How to protect your shoulders from injury- by Andrew Lock

[imported_Rick]

Melbourne Physiotherapist, Andrew Lock, has forwarded the below article to us about preventing shoulder injury. He is a big fan of our Power Clubs, and believes they are an essential tool to develop strength and mobility in the shoulder area.

If you live in the Melbourne area and are looking for a physio, then Andrew could be your man.

http://kettlebellblogger.com/how-to-pro ... om-injury/ (http://kettlebellblogger.com/how-to-protect-your-shoulders-from-injury/)

[Tom M-W]

Hi everyone,

Andrew, Thanks for your excellent article.

I have a few questions. Please don't feel as if you need to respond, although I welcome any advice suggestions, etc.

It appears that my shoulder issue is similar to the one you have described in the article: A pinching pain in the front of the shoulder when flag press, when the shoulders load when beginning jerk and racking, and push up to stand when surfing, and a stronger dull pain in my back- scapula / thoracic spine area. I think this injury has happened now for a few reasons: 1. I have had past shoulder injury 2. My Ostoe (a few years since I have been) always found tightness in my upperback, 3. I had done a few more 'all out' tests recently- 5 min snatch test, xworld LCCJ comp, and test set LCCJ with a heavier weight 10 reps x 10 sets which my body handled but I think I was very fatigued and then I went for a surf in the arvo and that's when I felt the strongest pain in my shoulder. I went to a Physio about 10 days ago, he said I had a grade1 strain in my shoulder and recommended a few days rest (no exercise) and then starting back with the exercise KB's etc very lightly etc (no KB work apart from 2 hand swings with light weight - low swing height). I did this but it seemed to miss the heart of the problem. Especially the scapula area. I also started your recommended rehab exercises, these seem to be working the right spots, although they feel very comfortable to do- therefore - and this is probably where I'm going wrong- I am doing more than your article advises (posture awareness, external rotation, horizontal extention, and butterfly) all the exercises apart from the flag press don't hurt to do. Sometimes there is dull feeling in the area afterwards. Also I can do pull ups and swim without pain. when body surfing I only get some feeling at the bottom of scapula area when driving under waves, when my arms are extended overhead (driving pos.)

What do you think?

I want to get a sense whether my shoulder is a minor injury or significant. My sense is that it's relatively minor but there is underlying issues that need addressing or I'll continue to have problems. GS has an uncanny way of finding the weak spots, as well as progress forcing whole body strength development rather than specific muscle groups. The LCCJ test with a heavier weight found a weakness which will need to be addressed if I want to continue to develop my performance, etc.
Am I pushing it to hard?
What should I expect?

I might go and see another Physio as well.

Thanks very much, Tom M-W

[Tom M-W]

Since my last message, I've found out a bit more about my problem. Perhaps my shoulder / scapula issues isn't what I thought it was. I've had a few treatments (Osteo - seem to work for me,) after a fair bit of assessment and body work, my Osteo asked whether I'd dislocated my shoulder, and broken a rib recently, because my shoulder is very flexible and the most painful area is a rib rather than muscle, etc. There is a high likelihood that I damaged my shoulder when I played footy, and my wife remembered that I had complained about my ribs for a few weeks after a surf late last year. So perhaps my issue is more trauma related rather than posture, etc.

None the less, there is alot of work to do to get my body functioning. I have given the shoulder a great deal of rest (no shoulder exercise, avoiding any heavy lifting, not sleeping on that shoulder and changing pillow) basic light rehab exercise for over 3 weeks. Slowly getting better, probably a week or 2 away from kb work etc. The back problem, seems to be more about rib trauma: damaged / dis-functional tissue that needs massage, freeing up etc.

Any advice?

Especially about re-hab, shoulder stablising, and getting back into training (recommended exercise / tools, etc.) I train GS style, main focus LCCJ - cleans, jerks, squats, swings, presses, bent press, tgu, pull-ups, some rings, step ups, snatches, ABs.

In the past my shoulders have been a strength, but since this injury I'm reviewing my shoulder mobility, flexibility, strength

Thanks Tom.

[VictorVondoomPhD]

probably get a chance on thursday to get back to you

[Tom M-W]

Another significant issue I keep forgetting to mention is that I was carrying my kids with that arm, and I think this is the real problem: 'mums shoulder!!!' My kids are 3 & 5 years of age.

Sore in the front of the shoulder, and bicep. I'm a stay at home dad, so I'm carrying the kids all the time. I think because I surf and GS, I was really focussed on that as the cause of the problem but my Osteo was doubtful as the symptoms didn't match the cause. The rib (and muscle) injury compounds the problem because it happened to effect a back muscle that also anchors at the front on the shoulder, etc.

So I think this is probably the real cause for my prob, a hyper over worked / stretched shoulder and bicep, etc. On reflection, the shoulder has been sore (when carrying the kids) for as long as the kids have been over 8+ kgs - 2-3 years. This also explains why it's being really slow to respond to treatment (weekly osteo / massage) and started trigger point therapy massage 2 weeks ago: 3 to 6 mini massages per day, which by the way is really helping, shoulder feels much freer / lighter.

The first Physio I saw recommended a few days off then slowly back into the weights etc, I think I wanted to hear that so I / we failed to really think about the possibilities for the injury. It's almost 6 weeks off now, no KBs or surfing, every week I get treatment and every week my advice is to take another week off. But it is getting better - slowly.

Anyway......................

Tom

[bobcat1978]

Ive got a left shoulder blade that wings out and I have just started this program . Don't get much ROM on the external rotation exercise on my left shoulder, if I do full ROM I get a loud click that cause a bit of inflammation .but the prone Ts and the single torch press is great . I feel better after 5 days than 6mths with the physio I was seeing

Many thanks Andrew

regards Dave