Injury. Need some suggestions

[Andru1313]

Ok I hurt the tendons that hold my collar bone to my shoulder. I let it rest for 5 weeks no working out. This week I go back in the gym and start back up. Now my other side it bothering me. UGH. Anyone have any suggestions on shoulder exercises for this type of injury? I have been to the Dr and they just suggest light weights.. no real treatment. Please help.

 

[maverickLA]

This would be your acromioclavicular joint. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. It's held by three ligaments, the acromioclavicular ligament, coracoclavicular ligament, and the coracoacromial ligament.

Get a resistance band. Before every upperbody workouts do 3 sets of 90 90's and external rotations on each arm. This will begin to strengthen the weak musculature and ligaments.

As for your other shoulder hurting now - When a joint is injured it will throw the rest of the synergy out of whack. In this case it could be the favoring of an injured shoulder putting large amounts of stress on the opposing.

 

[Andru1313]

This would be your acromioclavicular joint. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. It's held by three ligaments, the acromioclavicular ligament, coracoclavicular ligament, and the coracoacromial ligament.

Get a resistance band. Before every upperbody workouts do 3 sets of 90 90's and external rotations on each arm. This will begin to strengthen the weak musculature and ligaments.

As for your other shoulder hurting now - When a joint is injured it will throw the rest of the synergy out of whack. In this case it could be the favoring of an injured shoulder putting large amounts of stress on the opposing.

Thanks Maverick.. Can you explain what you mean by 90 90's? What type of motion do I want to do with the bands?

 

[maverickLA]

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...cuff+rehab&gbv=2&svnum=10&hl=en&safe=off&sa=G

However I would only follow the first two pictures. Do not rotate your arm past the perpendicular point to the body. So in this exercise you are pulling the band across your body externally rotation your shoulder (moving your arm away from the body.)

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...=18&ndsp=18&svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N
On this one - scroll all the way to the very last two pictures. Perform this exercise one arm at a time, with a resistance band tied to something directly infront of you at shoulder height. This is sometimes referred to as a 90 90. Making 90* angles. It is just another form on external rotation.

I wish I could find you better demonstrations, however these were the only pics I seem to be able to come up with.

 

[Andru1313]

Thanks I really appreciate it. I will give it a shot... Hope it helps...

 

[Andru1313]

Well it isn't working. I am in alot of pain. I did some wide grip today on the hammer strength and tried some incline bench and OMG i was in pain. I had to stop. I iced down my shoulder when i got home and popped some Aleeve. There has to be something I can do to. UGH

 

[maverickLA]

These things take more time than a few days. When I damaged my AC it took 6 months to come back to 100 percent. Do not push it, a few months of moving slowly and putting care into your rehab is a small price to pay in the scheme of things. If you push the joint to far, game over.

 

[Andru1313]

Thanks Maverick. How do I lift then? Light high reps?

 

[Mr.SUST]

o.k. guys...these exercises are for your rotator cuff, not your a.c. joint. just had my cuff done in june, so all these exercises are TOO familiar. my son however , injured his a.c. joint in the fall playing football. doc told him just to rest, it will heal on its own.....dont know if this helps kid, just my 2 cents.

 

[maverickLA]

Yes, they are for your rotator cuff. However, they will not only provide a decent warm-up for your shoulder, but they will help to keep the muscles that stabilize that joint strong and in play. The actual damage to the ligaments is something that only time will heal, but he needs to continue to keep his muscular system strong and in play hopefully preventing further injury and or giving support to the joint.

 

[maverickLA]

Thanks Maverick. How do I lift then? Light high reps?

Yes, but this is not true in the case of every lift. If a lift is uncomfortable at any weight, avoid it for the time being until recovery has progressed. The trick here is that your joint is weak and the ligaments are stretched, if a stressor places the joint in a weak position due to your injury - it could pop out or cause further damage. This is why you need to keep the supporting musculature strong and healthy with light resistance exercises.

 

[Mr.SUST]

but don't you think the repeated stress on the ligaments will hamper his recovery? they never have a chance to heal if you are continually stressing them with resistance exercises.....i would err on the side of caution and just let it be......again, just my humble opinion.

 

[Andru1313]

Well here is what i did. I hurt the left shoulder first. Same spot. I took 5 weeks off. Last week went back to the gym.. Shoulder felt good. right shoulder started to feel a bit soar. I kept lifting. Well last night i was doing chest and pushed some weight and bang sharp pain in the right shoulder. I stopped lifting went home and iced it. It is very sensitive today i can move it but no pressure. So now the left shoulder feels good the other one is fucked..

 

[Mr.SUST]

is it the same thing that happened to the other shoulder? could be a completely different injury...

 

[Andru1313]

yes same thing

 

[maverickLA]

but don't you think the repeated stress on the ligaments will hamper his recovery? they never have a chance to heal if you are continually stressing them with resistance exercises.....i would err on the side of caution and just let it be......again, just my humble opinion.

I 100% agree that he should err on the side of caution. However - continuing restructuring exercises and light resistance training is of benefit. Now - I will agree that bench presses and overhead presses are not a good idea at this point. But these simple rotator cuff movements can be done with minimal resistance and discomfort as they can be easily controlled. By strengthening the surrounding muscle, he will be looking at a quicker recovery time due to less agitation of the tendons during everyday experiences. But yes, err on the side of caution. I personally would avoid the bench and overheads. Be careful with the rotator exercises, due them in a comfortable manner.

 

[Mr.SUST]

do you have some sort of medical background? just asking because it would suck if this kid took advice he got from some board and injured himself even worse.....

 

[Mr.SUST]

.....actually , he's like 34, but you get my point right?

 

[maverickLA]

Yes, I do understand your point. My background is heavily oriented in athletic training and rehabilitation. I do not have an M.D. if this is what you are referring to, however I have much practical experience and anatomical knowledge when dealing with these injuries. I myself have had a separated acromioclavicular and recovered quickly and to 100%. This said please understand that the advice i'm giving here is without direct knowledge of the exact injury. It would be a much more direct reference if I had this gentlemen in-front of me, this way I could first hand see the extent of his injuries. Again, be very cautious. Do not do things that could potentially cause the joint to fall out of place. An injury to the AC means that joint is VERY susceptible to displacement or further damage to the ligaments. However, these simple rotator exercises can be done in a controlled, low impact manner. This will be the only way to keep mobility and strength within the joint during it's recovering period. Also, the strengthened musculature will help prevent further damage to the ligaments by providing support to the joint during every day life.

 

[Andru1313]

Well I wanted to say thanks to both of you. I have been to the Dr a shoulder specialist. Funny thing is I find the information I get on here from others to be a lot more helpful. I also understand that this is just suggestions. and I appreciate them.

My issues is and I understand it works to my benefit i don't want to loose size. So not being able to do chest Exercises is going to make me mental... I am going to rest it up this week and do the cable exercises. I will continue with the cable exercises and slowly work back into the gym. Again Thanks guys for the help.