Will my rotator cuff *ever* get better?
Discussion
Back in January, I strained the big extensor muscle on the top of the forearm (near the elbow crease) whilst doing wide-grip pull-ups.
Carried on training, avoiding that exercise, but still doing OHP etc. Within a week or so, I was getting sharp pains through my biceps and triceps, and assumed that I had strained them too, 'guarding' my forearm.
I don't know whether guarding that injury did create the secondary issue though, as I was boxing as well pushing for bigger lifts across the board back then too.
By the beginning of March, I couldn't do OHP at all, and by the start of April I couldn't even hold an empty(!) Olympic bar in the clean position without the shooting pains in my upper arm.
I assumed I had just done my whole arm in, but I had a brief chat with a physio at the gym, told him all that^^, and he said that I had damaged my rotator cuff. A follow-up Google search suddenly gave rise to loads of people with the same upper arm complaint and a rotator cuff diagnosis.
I've been putting in increasingly long training gaps but they don't seem to have any remedial effect. And the original forearm issue seems to operate on a Groundhog Day basis, as the joint is stiff when I wake up, and then hurts as I straighten my arm.
Anyway... Mr Physio wants £40 for a proper consultation and, as we all know, that's money better spent on protein shakes (right, bro?). I guess what I'm interested in knowing is whether any of you have similarly damaged your RC and how life turned out. And how quickly.
tl;dr My arm hurts because I've damaged my shoulder. Has yours ever hurt? What happened?
Carried on training, avoiding that exercise, but still doing OHP etc. Within a week or so, I was getting sharp pains through my biceps and triceps, and assumed that I had strained them too, 'guarding' my forearm.
I don't know whether guarding that injury did create the secondary issue though, as I was boxing as well pushing for bigger lifts across the board back then too.
By the beginning of March, I couldn't do OHP at all, and by the start of April I couldn't even hold an empty(!) Olympic bar in the clean position without the shooting pains in my upper arm.
I assumed I had just done my whole arm in, but I had a brief chat with a physio at the gym, told him all that^^, and he said that I had damaged my rotator cuff. A follow-up Google search suddenly gave rise to loads of people with the same upper arm complaint and a rotator cuff diagnosis.
I've been putting in increasingly long training gaps but they don't seem to have any remedial effect. And the original forearm issue seems to operate on a Groundhog Day basis, as the joint is stiff when I wake up, and then hurts as I straighten my arm.
Anyway... Mr Physio wants £40 for a proper consultation and, as we all know, that's money better spent on protein shakes (right, bro?). I guess what I'm interested in knowing is whether any of you have similarly damaged your RC and how life turned out. And how quickly.
tl;dr My arm hurts because I've damaged my shoulder. Has yours ever hurt? What happened?
I did mine about three years ago. Took a year before it was bareable. Took a steroid injection in the end. Prior to that I'd tried several stretches and visits to pyhisotherapists, nothing really worked. A direct injection sorted it quite quickly.
Even now its *healed*, its never been the same. I can go through stages where it aches again for a week or two before going again.
Even now its *healed*, its never been the same. I can go through stages where it aches again for a week or two before going again.
My shoulder is b
ksed too. Soo frustrating.
I've been struggling for months with it.
You really need to get an ultrasound scan to get a diagnosis then take it from there. Usual route for this in the NHS is GP - > physio (1st line) - > MSK doc (injection) - > surgeon.
If it is a cuff tear then I think I'm right in saying the only way forward is an operation.
Things I've done to help are looking up "bullet proof shoulders" on YouTube and icing my shoulder as soon as getting home from a workout. I'm getting better in that I can OHP now but still really struggle with pull ups and toes to bar.
Get a bag of ice and wack it in your shoulder for ten minutes post workout, if that helps then it may be a chronic tendinitis rather than a cuff tear.
ksed too. Soo frustrating. I've been struggling for months with it.
