Shoulder Pain During Flat Bench

[Iron Tiger]

I have sharp pain in my left shoulder when I do flat BB Bench Press. Even with just the bar, it hurts. I can usually bench with DB's and on an incline without pain (although it still happens a little from time to time, but not as painful). I went to an Ortho who did x-ray and MRI and said all it is an impingement and some inflammation and all I need is rest. I would rest it for over a month (5 weeks) and it still hurt when I continued. Is there anything I can do or should I just say goodbye to the BB Bench forever?

[bipennate]

Just resting it is pretty foolish advice, imo...you need to correct the issue, not just ignore it. Take a look at Bill and MR's article here:
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1426252

Realize though that a corrective exercise is only as effective as how it's performed...if you're having true shoulder pathology, you may very well need to consult a professional, such as a physical therapist, one-on-one so that he/she can help you improve scapular positioning and proprioception/mobility problems.