Hey y'all,
Maybe someone on here has had similar problems, but Im at my wit ends and looking for info wherever I can find it.
Few years back I hurt my shoulders. Last summer was the worst. I would wake up many mornings not being able to feel or move my arms. Scared the heck out of me and I went to several doctors.
None could figure out what was the deal. I had nerve tests done, MRIs, etc, and nothing showed a thing.
I would have bad shooting and popping pain in the back of my shoulders, yet there was no issue.
At the gym now I can go to a bench press and pump out 10 reps, but after the 6th or 7th rep my left shoulder will pretty much stop so I can't push anymore. I will deal with some discomfort, but its hindering my ability to go to a higher weight and further my exercises.
I have a full range of motion too with no pain which is causing doctors to be unsure.
Idk what to do next.
Have you had them look at your neck? The nerves that run your arm come from your neck.
TRKYHTR
I had nerve damage in my right shoulder that was thought to be from ligament or cartilage damage. It turnd out to be damage from vertabrea in my neck. After 3 neck fusions I still battle nerve problems still. Good luck with your situation and I hope they can help you find some relief.
Rick
Hard to say where the problem is. Just do like I do, go until something comes loose, then it's pretty easy to find. I'm scheduled for my third shoulder surgery on 6/13/11 to repair rotor cuff, labrum and to reattach bicep tendon.
It does sound more like a nerve issue for you though.
Years ago i had a class two seperated shoulder with a rotated collar bone and bone damage to the ball joint in my shoulder. I have very similar pains from time to time as you describe. i have full range of motion, but if Im doing military press after about 7 reps my shoulder will give out. I also cant throw a baseball like I once could.
Have had a full spinal and some other nerve test. Had needles and electrodes stuck on and in me with electric pulses sent through them. That test came back fine.
Quote from: gatrapper on May 24, 2011, 09:55:05 PM
Had needles and electrodes stuck on and in me with electric pulses sent through them. That test came back fine.
I had that done also. Resulted in surgery on both hands and pending neck surgery, which I'm putting off as long as I can.
How did you originally hurt your shoulders?
NECK INJURY I would bet. Had neck surgery 7 years ago. I kept going to the doctor with "shoulder and arm pain" from being hit by a drunk driver head on. Finally found the problem, disc degeneration in c-spine (neck disc). Disc had deteriorated to almost nothing and was sitting in nerves. Replaced with cadaver bones and a titainum plate. Still have some issues but it is a whole lot better. Go to C-Spine surgery and check out the information their. The website was provided by my surgeon pre-operation. I kept putting it off and had 21 cervical epidural injections I would have it done again if need be but would not have all those shot as they were just temporary fixes.
Good luck and God bless
D Ray
I don't have pain really though. Only time I run into pain is when at the gym while lifting. Its not killing me, but more of a really sore feeling. Once that kicks in thats when it limits my lifting and pressing abilities.
As far as how I hurt it, I honestly can't pinpoint it. Years of playing lacrosse, weight lifting, and slinging 1000's of deer every season may have done something.
Does it give you problems mostly as soon as you get out of bed and after you've been working out for a while? It could be a nerve in you neck getting pinched only when you're lying down. Do you get feeling back when you sit upright or walk around for a while?
Muscle inflammation during and after a workout can play all kinds of tricks on neck and back nerves.
Don't have any pain or problems until I hit the gym. If I did 3-5 rep sets I may be good, but it seems after I hit #5 my left shoulder just gets sore and gets to the point where I cant push the weight up anymore.
I have no pain or problems in my neck.
(http://www.physioweb.org/IMAGES/shoulder_muscle.jpg)
Pain seems to be located where the pic says Teres Minor
(http://www.ultrafitsf.com/ultrablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/post-shoulder-muscles.jpg)
On this picture it would be in the infraspinatus area.
I know I can rub my hands on the back of my shoulder area and I can push in and feel the ligament or muscle where the pain comes from.
This picture looks like it highlights the area good
(http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/gallery/muscle/teres_minor220.jpg)
After doing some more reading I think that I may have an acute tear in my Teres Minor.
My guess is a muscle is getting inflamed during the workout.
Try icing the area for 15 minutes and then stretch well before you lift. That may help you get through the workouts. If that helps, keep doing it like that for a couple weeks. After it heals up you won't need the ice anymore.
I'll try the icing. Been doing some light stretching before the workout.
There are some other routes I have heard about to fix my shoulder, but they involve needles and some magical stuff Roger Clemens knows about lol.
Do you feel pain only when doing certain exercises like bench, or does the pain seem to persists throughout your workout routine when doing any lift that is associated with shoulder flexion?
You need to find another doctor. You need to quit worrying about going up in lifting and worry about finding out what is wrong before you blow something up. Seems I remember you being fairly young. It doesn't get better as you get older. I'm sure Guesswho is looking forward to the surgery he is about to undergo. He may be looking forward to the results of the correction, but I would guess that prevention would have been anyone's preference. You don't lift your way out of neck or back problems. What you can do is lift your way into permanent, life altering problems that have you picking up a disability check because you can't do much of anything else. Find a doctor that can figure out what is wrong before you need to find a pain management quack that is good at getting you hooked on pain meds.
