Shoulder pain - hurt doing dips - JP Fitness Forums

MacSob · 10-28-2004, 12:41 PM

hey guys,

I was testing out dip stations at my local sporting goods store, and the next day my shoulder is killing me. This happened about 10 days ago and it's getting better but still sore. The only time it hurts now is when I do a pressing motion ( push-up, bench press, etc ). If I do overhead presses I feel a slight pain once I get to a heavy weight ( 135 lbs) but until then nothing. I've been icing it ( 20min on / 20 minutes off ) a few times per day for about a week. Any other suggestions? It twinges every once in a while during the day but nothing major.

Any suggestions? Should I just continue with the ice and no pressing movements for a while?

Mac

kinney1 · 10-31-2004, 11:48 AM

Mac,
I am not a professional trainer, but I encountered a similar situation. I was ignorant, and kept benching, doing dips, etc. Now I have a shoulder impingment and I can't bench or do dips at all. You probably need to focus on your rear delts, scapular muscles, rotator cuff, and do lots of rows. Stay away from presses for a while and let it heal. Again, this is just my .02 cents. Good luck.

bryanc · 10-31-2004, 01:51 PM

It's unlikely that you would have acutely injured your shoulder testing dip stations at a store, unless you were doing high velocity, high repetition tests. However, you may have some underlying pathology that was worsened by the dipping. Shoulder assessments are really hard to do online though. I would recommend having it checked out if it continues to bother you.

Bond007 · 11-01-2004, 02:14 PM

Because you're stil feeling pain/discomfort from the dips, I'd have a orthopedist check out your shoulders. As bryanc noted, you may have an underlying pathology that has been worsened by the exercise. The ice should help relieve pain from swelling and some inflammation. You can ice the shoulder for longer than 20 min. though if that's not helping enough. You cal also try some OTC naproxen sodium (the active ingredient in Aleve). The only difference between OTC naproxen and precription is that the OTC stuff is half strength per tablet.

That said, shoulders are not something that you should "guess" at. Get the underlying problem diagnosed and perhaps we can better advise you.

bryanc · 11-01-2004, 10:37 PM

I know lots of people ice for more than 20 minutes consecutively, but I would caution against it. The axillary nerve runs just under the deltoid and icing for more than 20 minutes can put you at risk of peripheral nerve damage. 15-20 minutes on, 15-20 minutes off if you must.

I just saw a guy last week in clinic who iced his knee while studying and froze his deep peroneal nerve (very superficial just lateral and inferior to the knee cap) and developed sensory deficits as a result. Another guy my preceptor saw, fell asleep while icing his knee and developed long-term foot drop after damaging his peroneal nerve.

DKing · 11-01-2004, 11:57 PM

Most athletic trainers recommend closer to 20 minutes of ice every 2 hours. Icing too much brings blood back to the surface causing the opposite of what you want to happen. This has a name but I can't remember off the top of my head.

Danny

Bill Hartman · 11-02-2004, 06:34 AM

Is hyperemia the word you're looking for? 10-20 minutes of icing at a time. Depending on the thickness of the fat layer over the injured area, it may take 2 hours for tissues to rewarm. The more fat, the longer it stays cool.

Keep in mind that's when using real ice. Gel packs are colder and need to be used for shorter periods and visually monitored for signs of cold injury. We just reviewed a case in my clinic of a patient suing a PT for burning her with a get pack in 20 minutes of treatment.

Bill

Bond007 · 11-02-2004, 08:06 AM

This icing thing is really interesting stuff, especially considering that after all my shoulder surgeries I was directed by my doc to leave my Cryo-Cuff on for 24-48 hours and continually recirculating ice cold water every 2-3 hours. Hmmmmm.....