A week and a half ago, I somehow strained a rotator cuff. Woke up one morning and had no strength in my right shoulder. I just have a very dead pain sensation in the area that gets worse the more I use my shoulder. Swimming is out, I can’t even run for 10 minutes without the pain building to levels that force me to stop running.
I went to a physio a few days ago and underwent some IMS treatment around the surrounding muscles, ultrasound, yadda yadda yadda, and don’t really feel any different. Is this most likely a situation where one rests for a few weeks then slowly builds back in to normal training levels? After almost two weeks, and very little improvement, I’m starting to get worried.
I injured mine with similar symptoms back in the summer. I still trained and went to the gym for a bit. Until I realized that it wasn’t getting any better. Weeks later, I finally get an ultrasound. Sure enough. Full length tear of my superspinatus. Surgery is scheduled for may. Looks like 2016 is a recovery year for me.
The kicker happened at the gym one day when I was doing some dips. Massive pain all of a sudden. But…prior to that. My doctor said I had signs of tendinitis in the said shoulder and that I should really think of NOT swimming any more. Yeah right. Not with the muskoka 70.3 6 months down the road!!
Then. In late July. Just after muskoka…I was on a little training ride. Some lady in her SUV was driving towards me on the same road…perfectly normal…decides to turn into her driveway right in front of me. I locked up my brakes and put a nice sized dent in her front fender. Guess which shoulder went in??
But again. It was the dips at the gym that sealed the deal.
Interesting. Years ago, when I was 20, I did a big shoulder day at the gym. Then went for a swim. Then, I was holding up a watering can to water a plant and felt something in my shoulder ‘pop’ and my arm went numb. Of course, I was young and invincible, and a week later I felt ‘ok’ and continued training. I’ve had a tightness in that shoulder ever since, but have never re-injured it or had any problems, even swimming 4x a week (I’m a carpenter, so I use my arms and shoulder daily. I’ve had zero pain, just a slightly reduced range of motion in that shoulder).
A couple weeks ago, I was also at the gym. I did shoulders. Then, I did sitting overhead tricep extensions. I think, maybe, I hurt my shoulder after a set when I was getting the weight back around my head and in to my lap. That’s the only thing I can think of. I didn’t feel any acute pain or was aware that I did anything wrong until the next day, so I’m hoping maybe it’s not that serious and more a strain.
June 1 I had the supra reattached to the bone. Deltoid removed to do it. What I learned with my time with the PT and the Docs: those tweaks and loss of strength are usually tears. And when things “improve over time” those are the other muscles compensating and getting stronger. Eventually you just hit a point where you can’t overcome the pain/problems…and at that time you PRAY that you didn’t wait too long and have too much retraction to where it can’t be repaired. Seems a LARGE portion of the population has shoulder problems, but most can deal with it by strengthing muscles around the damage. Sounds to me like you hit your limit.
I could go on and on about when I did mine, the “tweaks” to it, the pain, getting back to “normal”…but it wasn’t quite right or as strong, but working…and then one day: presto magico…arm doesn’t work at all. Turns out…you really use your shoulder/rotator cuff…a lot in daily activity…
You need to get an MRI done to verify a tear, can’t be diagnosed otherwise (I am no doctor). That said, if it is torn, surgery is your only option. It will not heal itself. The surgery is not too bad, recovery is slow but not too painful. You need to do the physical therapy during rehab faithfully. For what it is worth, I had a 1.5 inch complete tear surgically fixed in June 2012. I was kicking in the pool (with arm by my side) the next week, walked for couple of hours each day, was pretty bored at home… Started running at ten weeks, biking at about fourteen weeks, actual swimming at probably 20 weeks.
Not a Doc at all…but do you work framing/carpentry? I might be confusing you with another poster so sorry for that….
Years ago a Milwaukee “hole hog” locked up on me…similar symptoms, IE limited mobility in my right arm (also numbness and a “dull ache”) for about two weeks…I was pretty worried but turned out to just be a pinched nerve. back to normal in three weeks or so.
Yes, I’m the carpenter. I don’t frame much, but even things like lifting a drill, loading unloading tools make me feel the pinch. It helps, when lifting, to keep my elbow close to my body. When I reach out with my arm to lift, I’ve got maybe 30% strength and the shoulder hurts, then throbs afterwards.
If you went to bed fine and woke up in the morning with pain and difficulty lifting your arm, a full thickness supraspinatus tear is likely not the issue unless you did something very traumatic over night. As well, there is poor correlation between MRIs and pain. Research shows that many people have asymptomatic tears in their rotator cuff tendons (typically supraspinatus). In fact, it is likely that this micro tearing is something that progresses with age. Many full-thickness tears that are repaired actually re-tear and remain torn as they are asymptomatic. So consider the possibility of neck involvement that is referring or radiating pain into the shoulder. Spine problems are far more common that shoulder issues. If the spine can be fully ruled out (full range of motion in all directions without pain), then there is the possibility of a joint derangement. A derangement is essentially saying that something is out of place in your shoulder. If you have a loss of range of motion in your shoulder with pain (most commonly reaching behind your back) then this can be easily treated and you can return to full training without issue quite soon. Seek out a physical therapist, but don’t settle for ultrasound or heat or anything passive like that. You need stretching and maybe some manual therapy.
I actually just got back from physio. She echoed what you said, in doubting that it is a full year or something that serious, and suspects it might be inflammation related, but didn’t rule out minor tearing.
My range of motion on that side is close to 90%, and while I could reach full range of motion, I feel a hesitation in the area, and sometimes pain, when reaching my limit. The worst test was when I had my elbows close to my side, forearms extended straight out with my thumbs facing up. She put pressure on the backs of my hands, and tried to push them inwards, toward my centre line. My left arm held fine, my right arm offered almost no resistance.
She did some actupunture, and manual therapy, and ultrasound. She did notice that my mid and upper back on that side is incredibly tense and knotted. She wants to wait to do exercises until things calm down in the area and I have an appointment scheduled for next week.
In the mean time I have scheduled a doctors appointment with my gp in order to get an ultrasound of the area, just in case.
I have a partial tear in my right shoulder. I assume it’s been there for years since I’ve always had trouble with it. After a few seasons of swimming it became unbearable to swim. I got an MRI with contrast and I have a partial tear in rotator cuff with torn labrum as well. I haven’t swam in about a year but still cycling and running. I’m waiting to have surgery until I can take 3 weeks off from work. I work with my hands everyday so I’ll have be out of work for a while. It doesn’t bother me unless I swim, golf, or throw the baseball/football.