Left shoulder pain

[ChrisW002]

I have this pain in my left shoulder when i bench. The more decline, the more it hurts. I had this last year around the same time and it went away on its own when i took a week off. I took two off and it still hurts. I take joint support and fish oil on a daily basis and it helps my knees and elbows so i know its working, but doesnt do much for my shoulder. I have strict form on every lift i do with a slow negative and a moderate positive (not slow but not fast.) I do however always try to get full range of motion, so i stretch the muscle as much as possible every rep. When i bench i uually go a little more towards the neck, but not completely a neck press; usually about clavical level. Just to get a little more of a stretch.

Its just lateral of the clavical; front side. Starts there and goes down just a little bit. half inch to an inch maybe. It doesnt cause me to bench any less, its more just annoying. But i dont want to further injure it. Any idea whats wrong or how to fix it? Thanks.

 

[napalm]

Sounds like the beginning of impingement at the ac joint. Rest and ice for a couple weeks, if it's still bothering you....off to the ortho doc...

 

[ChrisW002]

Yeah ice is one thing i havent been able to do at the moment. Living in a college dorm. I can produce like 8 ice cubes every 2 hours haha. But hopfully when i get home and can do that that will help. Trying to avoid the doctors if i can you know?

Thanks though, i look into that.

 

[napalm]

Yeah ice is one thing i havent been able to do at the moment. Living in a college dorm. I can produce like 8 ice cubes every 2 hours haha. But hopfully when i get home and can do that that will help. Trying to avoid the doctors if i can you know?

Thanks though, i look into that.

Bag of ice from the store and a cooler.

Problem solved...

 

[ChrisW002]

Yeah i know. Just busy and stuff, hard to go to the store that often.

 

[threeFs]

I've been to 2 orthopaedics and had xrays for this. Distal Clavicular Osteolysis is an overuse trauma where the distal end of the clavicle gets inflamed and actually begins to decay. Mine is worse with dips and incline. Any pressing movements will continue to make it worse until you decide to pull the trigger on surgery. I haven't done that yet but it's a case of when not if.

The surgery entails arthroscopically removing 1-2cm of the clavicle. I guess it's not a huge deal surgery, but rehab nonetheless and I'm not ready for that yet. Ibuprofen helps a bit but only temporary. Sleep on that side is painful a few days after lifting chest.

My advice is to lay off chest for 2 weeks. I'm guessing the pain will get better to about a 3/10 (still there but not so debilitating) and will get back to 10/10 pain when you hit chest again.

I used cables for flys the other day and that seemed to be not as bad (still not good) so you may try that in a couple weeks. Don't worry, you won't lose all your strength

 

[EasyEJL]

I do however always try to get full range of motion,

this may be a big piece of your issue. When you say full range of motion, you understand that you are also rotating joints out to their maximum point? And that once your elbows go below the plane of your back you're mostly adding joint stress without necessarily adding muscle growth benefit? same with shoulder presses and elbows going above shoulders. Do you or have you done any band work? external + internal rotations could help some too, even just as a warmup

 

[ChrisW002]

Yeah thats why i mentioned it. I might be going too deep. And yeah i started doing those with bands and cables once the pain started. Not sure how much its helped though

 

[NYiron]

Get a postural analysis and balance your training, bare minimum 1:1 horizontal extension to flexion. Even better 2:1. What school do you go to? In an attempt not to see a doc check to see if you have an exercise physiology program and have one of the phd's take a look at your posture.

 

[ChrisW002]

Haha i go to bowling green state university as an exercise science major and i just took the class last semester where we learned to do posture analysis our self and mine was almost perfect. I have plantar fashia so ankles were slightly off.

So the ratios, does that mean i shouldnt go down all the way? Or not up all the way?

 

[KimChee]

I echo what people said above, but also do you use a wide grip with bench press?

 

[ChrisW002]

I usually switch it up but yeah i tend to go a little wide more than anything else.

 

[KimChee]

Try narrowing up your grip keep your elbows in close to your sides, you'll be weaker of course but give it a shot...

 

[ChrisW002]

Yeah ive tried that and it does help but it also moves the focus to the triceps and i cant hit chest as hard :/

 

[NYiron]

No the ratio is
horizontal extension:horizontal flexion
Have you taken anything in kinesiology yet?