You might be right about a slight tear in the teres minor. The teres minor and infraspinatus are 2 of the 4 muscles that make up the rotator cuff. Those 2 muscles do external rotation of the shoulder. Most tears of these muscles occur where they attach to the humerus which is near the anterior part of the shoulder and typically will cause pain there when used. Good luck finding out your problem,
TRKYHTR
Quote from: hobbes on May 25, 2011, 12:34:36 AM
I'm sure Guesswho isn't looking forward to the surgery he is about to undergo. He may be looking forward to the results of the correction, but I would guess that prevention would have been anyone's preference. You don't lift your way out of neck or back problems. What you can do is lift your way into permanent, life altering problems
Listen to Hobbes. I'm living proof of what working threw the pain will get you. I'm 50 years old and have been lifting heavy, and very active in sports since I was a teenager. I've had surgery on both shoulders, again on the left one coming on 6/13, both elbows, left one twice, both hands, right knee and have been told I'm heading for knee replacements and neck surgery. If I had it to do over again I would lift but it would be much lighter.
Find out the root cause of your ailment, and have it fixed. If that means switching doctors then switch, and stay away from the Clemens enhancer. Think about your future also. It was nice to be able to bench 400 at 200 lbs natural in my prime. But now I would trade a 250 max for no surgeries and less joint issues.
That was supposed to say "Guesswho isn't looking forward". Sorry about that.
My dad had both knees replaced several years ago. Wow...........I try to take it easy on my knees for fear of his issues being hereditary and needing that myself. It was worth it to him, but it wasn't much fun for him.
There, I fixed it :)
Here are some of the things I think off with your limited description:
Cervical - not as likely due to the MRI, nerve tests. I would think these would have picked something up if it involved damage to the nerves or impeding the neural pathway. I would request copy of the MRI's and nerve tests for your own records. I've had physicians tell people they were fine and find out on a report there was minimal compression to a nerve root that would correlate to he person's symptoms.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - this could cause the brachial plexus to become entraped in the chest area from the pectoralis minor/1st rib/clavicle. Some postural componenets, muscular imbalances could be a contributing factor. I think a clue would be that with performing the chest press your symptoms seem to get worse.
T4 Syndrome - Irritation at the thoracic vertebra 4 can cause a referral pattern all over the place. This is located in between your shoulder blades on the spine.
Muscular trigger point to infraspinatus/teres minor - this could cause referral down the arm. Sometimes a deep tissue massage can work that trigger point or balled up muscle out. However, if something else is the primary cause of this you may be just addressing the secondary factor of shoulder blade pain.
Probably the things that throw your clinicians off are the lack of feeling and movement which to me would indicate some type of nerve issue. Also, that it occurs in both arms. However, you have clear MRI and nerve tests. Remember, not every test is 100% though.
Now I have full feeling and full movement. Arm feels good all the time. Only time I run into problems is when doing any pressing movement. I will have my left arm just losing its ability to push and I will get some soreness. Other than that there aren't really any problems.
i wake up with a different ache every day.lifting will do that to you.how old are ya?i wish i could go on the dl like most of these mlb players for having a "tweeked something".
22, going to the doc today @ 2:15 so maybe he'll come up with something new to try lol
i have pain similar to yours and the cyoropractor has helped me some..... and ice
it sounds like a muscle/nerve issue. Find yourself a good rolfer in your area and go. NOTE... it's painfull, but man does it help. I always feel wonderful after an appointment.
Seeing a new sports medicine specialist Thursday.
I have Bursitis in my right shoulder after a partial tear in the ratator cuff from a Jeep Wreck, after it healed up it starts recurring every spring when I start patterning my pumps, I shot my 835 this year and it felt like it kicked all the way through my shoulder, I usauly have to get a cortizone shot every 1 to 2 years and I'm good to go,Mine acts up in the mornings and when I try to lift something heavy overhead, I went to Tennessee Orthopedic in Nashville and He give me my first shot and within * couple of hours I could tell a difference.
Went to a new sports medicine doctor this morning. He thinks it something to do with my labrum. He wants to do an MRI with dye injected into my shoulder. Had it done previously and it sucked, but no one can find records of my MRI images. >:( >:( >:( >:(
Quote from: gatrapper on June 02, 2011, 06:28:52 PM
He wants to do an MRI with dye injected into my shoulder. Had it done previously and it sucked, but no one can find records of my MRI images. >:( >:( >:( >:(
I just had that done a few weeks ago, for the third time. Helps them to see the soft tissue. It's not a big deal, and it may help to expose the problem so they can fix it. Good luck.
Im not looking forward to it. Last time the dye injection hurt like hades.
Quote from: gatrapper on June 02, 2011, 10:27:26 PM
Im not looking forward to it. Last time the dye injection hurt like hades.
The Doctors tell me I don't feel pain like most people do so it never bothered me. Trouble with though is by the time I start feeling like somethings wrong it's time for surgery.