rotator cuff tear or just DOMS?

[ItsHectic]

Yesterday I woke up about an hour after going to sleep with the most intense pain I ever felt in my shoulder. The thing is I hadnt trained in 2 days, all I did that day was some stretches(pecs, delt and subscapularis).

It wasnt sharp pain, it felt like the burn you get from rotator cuff excercises times about 10, it felt like someone stuck an electronic muscle stimulation thing to my shoulder.

I moved my arm around to check which muscle it was and although the pain was at the front of my shoulder under the anterior delt my arm felt very week doing infraspinatus movement. It went away abit after 20 minutes and I went back to sleep, now I just have usual DOMS with a bit of weakness, nothing unusual but was wondering if this could be a tear or are tears always a sharp pain?

 

[lonewolf0420]

Honestly, it could be a number of things. If you have insurance, go get it checked out.

Depending on how you were positioned, you could have been impinging on a nerve. I tend to sleep on my shoulders, so sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with shoulder pain. Sometimes from my shoulder down to my finger tips will be full of that "pins and needles" feeling.

 

[doingwork30]

i was leaning on my elbow and felt my shoulder impinge one night. i cringe still thinking about it. seems like it could happen while sleeping if you were leaning on it wrong.

 

[rampage jackson]

These guys are right, it's extremely easy to impinge on a nerve while asleep. In fact, it's pretty hard not to (at least it seems that way).

With all do respect: If you tore anything in the cuff....you'd know it!

 

[ItsHectic]

I was reading up on the rotator cuffs and although I have seen it in pictures I never knew the infraspinatus was able to be palpable from where it meets the scapula but reaching around with the oposite arm I can feel almost the whole muscle, its not that small a muscle, and it feels a lot like DOMS.

In the past I've usually massaged it where it meets my humerus which is deep inbetween the posterior and medial delt but over the scapula is so much better. Seeing as though the whole muscle is sore and that its better during the day than when I wake up makes me think its just DOMS, but I saw my friend today whos had to take a month off, the diagnosis for him was "deep scar tissue" in the rotator cuff and I checked and his infraspinatus was sore at the back too but its been a month for him. its only been about 3 days for me, gonna take a week off from the gym and just hope it goes away, might go for a massage too.


What does an impingement feel like? I thought its always a sharp pain unlike the burning of high reps or DOMS.

 

[shizz702]

Could be something, could be nothing.

Regardless be real careful with the weights on your next session. Ease back into things and just stay conscious of it. Hopefully you were just laying it was just a fluke like the fellas here mentioned about impinging a nerve, which is a very viable likelihood.

 

[ItsHectic]

The DOMS ended up going away after about 5 days but I have been left with a very dull weak feeling in my shoulder, I seem to have loss of endurance but no loss of strength or ROM, any activity worsens it so I have been trying not to use the arm.

I have taken 2 weeks completely off, saw a physio shoulder specialist but no diagnosis.
It got a lot better towards the end of the 2 weeks so I did a light workout yesterday with no shoulder work and as to the physio's recomendations and its aggravated it.
When I saw the physio which was halfway through my 2 week break he moved my arm around heaps and there was no acute pain except for when he stretched the muscle.

He wont do any imaging cause surgery isnt needed and he hasnt given me a diagnosis, he just said whatever it is its not serious. Looking around the net I have NFI what is wrong with my shoulder, I checked around for peoples symptoms of rotator cuff tendonitis which is what I thought it was but their symptoms arnt the same as mine.

Any ideas?

btw I forgot to mention in the OP that I am pretty sure this was bought on by very low weight high rep rotator cuff work without giving the muscles an adequate break, right shoulder is fine though so I assume I just crossed the line on my weaker shoulder which is the one affected.

 

[avid33]

I jacked up my rotator cuff 10 years ago and it hasn't been the same since. Taking 2 weeks off is probably the best thing you could have done. Even though I'm a newb, from personal experienced, I would avoid any exercise that brings the slightest bit of tingly feeling / pain in your shoulder. Try alternate positions or keep resting.

 

[ItsHectic]

I saw the physio again and I am on this brutal routine to set my shoulders back and down in position which is working, but its giving my shoulders DOMS in the wierdest areas, getting all kinds of pain, mainly a very very dull pain in the front which I think is from the adjustment cause my shoulders sit a bit more back now and its only been 2 weeks.

But what is bothering me is I couldnt do bent over rows cause I cant support my bodyweight on my left shoulder, I tried to do a chinup and I got a bad twinge on the negative yesterday.

Today I got a better idea of whats going on when my shoulder twinged bad on DB bench on the last set despite not lowering my elbows past my torso.

I did some tests on myself to see what muscle is screwed but I am confused, doing internal/external rotation with resistance I get no pain at all, but doing transverse abduction/flexion like face pulls or rear delt rows I get pain in my shoulder but its not in my rear delt.

Pretty much any movement that involves my rear delt whether as a target or stabalizer causes a sharp pain in my shoulder, thats inbetween my rear and side delt.

I spoke to my physio the day before over the phone before this got so bad, I mentioned to him I was getting twinges but he didnt seem to care.

Gonna take afew days off from lifting again and see how this goes.
:frustrate

 

[triton185]

My shoulder has been jacked for about 8 months.......dr said it was microfractures in one of the bones in my shoulder......from a pressing movement.

I could have avoided it all if I had just took a few weeks off back in the fall but I did not and now I have changed my workout to the point that I do nothing that irritates it but it will start to get better then I will sleep on it wrong and I take 2 steps back again.

I am serious......dont do anything for a few weeks.....sucks I know but just look at my dumb*ss!!

 

[chocolatemilk]

For the past 3 days I have been waking up with the same pain that you are describing. It goes away after half an hour into my day but man it KILLS when I first wake up. I never ever do shoulder exercises that require me to push my arms up making a 90 degree angle from my body but I did them for the first time 3 days ago and this started bad--I've always had a little problem but not like this now. Stick to military press type for shoulders it doesn't require the movement that hurts my shoulder which is raising my arm.