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Rotator cuff injury? Help/advice appreciated
Hey can any of you who have experience with injury help me on this?
History of injury: I was in a car accident in 2000. We were rear ended really hard while we were at a dead stop, I think the chick that hit us was going like 50mph. It wrenched the living shit out of my neck and caused me a pretty severe tissue tear in my right trap. I went through months of deep tissue massage and chiropractic therapy.
Current problem: First off, don't currently use AAS. Ok, I recently started lifting again, and my right shoulder is REALLY bothering me. At first I thought it was just the old car accident injury. That injury never really has healed (causes me constant on and off pain) and from what I hear, it will never be the same, soft tissue damage or something. From time to time if I move my neck too suddenly in an extreme angle (rubber necking) it will go back into full blown, unbearable, can hardly walk, can't turn head, icy-hot is God status. However, I think this may be something different. I'm going to try to describe the pain the best that I can.
The lifts that seem to inflame the pain are bench press and shoulder press. The pain is worst in three places (see attached picture). 1. Deep into the right delt between the collar bone and the shoulder blade close to where the two intersect at the shoulder. So in other words, if I was standing straight up, and you stuck a needle about an inch and half into the back side of my right delt and into my shoulder about 2 inches down from where the collar bone and the shoulder blade instersect, that's where it is. 2. Where my collar bone connects to my chest, almost directly below my adam's apple. 3. In the right middle center of my back, right where my rhomboid and trapezius would meet. The pain in #1 and 2 is more of a dull pain, almost feeling like a knuckle that REALLY needs to be cracked. The pain in # 3 is more of a sharp pain, akin to a pulled muscle.
Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Does it sound like a rotator cuff injury? I've been lifting on an off since 2003 (damn personal life drama), and I've NEVER had this kind of pain from any lift, let alone bench and shoulder press. Bench is usually my most painless exercise other than maybe leg exercises.
Little more info on me. I'm 25, never played any contact sports after middle school, do not have a job that requires manual labor, and am really not that physically active other than gym exercises, like lifting and cardio etc. Never broken a bone other than a knuckle, no previous shoulder pain.
Also, I was messing around with stretches to find out what motion really caused the pain. The one that did it was this. I lay down on my side with my arms at my sides. I have my girlfriend pull my arm backwards slow, kind of like a stick shift going into 2nd gear or reverse. When my arm gets between 60-90 degrees the pain REALLY flares up.
Lastly, if this does sound like rotator cuff, what should I do? Unfortunately, about 5 months ago I left the company I was working for and went self employed, so I have no medical insurance at this time. So for me, surgery is out. Are there any specific stretches or low intensity exercises (or a combo of the two) that will help me shake this and get back to lifting? If so, how long typically does it take to heal. In other words, how long until I could safely lift again?
Thanks in advance for any of you experienced folks who take the time to steer me in the right direction.
History of injury: I was in a car accident in 2000. We were rear ended really hard while we were at a dead stop, I think the chick that hit us was going like 50mph. It wrenched the living shit out of my neck and caused me a pretty severe tissue tear in my right trap. I went through months of deep tissue massage and chiropractic therapy.
Current problem: First off, don't currently use AAS. Ok, I recently started lifting again, and my right shoulder is REALLY bothering me. At first I thought it was just the old car accident injury. That injury never really has healed (causes me constant on and off pain) and from what I hear, it will never be the same, soft tissue damage or something. From time to time if I move my neck too suddenly in an extreme angle (rubber necking) it will go back into full blown, unbearable, can hardly walk, can't turn head, icy-hot is God status. However, I think this may be something different. I'm going to try to describe the pain the best that I can.
The lifts that seem to inflame the pain are bench press and shoulder press. The pain is worst in three places (see attached picture). 1. Deep into the right delt between the collar bone and the shoulder blade close to where the two intersect at the shoulder. So in other words, if I was standing straight up, and you stuck a needle about an inch and half into the back side of my right delt and into my shoulder about 2 inches down from where the collar bone and the shoulder blade instersect, that's where it is. 2. Where my collar bone connects to my chest, almost directly below my adam's apple. 3. In the right middle center of my back, right where my rhomboid and trapezius would meet. The pain in #1 and 2 is more of a dull pain, almost feeling like a knuckle that REALLY needs to be cracked. The pain in # 3 is more of a sharp pain, akin to a pulled muscle.
Anyone got any ideas what this could be? Does it sound like a rotator cuff injury? I've been lifting on an off since 2003 (damn personal life drama), and I've NEVER had this kind of pain from any lift, let alone bench and shoulder press. Bench is usually my most painless exercise other than maybe leg exercises.
Little more info on me. I'm 25, never played any contact sports after middle school, do not have a job that requires manual labor, and am really not that physically active other than gym exercises, like lifting and cardio etc. Never broken a bone other than a knuckle, no previous shoulder pain.
Also, I was messing around with stretches to find out what motion really caused the pain. The one that did it was this. I lay down on my side with my arms at my sides. I have my girlfriend pull my arm backwards slow, kind of like a stick shift going into 2nd gear or reverse. When my arm gets between 60-90 degrees the pain REALLY flares up.
Lastly, if this does sound like rotator cuff, what should I do? Unfortunately, about 5 months ago I left the company I was working for and went self employed, so I have no medical insurance at this time. So for me, surgery is out. Are there any specific stretches or low intensity exercises (or a combo of the two) that will help me shake this and get back to lifting? If so, how long typically does it take to heal. In other words, how long until I could safely lift again?
Thanks in advance for any of you experienced folks who take the time to steer me in the right direction.
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