You really need to get an ultrasound scan to get a diagnosis then take it from there. Usual route for this in the NHS is GP - > physio (1st line) - > MSK doc (injection) - > surgeon.
If it is a cuff tear then I think I'm right in saying the only way forward is an operation.
Things I've done to help are looking up "bullet proof shoulders" on YouTube and icing my shoulder as soon as getting home from a workout. I'm getting better in that I can OHP now but still really struggle with pull ups and toes to bar.
Get a bag of ice and wack it in your shoulder for ten minutes post workout, if that helps then it may be a chronic tendinitis rather than a cuff tear.
I walloped both my shoulders in separate falls about a month apart, last Oct & Nov. One from an enduro bike, one from skiing.
The skiing one, which happened second, in Nov, was much the more painful, so I sought medical help, had an MRI, heard the dire warnings from the consultant of possibly needing immediate surgery, but he concluded that it was soft tissue damage and sent me on my way with some mild physio. That one is almost fine now, few minor pains occasionally but nothing too bad.
The other one though, I rather ignored as it was a very low-speed spill, I was going down a very very deep descent on an enduro bike in Spain and essentially did a head-over-heels off the side of the bike at walking pace or less. However, it got worse such that if my arm was bent in the middle, I couldn't raise it about horizontal (if that makes sense) without significant pain. Since I usually sleep in the recovery position on that side, I was moving into that position during the night and waking myself. Even now I have to tuck my arm behind myself when I lie on that side. Mostly, any pain is when my arm is raised in some way or other, but it's quite tolerable pain, just an annoyance. But it is better than it was, so I'm hoping that it will slowly sort itself. It's not stopping me from doing very much, but I'm not a gym/fitness monkey either.
tl:dr - hurt mine 6 months ago, still hurts sometimes but seems to be getting better albeit very slowly.
The skiing one, which happened second, in Nov, was much the more painful, so I sought medical help, had an MRI, heard the dire warnings from the consultant of possibly needing immediate surgery, but he concluded that it was soft tissue damage and sent me on my way with some mild physio. That one is almost fine now, few minor pains occasionally but nothing too bad.
The other one though, I rather ignored as it was a very low-speed spill, I was going down a very very deep descent on an enduro bike in Spain and essentially did a head-over-heels off the side of the bike at walking pace or less. However, it got worse such that if my arm was bent in the middle, I couldn't raise it about horizontal (if that makes sense) without significant pain. Since I usually sleep in the recovery position on that side, I was moving into that position during the night and waking myself. Even now I have to tuck my arm behind myself when I lie on that side. Mostly, any pain is when my arm is raised in some way or other, but it's quite tolerable pain, just an annoyance. But it is better than it was, so I'm hoping that it will slowly sort itself. It's not stopping me from doing very much, but I'm not a gym/fitness monkey either.
tl:dr - hurt mine 6 months ago, still hurts sometimes but seems to be getting better albeit very slowly.
Time, give it time.
Took mine six months to heal from exactly the same symptoms you have described.
I had physio at £40 a session as well, including some acupuncture to stimulate an inflammation response. Did this help - difficult to say really....
I did find though that whilst pushing type exercises (e.g. chest press) were out I could pull things towards me - so my trainer worked up a set of exercises that didn't aggravate the injury.
Took mine six months to heal from exactly the same symptoms you have described.
I had physio at £40 a session as well, including some acupuncture to stimulate an inflammation response. Did this help - difficult to say really....
I did find though that whilst pushing type exercises (e.g. chest press) were out I could pull things towards me - so my trainer worked up a set of exercises that didn't aggravate the injury.
CAPP0 said:
The other one though, I rather ignored as it was a very low-speed spill, I was going down a very very deep descent on an enduro bike
Enduro has caused the same in me - and tennis elbow at the same time in the other arm.Selling the Beta now and giving it a rest for a while - and then 300 2- stroke !!!
I would defiantly see a Physio the money will be well spent.
