Occasional Shoulder Pain

[George Grigoryan]

I have this annoying problem. About once every two months I get this pain in my right shoulder when I perform certain exercises (bent-over rows with supinated grip, pull-up with supinated grip). I stop doing the exercises that cause the pain for the day and then in a week or two I can return to the exercises.

I want to nip this in the bud. How do I go about doing this?

Do I need to see a PT? Does medical insurance cover this kind of PT?

Thank you.

[Bill Hartman]

If you have a legit complaint of pain it'll be covered. You may need a doctor's referral depending on what state you live in.

A couple of things with supinated exercises. As you fatigue or if the load is significant it's common to see a reduction in your ability to retract (pull back) the shoulder blades.

If they are tilted forward instead of retracted, it reduces the space in the shoulder joint that the rotator cuff and biceps tendon run through. As the rotator cuff fatigues as the set progresses the upper arm bone can shift upward and forward. The end result is a pinching of the rotator cuff or biceps tendon or subacromial bursae (The sack of fluid in your shoulder that provides lubrication) and inflammation/pain.

Do this...

Reduce the load on the offending exercises and work on technique (i.e., work on the retraction component). For chins get an assist or use a rubber band to reduce load.
You may need to add some lower trap work to your training. Search for prone lower trap raises or I's, T's, and Y's
Pay attention to your posture throughout the day and address any corrective measure that need to be taken such as upper back, shoulder blade, and shoulder joint mobility.

Situations like this is the reason Mike and I put out the Inside-Out video.

Bill

[George Grigoryan]

Thank you.

Will do all of the above.