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I jammed my shoulder a few years ago while catching myself in a skateboard fall, and since then, it has had issues, off and on, where during periods where it bothers me, I can't do pushups or dumbbell work. The injury has been in the aggravated period for the last several months, and is showing no signs of getting better. It is affecting my workouts, at least those involving chest/back/shoulders (i.e. any exercises that involve pressure on the shoulder).

I've seen chiropractors with little success. I haven't tried physical therapy, and I haven't gone to a specialist through my Primary Care Phsyician. Stretching and yoga also not a big help. The injury doesn't get worse, and doesn't get better.. Just is there, slightly annoying, and especially annoying with certain exercises.

Dolan Antenucci
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  • The problem with recommending you specific workouts is that your injury is caused by trauma, not by overuse and/or wrong training. So without knowing specifically what muscles, tendons or other structures are affected, I can't really recommend you anything. Though everyone should strive for a balanced workout, that normally would help prevent injuries in healthy people. – Ivo Flipse Mar 12 '11 at 10:47
  • Hey, I just wanted to see how you're doing now. I Googled "long-term pain" because I have it too, and I'm hoping to hear you're getting better. – Nick Jun 20 '11 at 02:15
  • @Nick - I never got around to the physical therapy, but the shoulder is progressively getting better. This may be due to me not exercising too much, and continued light stretching randomly through the day. Also, when I do something like push-ups, I am putting my knees down to help take the weight off my shoulder. This allows me a full range of motion with just a bit of strain on shoulder towards end of set. Overall, better, but not 100% yet. Good luck with yours! The PT can't hurt, but probalby more than anything, Time/rest will be the biggest help – Dolan Antenucci Jun 24 '11 at 21:36
  • Thanks! I'm glad to hear it's feeling better. I think my injury is going to take a lot more patience than I had anticipated as well. – Nick Jul 13 '11 at 03:43

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Some links that might help you (I'm also recovering from a shoulder injury):

The overwhelming consensus is don't do anything that hurts. If your shoulders hurt, stop working them - completely, for as long as it takes. Not a good news, I know.

Baarn
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JDelage
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    While the t-nation articles give excellent advice, I would advice you to summarize a top five in your own words, so people know what to expect from the links. – Ivo Flipse Mar 12 '11 at 10:44
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Yes -- my suggestion is that you need to see a doctor and get a diagnosis. When you say "jammed my shoulder", that could mean any number of injuries.

For example, I have had shoulder pain in my left shoulder when raising my left arm outwards, for about three months. I waited about a month for it to get better, and finally saw a doctor.

When I saw my doctor, he had me perform a number of different movements while providing resistance with his hands. He diagnosed me with something called "sub-acromial bursitis". This is an inflammation of a fluid filled sack (a bursa) in the shoulder joint. I have been seeing a physical therapist for about six weeks, once a week, and performing exercises at home every other day. The physical therapist leads me through specific exercises, and also treats the area with ultrasound. The discomfort and pain is very slowly improving. I am also taking Aleve (Naproxen) to help reduce the inflammation.

Depending on your shoulder injury, you may need physical therapy, corticosteroid injections, surgery or other treatment. Only a doctor can determine this for sure. My experience has been that shoulder injuries take a long time to heal.

Nick Silberstein
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You need to talk to a real doctor and see what's been damaged and take proper physical therapy for it. At this late juncture, full recovery via physical therapy may be a bit too late. It's very important to go to a medical doctor when an injury like this occurs. By medical doctor I mean M.D. not D.C. A chiropractor is a D.C, not an M.D.

Nathan Wheeler
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