A Soar Rotater Cuff......

[Hungry Hippo]

I just wanted to know, I just went pro this year and I've always had a soar rotator cuff from doing heavy benching in my younger years. Apparently it is a life long injury because when I started pulling pros it hurts so bad after a tournament that I can't even lift my arm the next day. Is this normal? Can I still pull with a permanent injury as such and succeed? Do I need to concentrate and train on the uninjured arm? Any insight would help alot. I don't want to do surgery and I definitely don't want to feel the agony each time after a tournament. Out of all the styles of armwrestling which move is the least pressure on the rotator.

-Thanks

[John Byerley]

Hey Jonathan,

I can only speak from my own experience. I tore both of my rotators at different times. One arm wrestling, and one giving a DEVASTATING stiff arm in a pickup football game.

For a few years they gave me alot of trouble especially when I would play basketball, go up for a rebound at the wrong angle and it would feel like a knife in my shoulder, and go limp. Usually came around back to normal after a few days.

I worked at a fitness store for a while and they had a bowflex set up. Everyday with light resistance I would work out just my rotators on the bowflex, doing two different motions. ( You probably know what Im talkin bout if not let me know. But over time it strengthened them back up to close to 100%. Doesnt bother me at all arm wrestling.

Maybe some good rehab will help you out without any type of surgery.

take care,

John

[John Wilson]

This probably ought to be in the Training forum / Doctor's Corner so people who look for this kind of post would see it.

NO. It's not normal for your rotator cuff to hurt that bad. Elbows if anything, especially if you tend to rotate too much.

It may not be your rotator cuff, Jonathan. That could have been your original injury years ago but there might be something else going on. You could have bone spurs or once upon a time you might have had a partial avulsion. X-ray would be the first step, and MRI if that doesn't show anything.

[Josh Dale]

I run into the same thing but not to that extent because I shut it down before it gets that bad due to past experiences similiar to yours. I just do a huge list of rotator cuff work at least once a week and most of the times, every workout, just to try and bulletproof them. It's gotten better than in the beginning but my shoulder still gives out before my arm does at practice. I had the early benching career like you mention and popped too many RBs during my MLB and DE days. Posting top roll seems to be the easiest thing on my shoulder(s) not sure if that helps any?

[Mike Giannelli]

My right AC joint used to ache real bad after practice for the first several months of training. I've only been training @ a/w for 8mo now but the pain i've experienced doesn't sound as bad as yours. The pain has diminshed over time giving credit to just becoming a better puller and proper stretching. My AC joint on my right shoulder sticks up a lot higher than my left, i guess from swelling. Dr. said I had mild strain, that was during the worst of the pain so I don't really worry. Of course he recommended i stop armwrestling.... yeah ok..

[Guy Lasorsa]

If its just nagging pain and no unbearable and your not getting an MRI, I mught try this exercise which is also good for the bicep tendon in the shoulder.

Take a very light band or pulley weight. I mean likwhere you can easily do 50 reps .. You can always go a little heavier or more resistance later

elbow in air , fist about a foot from your face, like arm wrestling position but more straight up and down,. now move cable band like arm wrestling to complete pin level and back up again. Do not move your body much or shoulder, this is all arm motion, kind of like someone saying hey you arm wrestle and they give you that goofy up and down move
this builds that area and will get blood in there.

you could also hold like10-15 lbs hammer style and fist down so weight is straight up and down, and out in front of face again and shoulde raise.. If hurst stick with the other one

[Rick "Lummox" North]

Look into Active Release Technique, it's a form of massage that breaks up scar tissue.
I had impingement in both shoulders from heavy benching. After a few treatments it was gone. It is usually covered by Insurance.

[Hungry Hippo]

thanks everyone, I'll definitely be trying this stuff. If it doesn't feel good after that, what move is easier on that area? Surely not the shoulder press and Josh said top rolling which makes sense, what does anyone else think?

[John Wilson]

Jonathan, it's a great question but without being able to feel what you feel it's a tough one to answer.

The rotator cuff is an attachment for a big group of muscles. When I tore my rotator cuff it was a delt/bicep injury from pole vaulting in high school. I managed to polish it off completely doing heavy curls.

The problem with working around it is getting hit into a position your shoulder no-likey. Not much you can do about that.

I'd get it checked out or just plain take some time off. Nobody likes to hear that, but a nagging injury over time will cost you WAY more time than just letting it heal in the first place. After all, what's the point in driving all over creation if you can't pull at 100% anyway?

[Hungry Hippo]

Thanks John, I'll take some time off and do those exercises. I guess my left will get stronger now.

[John Wilson]

Yeah, look at the bright side. This is your opportunity to focus on just one arm. Take everything you learned righty and apply it without having to unlearn bad habits. I'll bet your left gets bad-ass in a much shorter time than it took you to learn righty.

[Josh McEllrath]

Try these at home before you call a doctor. Your injury sounds very muscular in nature and is probably just a lack of flexibility. If it doesn't work, go see an ART provider in your area. Orthopedic Surgeons always want to operate on everything, mostly because they have bills too. You need to get rid of the scar tissue gently over time, and all a surgeon is going to do is cause more to appear.

I had the same thing when I was competing as a bench presser, these little excecises kept me healthy and they are easy to do while watching TV.

Sorry about the spandex guy, but the excecises are good.

www.activerelease.com/providersearch.asp

[Hungry Hippo]

I tried the vid and it definitely isolates the cuff. Unfortunately, I was in agony trying to do it and I didn't even use a weight . Something tells me this is bad.

[Josh McEllrath]

Wait a few days before you try again, it is probably still inflamed from what you did to make it sore in the first place. Ibuprofen, ice and rest for a few days and then try it again. Use weight, but NEVER more than 5 pounds. If you use more than 5 pounds you will not isolate the correct muscle, the muscle you are trying to strengthen is about the size of your thumbprint. Try some stretching of your pecs after a few sets of pushups. Make a 90 degree in your elbow, fingers pointing to the ceiling. Get in a doorway and gently stretch your pec while posting the inside of your elbow in the door jamb. Don't bounce though. Good flexibility in the pec-front delts may just be what you need to alleviate your problem.

If it doesn't work, stop doing it and have a beer. At least you aren't out the cost of a doctor's visit...

[Guy Lasorsa]

Sept 1, 2009 18:19:24 GMT -5 Josh McEllrath said:

Try these at home before you call a doctor. Your injury sounds very muscular in nature and is probably just a lack of flexibility. If it doesn't work, go see an ART provider in your area. Orthopedic Surgeons always want to operate on everything, mostly because they have bills too. You need to get rid of the scar tissue gently over time, and all a surgeon is going to do is cause more to appear.

I had the same thing when I was competing as a bench presser, these little excecises kept me healthy and they are easy to do while watching TV.

Sorry about the spandex guy, but the excecises are good.

www.activerelease.com/providersearch.asp

I lost ;D it at the 2:00 minute mark , when this muscles starts to warm up.. ;D ;D