pain you experience, the location of the pain, at what angle of the movement the pain begins to occur, etcetc.

And provided you don’t need surgery (fingers crossed) they can prescribe a routine to begin to rehab it. And assuming you follow it, they will be able to progress it again and again until your shoulder is back to full health

Hopefully, when I look for pt there appears to be many different types/certs. Any recommendations?,

Ill try pt I was hoping for surgery, get it fixed and lose some upper mobility.

In Aus physiotherapists must go to uni for 4 years and it’s a very high entry level to even get accepted. Dunno what it’s like where you are, but I wouldn’t go to a cereal box certificate physio. Find someone with a bachelors degree minimum. Plenty about with both a bachelors and a masters

This post was edited by uGhost on Apr 25 2018 07:02am