I dislocated my shoulder last August and it damaged my rotator cuff. I initially had physio which got me back to playing football, but I had lost muscle mass in my shoulder which caused issues when hitting the gym. Ended up going back to the physio last month and she has noted that because of the damage to the rotar cuff it has caused mobility issues, and also meant my traps where becoming over engaged completing OHP which caused pain in my arm.
I wont get better on its own. See a specialist.
I dislocated my shoulder last August and it damaged my rotator cuff. I initially had physio which got me back to playing football, but I had lost muscle mass in my shoulder which caused issues when hitting the gym. Ended up going back to the physio last month and she has noted that because of the damage to the rotar cuff it has caused mobility issues, and also meant my traps where becoming over engaged completing OHP which caused pain in my arm.
I wont get better on its own. See a specialist.
fked mine in a ski fall over a year ago. A year of physio later and it was fine so I started training again. All went well and then it just went 'bang' again, three months into training. Now training around it (thankfully got a good trainer that knows his st) and trying to move it without straining it and it's on the mend. However, his opinion was it'll never get 'better' and you kind of need to do the remedial physio forever. It stopped his pro rugby career so he knows.
ked mine in a ski fall over a year ago. A year of physio later and it was fine so I started training again. All went well and then it just went 'bang' again, three months into training. Now training around it (thankfully got a good trainer that knows his st) and trying to move it without straining it and it's on the mend. However, his opinion was it'll never get 'better' and you kind of need to do the remedial physio forever. It stopped his pro rugby career so he knows.V8mate said:
I don't know whether guarding that injury did create the secondary issue though, as I was boxing as well pushing for bigger lifts across the board back then too.
Possibly it's long head of the biceps inflammation. The bigger lifts are also a likely culprit though. Could be two separate injuries or just the one.V8mate said:
By the beginning of March, I couldn't do OHP at all, and by the start of April I couldn't even hold an empty(!) Olympic bar in the clean position without the shooting pains in my upper arm.
I assumed I had just done my whole arm in, but I had a brief chat with a physio at the gym, told him all that^^, and he said that I had damaged my rotator cuff.
That's as definitive as saying when you can't walk - 'You've hurt your leg'!I assumed I had just done my whole arm in, but I had a brief chat with a physio at the gym, told him all that^^, and he said that I had damaged my rotator cuff.
V8mate said:
I've been putting in increasingly long training gaps but they don't seem to have any remedial effect. And the original forearm issue seems to operate on a Groundhog Day basis, as the joint is stiff when I wake up, and then hurts as I straighten my arm.
This will happen until you take a long rest. Try not to straighten your arm, let it heal. 
V8mate said:
Anyway... Mr Physio wants £40 for a proper consultation and, as we all know, that's money better spent on protein shakes (right, bro?). I guess what I'm interested in knowing is whether any of you have similarly damaged your RC and how life turned out. And how quickly.
I've had four or five shoulder injuries in 35 years of boxing and weightlifting. Each time I stopped training for 1-2 months then started a program of aggressive stretching and remedial weights, sometimes as recommended by a physio. Normally recovery to full functionality takes at least 6 months. To previous levels of strength? 12 months at least, being extremely cautious. 
V8mate said:
tl;dr My arm hurts because I've damaged my shoulder. Has yours ever hurt? What happened?
Your shoulder may be affected because you've damaged your arm and inflamed the tendon at the top.You're not going to recover without the correct medical diagnosis. Go and see a good physio.
Currently going throught the same at present, and after 3 months of physio with no improvement they have suggested I head off to see a consultant to get some scans. Just in the process of deciding on the consultant and getting myself all booked in.
A colleague had similar issues to me and it took 3 years to sort.
A colleague had similar issues to me and it took 3 years to sort.
I found a good way on some physio site of icing my shoulder. Freeze a paper cup and then cut the bottom off it - you can really press down and direct the ice to where it hurts. I get tendonitis in my supraspinatus. Physio hasn't helped and I train around it but need to get back to the docs and try something else.
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