I haven’t been on in awhile because i’ve been taking an new approach to my off-season the past couple of months. In the meantime I picked up sport climbing or indoor rockclimbing and have like it a lot. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone here has injured their shoulders before: at the point of injury I was pulling back on a hand hold and resting, then all of a sudden I felt this burning sensation inside my muscle, which the pain was like some one took a huge needle and stuck me in the shoulder. When I was lowered to the ground, I tried to stretch thinking that it was a cramp and boom, shooting pain instantly (it sent me to my knees). I think it’s a tendon strain, but i’m not sure, I don’t have pain when swimming, just when pulling or hanging with my weight on the muscle or tendon. Any comments, suggestions? How long did it take you to heal? What rehab techniques did you use?
I’ve had lots of shoulder problems and they’ve taken anywhere to a few weeks to over a year to heal.
I see doctor just to rule out anything serious, especially in the case of an injury. You should, too. You definitely should avoid puting any strain on it until you know just what kind of injury you have. Ibuprofin is good for pain and inflamation but you don’t want to use it for more than a couple of weeks. A doctor or physical therapist will probably suggest some excercises depending upon the nature of the injury. Unless you’ve done some serious damage, it’ll probably clear up after a sufficient time of non-use. Of course, that means you’ll lose some strength and it will take you some time to get that back.
Where, exactly, does it hurt? Does the pain “travel” at all? Is it “inside” the shoulder?
Pain from a shoulder injury quite often “refers” to another area. I recently had reconstructive surgery on my right shoulder. I had a torn labrum and a torn bicep. The bicep actually attaches inside the shoulder. It hurts along the outside of my arm, but, the tear is actually inside my shoulder.
If it is truly a strain you will likely want to get rehab advice from a qualified medical professional (eg. orthopedist, physical therapist). The body tends to refer pain to a similar location for several different shoulder injuries making self-diagnosis extremely difficult, if not impossible. Unfortunately, strains also heal slowly, but this depends on severity of course. You certainly don’t want to injure any torn muscle/tendon fibers further by frequently testing it and you don’t want to work yourself toward a rotator cuff tear. It is very concerning if you develop any pops or clicks deep in the joint. It is a good indicator that you are pain free with swimming however. I’d give it a week or two away from climbing, keep your range of motion limber and if it is still problematic seek a true medical exam.