So the picture might not exactly go with the blog, but I bet it got your attention. This is one of my old biceps ruptures that had to be repaired. It eventually bruised all the way up my arm and to into my pec. It was a good one.
Anyway, the injury I was just dealing with was a little less gruesome. Right before the covid struck, I was seeing my pt regularly. We were working out some back, hip, and shoulder issues. Then the sh!t hit the fan.
I continued doing my rehab work at home and all was going pretty well. All it took to undo all of that hard work was sleeping the wrong way. I swear, since hitting my fifties, I think the most dangerous thing I do to my body is sleep. I wake up in fear just about every morning.
One morning last week I woke up sleeping on my side. My right shoulder was lit up. I tried doing some of the stretches my pt had given me, but this felt different. I wasn't making much progress at all.
Then a few mornings later I woke up sleeping with my right arm over my head, wtf! I never do that. Holy balls it hurt. I couldn't even lift it off my side. I threw it in a makeshift sling and figured upper body training would be done for a good month.
Miraculously, I got a call the next day from my pt's office. They started seeing a few select patients again. As a frequent flyer, they knew I'd want to get in. Membership has its privileges.
He diagnosed the issue in just a few minutes. He explained how it differed from the usual tendinitis I deal with and that it would take a few different movements to clear up. First, he did some massage, and then we went through the movements.
Unbelievable, I couldn't lift my arm more than three inches off my thigh, and by the time he was done I had my arm raised above eye level without pain. He gave me my homework and I was on my way.
Usually, I can totally overdo things, however, he said I could do these movements every hour as long as I continued to feel better. He has taught me, trend is your friend. Unlike the past where I'd try to push through things, he reinforced how important it is not to do that. If something doesn't feel better, don't push through it. Conversely, if it feels better, have at it.
Sorry, this is a long way to go for the payoff. The point of all this is, I would have gone weeks trying to work out this shoulder issue on my own. I thought it was just the same old tendinitis I usually deal with. But seeing a professional early on cut down on what would have been a very long healing process.
I have gotten lots of questions over the years about "What would you do for this, or what would you do for that?" My answer is always, see a professional. With that, do your research and find people who have experience and like working with actual strength athletes. You are more likely to get someone willing to work with you instead of the "Stop training" recommendation many medical "experts" like dishing out.