 

[NYiron]

Yeah ive tried that and it does help but it also moves the focus to the triceps and i cant hit chest as hard :/

Benching with flared elbows and as high as you've described will jam the head of your humerus and all supporting structures between (there's a lot) into the acromion causing the inflammatory based symptoms of which you are describing. You don't need to go fully close grip just touch lower and tuck your elbows. That's your problem right there stop benching with overly flared elbows and also put a large focus on horizontal extension to offset your most likely internally rotated gh. Your chest will be hit regardless just press and press right. Longevity and consistency in the gym is what builds physique not jacked up forms that stretch the muscle further.

 

[threeFs]

Yeah ive tried that and it does help but it also moves the focus to the triceps and i cant hit chest as hard :/

Cables ftw. You get better ROM with them vs bench anyhow and can change angles easier and more precise

 

[ChrisW002]

Benching with flared elbows and as high as you've described will jam the head of your humerus and all supporting structures between (there's a lot) into the acromion causing the inflammatory based symptoms of which you are describing. You don't need to go fully close grip just touch lower and tuck your elbows. That's your problem right there stop benching with overly flared elbows and also put a large focus on horizontal extension to offset your most likely internally rotated gh. Your chest will be hit regardless just press and press right. Longevity and consistency in the gym is what builds physique not jacked up forms that stretch the muscle further.

Its not bad form its neck press or guilitine press (however you spell it) but what your sayin makes sense and sounds right. I mentioned it because i figured that might be the problem but wanted to make sure.

And yeah ive taken a lot and i know what your taking about for the most part, i just dont know what you mean by 1 and 2.

 

[ChrisW002]

Ohh and i do cables a lot but still not the same as benching haha. Still good but still different

 

[NYiron]

Its not bad form its neck press or guilitine press (however you spell it) but what your sayin makes sense and sounds right. I mentioned it because i figured that might be the problem but wanted to make sure.

And yeah ive taken a lot and i know what your taking about for the most part, i just dont know what you mean by 1 and 2.

I would classify it as bad pressing form. It may have a name but the cost/reward is enough to warrant it being dismissed as a viable variation. If it doesn't cause problems great but in your case it has and for that reason should be thrown out. The 1 and 2 is a ratio.

 

[ChrisW002]

Get a postural analysis and balance your training, bare minimum 1:1 horizontal extension to flexion. Even better 2:1. What school do you go to? In an attempt not to see a doc check to see if you have an exercise physiology program and have one of the phd's take a look at your posture.

Ok so 2:1 extension:flexion. I dont know what you mean by twice the extension haha

 

[NYiron]

Ok so 2:1 extension:flexion. I dont know what you mean by twice the extension haha

GH Horizontal extension to horizontal flexion is very different from GH extension and flexion. You do one HF exercise you do 2 HE exercises. It doesn't need to be in a day but over the week your joint action should be balanced or in favor of a predetermined ratio such as 2:1 that I have been speaking on.

 

[ChrisW002]

Ohhh ok exercises. I thought you meant that ratio every set or rep or something haha. Ok i gotcha. Yeah ill check my routines and make sure they fit that

 

[Tomahawk88]

It may be a symptoms of heart attack. If you have enjoyed what seemed to be a restful sleep can awake with left shoulder pain.

WTF?

 

[OnionKnight]

It may be a symptoms of heart attack. If you have enjoyed what seemed to be a restful sleep can awake with left shoulder pain.

wtf does that have to do with shoulder pain from a bench press?

op, do you have a winged scapula by chance?

 

[KimChee]

Hahaha, umm what?

It may be a symptoms of heart attack. If you have enjoyed what seemed to be a restful sleep can awake with left shoulder pain.

 

[threeFs]

Hahaha, umm what?

Can I hijack for a minute?My wrist hurts from heavy deadlifts. Kind of at the base of my right thumb. Sucks that something so small can halt a whole body lift. I use straps when DL over 315 and I think the pulling on the joint is what caused it. Does anybody have any insight on this?

 

[braskibra]

sounds like it could be a long head of biceps tendonopathy at the attachment site on the greater tub/labrum, especially the way you describe the symptoms at end of the clavicle and then distally down the arm. OP take your arm externally rotate it and palpate the tendon in the groove and feel if its irritated. You can ice for pain but keep in mind it has not been proven to increase healing or reduce swelling etc. I used to have a similiar problem from over benching, agree with above to keep elbows externally rotated and tucked by the side when benching. AC joint issues [usually] have trauma associated with them. For now I would avoid benching and perform non painful exercises for chest.