Shoulder Pain (likely rotator cuff)

[Anonymous]

I was lifting weights 3x a week for around four years. After gyms reopened in 2020 I started going to a powerlifting gym and lifting really heavy and it was great! I was on track to bench press 200 lb (or close) for my 50th birthday. But--then I started having shoulder pain which got worse and worse, even with rest, so I started seeing a physical therapist after 5 months of worsening pain. It's slightly better two months after starting PT, but I still can't raise my arm overhead or to the side. We're fairly certain it's a torn rotator cuff, and I'm determined to do whatever it takes to avoid surgery.

I'm wondering if anyone else has gone through this and how long the healing takes and if you were ever able to get back to normal? I'm 50 now, so I'm assuming the healing process will take longer, but I'd love if I can get back to powerlifting. At this point I'd settle for any arm strength training though. My mom is 82 and frequently falls--her most recent fall broke her clavicle and she just got out of surgery for having a rod placed in her back to repair a vertebra that broke in the same fall. She's had several nasty breaks over the years and I want to avoid that same fate, so strength and balance are very important to me.

Any tips are welcome! Even just sharing if you had an injury you overcame and it will be OK.

[Anonymous]

Sounds to me like you need to get a formal diagnosis. "Fairly certain" sounds to me like a guess...

I've had issues with both shoulders, and used Airrosti to fix both in very few visits.

I had one side with "shoulder impingement syndrome" that they fixed for me in 2019. I started feeling the same issue on the other side a year or so later. Went in and it was a frozen shoulder. They got me through that with almost no pain at all, just some range of motion limitations for a short time.

[Anonymous]

OP here--I saw a therapist 4 times, and then the holidays came and my work schedule changed so our availability didn't align, so I started seeing a different therapist in the same clinic. I'm starting to see some small improvement so I think the change was good. If I don't see more progress in a couple weeks, I'll have an MRI. This second therapist isn't sure if it is rotator cuff or frozen shoulder and said it would take 2-3 weeks to tell, based on how I respond to treatment.

[Anonymous]

Shoulders can be notoriously difficult and slow to heal. I first hurt mine 20 years ago. It crops back up from time to time and I baby it for a while until it settles down. Whatever you do -- don't try to push the initial healing process. I did and wound up regretting it. Sounds like you're on a good path!

[Anonymous]

Its the worst when you cant do the exercises that you love. Do you think you're tweaking it during sleep or other ways throughout the day like dog walking? You probably need to totally rest it and take anti-inflammatories for a while. Sorry the PT cant provide more help. Sometimes these things take months to heal.

[Anonymous]

It could be anything from rotator cuff to an AC joint injury. Your doc needs to diagnose.

And this sounds like a classic injury from someone with bad bench press form. People with bad form often injured their shoulders. You need to lift less until you have perfect form. They includes concentrating on retracting your shoulder blades back and pressing up with a slightly arc in your path.

[Anonymous]

Did you not go to a doctor? Why would you be “fairly certain” about a torn rotator cuff? You haven’t been able to lift your arm for months and you haven’t bothered with an xray or an MRI? That’s insanity unless you don’t have health insurance in which case honestly it’s still insanity because that’s enough time to buy health insurance or get a subsidy or Medicaid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you not go to a doctor? Why would you be “fairly certain” about a torn rotator cuff? You haven’t been able to lift your arm for months and you haven’t bothered with an xray or an MRI? That’s insanity unless you don’t have health insurance in which case honestly it’s still insanity because that’s enough time to buy health insurance or get a subsidy or Medicaid

OP here--I spoke with two doctors who told me to do PT first and said that most insurance requires several (8 or more) PT visits before they'll cover an MRI. I contacted my insurance last week and they said they couldn't find anything in my policy that requires a set number of visits before an MRI so that will be my next step. It takes time to get in to see a sports med doctor, you don't just call up and get in the next day. If they tell you to do PT first, you do PT first and then get on the schedule.

[Anonymous]

Torn rotator cuffs do not heal on their own. While it's an option to go without surgery, you will never regain that motion. Additionally, it needs to be taken care of within a few months of the injury or the muscles will atrophy and even surgery won't help you.

I had a major shoulder injury (caused by a fall) that resulted in a SLAP tear (cartilage) and a minor rotator cuff tear. My orthopedist started me on physical therapy that got my motion back to about 90%. He said it would take surgery to get me to 100% and we both agreed that 90% was good enough. He also noted that by the time we're in our 50s (I'm 55) that our rotator cuffs are starting to feel the wear and tear anyway so you might just have to admit that you don't have young shoulders anymore. Is benching 200 lbs. truly a life goal for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be anything from rotator cuff to an AC joint injury. Your doc needs to diagnose.

And this sounds like a classic injury from someone with bad bench press form. People with bad form often injured their shoulders. You need to lift less until you have perfect form. They includes concentrating on retracting your shoulder blades back and pressing up with a slightly arc in your path.

It's totally possible, though I worked with a coach or trainer for 4 years and have been told my form is good. I've done three competitions. The physical therapist said this injury most often happens to people who participate in repetitive activities like weightlifting and tennis. More common in 40+ age group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Torn rotator cuffs do not heal on their own. While it's an option to go without surgery, you will never regain that motion. Additionally, it needs to be taken care of within a few months of the injury or the muscles will atrophy and even surgery won't help you.

I had a major shoulder injury (caused by a fall) that resulted in a SLAP tear (cartilage) and a minor rotator cuff tear. My orthopedist started me on physical therapy that got my motion back to about 90%. He said it would take surgery to get me to 100% and we both agreed that 90% was good enough. He also noted that by the time we're in our 50s (I'm 55) that our rotator cuffs are starting to feel the wear and tear anyway so you might just have to admit that you don't have young shoulders anymore. Is benching 200 lbs. truly a life goal for you?

It was until the pain started. My new goal is to raise my arm over my head and to the side w/o pain, to be able to bump into a wall without hurting for for a long time after, to be able to sleep on that side again, etc. To just have some function and little to no pain! My mom has had multiple falls and fractures so strength training is very important to me.

[Anonymous]

I have frayed rotator cuff, I did physical therapy which helped some. Ultimately I got steroid shots, the second time worked to make my shoulder better. Through both I was doing therapy

[Anonymous]

I had a torn/frayed rotator cuff a year ago. I went to the GP who ordered the MRI to get the process started and then went to the ortho as soon as I had the MRI results That took about a month. The ortho gave me a steroid shot and then I did 2-3 months of weekly PT. By summer it was pretty much fine and now I don't even feel it. The steroid shot definitely made the biggest difference.

[Anonymous]

One year. Op, it will take one year.
I did some PT. I didn't mind the visits as strengthening -anything- is good to do. I liked going. But I do not think it did one bit of good for the true problem. One year. Not matter what you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be anything from rotator cuff to an AC joint injury. Your doc needs to diagnose.

And this sounds like a classic injury from someone with bad bench press form. People with bad form often injured their shoulders. You need to lift less until you have perfect form. They includes concentrating on retracting your shoulder blades back and pressing up with a slightly arc in your path.

It also could be a spur. I had mine surgically removed to regain motion.