Shoulder clicking during overhead press; pain next day

[coreJack]

When I overhead press, using either a barbell or dumbbells, I can feel my shoulder click. In fact, it clicks even if I do the pressing motion empty handed. If I use a training weight (i.e., anything not trivially light), I get pain the next day, which is noticeable when I raise my arm to the side or to the front (more pain when raising to the side). This takes several days to go away.

The only noticeable difference in my left (clicking shoulder) and right shoulders is there is a noticeably taut band in the area of my left lateral deltoid. I can find the same band in my right delt, but it's not nearly as taut. Any ideas?

[UConnJulie]

You probably have some scapular instability.
Do a search for lower trap exercises and scapular stabilization exercises and that should net you some ideas.

[John Izzo]

Here is a simple scapular stabilzation exercise:
http://www.izzostrengthtraining.com/..._Clicking.html

[noload]

you should be care full with that scapular instability. Like they say you would like to preform scapular stability exercise. Good luck

[coreJack]

Thanks for the replies - I've been doing lower trap and scap stabilization exercises for several weeks prior to starting overhead pressing. But I guess years of poor movement and posture don't get reversed in weeks.

Once the pain goes away, I'll go back to the lower trap and scap stabilization stuff and stick with it for longer before resuming pressing, and I guess I'll increase the weight more slowly on the press.

Here's some of the "rehab" stuff I've been doing for my shoulders. Anything you'd add? John, I'll definitely add in that Scap Clock Drill, thanks.
- scapular wall slides
- cable rows (w/ strict form)
- scaption (w/ and w/o shrug)
- external rotation
- scap pushups
- dislocations
- face pulls / neck pulls
- sleeper stretch
- Y,T,W,L, scarecrows
- rear delt flys
- pull-up retraction holds - basically, hang from bar, and just do the retraction and hold (arms straight throughout)
- L-lateral raises
- dumbbell retraction and protraction
- band pull-aparts, pulldowns and presses
- dumbbell Cuban rotations
- straight-arm lat pulldowns
- prone internal rotation

And I don't bench at all.

Ha! Have you ever seen someone so obsessive compulsive about shoulder rehab?

[UConnJulie]

I'd also consider some thoracic mobility work depending upon your posture.

[JimAug87]

do you have health insurance? You might want to have an MRI done just to be sure there's no labral tear or anything. Does your shoulder ever feel like it wants to lock, or is it just an audible click?

[coreJack]

Originally Posted by JimAug87

do you have health insurance? You might want to have an MRI done just to be sure there's no labral tear or anything. Does your shoulder ever feel like it wants to lock, or is it just an audible click?

No, no feeling of locking up. Just the click, and after pushing it on the overhead press, it hurts a bit when I raise my arm forward, but not out to the side.

Yeah, a little googling of shoulder clicking revealed the possibility of a labral tear, but if it is, I think it must be pretty minor, which I understand isn't usually a candidate for surgery anyway.

Oh, my health insurance is lousy, so I'd be out of pocket for doctor visits and PT.

Been doing some tennis ball massage of the area, and my pec major, pec minor, biceps, triceps, lat (where it attaches to humerus), infraspinatus are all very tight/tender. Similar on my good shoulder as well, but the lat attachment area is definitely more tender on the bad shoulder.

[Cloud9Fitness]

Based on the original description the pain, popping, and the massage on the humerus I would also be concerned for shoulder impingement. Of course this can be due poor scapular scapular rotation and overused rotator cuff muscles, as stated by previous people. Besides resting in an effort to allow inflammation to subside, I would consider replacing lateral shoulder presses with seated scapular plane shoulder presses in an effort to reduce compression.

Be aware that we've all mentioned great information, but with the pain and clicking the differential diagnosis does include rotator cuff injury, Bankhart lesions, and bursitis. If you are not satisfied with your progress, please speak to a sports medicine physician.

[powdergirl]

I had exactly the same symptoms you describe last year and saw an orthopedic surgeon and got referred to PT. Some of the PT's exercises made it better and some made it worse, so I quit going to PT and experimented on my own and found my way to healthy shoulders. I think what was happening in my case was that tight muscles in the back of my shoulder plus weak rotator cuff muscles were allowing impingement to happen in the front of my shoulder, leading to clicking and pain as my biceps and supraspinatus tendons rubbed against bone when I tried to do anything overhead.

Here's what helped me. Your shoulders are of course different and your mileage may vary but I hope you find something helpful:

1. posterior capsule stretches and the sleeper stretch.
2. thoracic mobility on the foam roller.
3. deadlifts. Hanging 150+ lbs off my arms apparently stretched something that needed stretching in my shoulders or upper back.
4. Turkish get-ups. I first did these with 5 lbs, 2 sets of 5 reps each side. During the following two days my shoulders made a huge improvement and within a few weeks I gave up all those other rehab exercises. Lately I've been doing 3 sets of 3 and am up to 40 pounds, and as a side effect, have abs of steel. Keep your shoulders active when you do them--press the upper one up into the weight and the lower one down towards the floor.
5. overhead pressing using the form described in "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe. I started really light (ankle weights on a broomstick), added 2 pounds or less to the "bar" each workout, and didn't do them if I felt the click. Usually stretching or tennis ball rolling between sets would help me avoid the click. By the time I worked my way up to the 45lb bar, the click was gone.