Shoulder pain any thoughts

[DJT]

Guys i am starting to get some serious shoulder pain in my left shoulder (i shoot right handed) i dont think anything but shooting could have done it.  it dosent bother me much when i shoot but everything else seems to hurt right on the top outermost part of the shoulder.  I dont think its muscular as it sometimes clicks.  I shoot fairly light recurves for the most part up to about 55lbs, but am not sure what to do.
I was wondering if anyone else has got something similar and what they have done about it.  Please help, i havent been shooting trad that long to do too much damage i dont think, and have only started shooting regularly 2 and a half months ago but that was still limited mostly to weekends as i live in New York City.
any help thoughts would be appreciated.
Don

[pintail_drake2004]

friend take it from me, im 21 and have had 2 shoulder surgeries in the past 3 year with approx 22mo of therapy. Get it checked out by a doc asap. My shoulder problems came from a car accident, but my shoulder was ripped out of socket tearing muscle and ligament away from bone. first 6mo of therapy befor my first surgery(doc's orders) ground my bone flat in 2 places(bone damage was fixed in second surgery)...bottom line, dont wait until a small problem becomes big.

take care.
Pintail

[Bucksnort101]

See your Doctor. May be as simple as starting some simple physical therapy to strengthen your shoulder muscles to needed to surgury to repair and/or clean up the shoulder joint.
By no means am I an expert, but have bustom up both shoulders and experiencing years of pain I suggest making a Doctor appt. and see what's going on.

[sticshooter]

I agree see a doc. And then move out of the city!   <><

[vermonster13]

Odds are the condition causing the pain already existed and the shooting is just bringing it out front. You could have too many things to list. See a doctor and get it checked out.

[Pinecone]

Ditto on the Doc.  You likely have an impingement that can be treated by physical therapy.  The main thing you want to make sure of is that you do not have a tear.  You might want to take it easy with that bow until you understand the problem...you don't want to make the problem worse.

Claudia

[hs6181]

Yep, you need to check it out, got to see a doc myself this week. A repair from 15 years ago is acting up again. Two surgeries have taken me from 90# to 60#, age has taken me down to
50-55#.

You don't sound like you want to drop any lower and I know I don't.

[alligatordond]

Sounds like my impingement. Good PT helped me greatly. See a doc but insist on PT before they try cutting, if at all possible. And when formal PT is over, keep up the exercises on your own, or you'll be sorry.

[DJT]

Thanks guys not what i wanted to hear as i tend to put things like this off as long as possible but i think i will go with the collective on this one.
d

[Shawn Leonard]

Yup see a doctor. I am about to have shoulder surgery on the 29th. of this month. I was assured today that I will be shooting up to a fifty pound bow within 6 weeks as long as I heed the docs. advice. I fell from a tree(Screw in step broke)and dislocated my right shoulder over a year and a half ago. It was put back in and seemed to heal fine, but I kept having re-occurring pain. I had a MRI recently and I have a slight tear in my rotatar and a tear in my labrum. I could go on and live like I have been (in pain constantly) or listen to my doctor and have the surgery. Take the advice from all on here and see a doctor, you will be better off in the long run. Shawn

[Dingus]

Don... GO TO THE DR.!
I put it off for a long time... military... flying status... wanted to keep doing it...

Had surgery two months ago.  Under the knife 5 1/2 hours.  Doc used 7 pins.  Six weeks in a sling.  Been doing PT two weeks.  I could go on...

GO TO THE DR.!  PT is your first option.  The knife is last.  Lots in between.

Good luck and report back.
Dingus

[Bucksnort101]

Yep, putting it off just prolongs the pain and suffering and makes things worse. My last diagnosis was Impingement and it was so simple to cure. Several weeks of PT and then continue the excercises at home. Finally joined a health club last fall to build those shoulder and back muscles back up.

[NorthShoreLB]

before you go see regular doctors try some acupunture !!!! those guys will send you for surgerys even if you don't need them, I got all kinds of sports related shoulder injuries in my life.

...tore both rotator cuffs, and some. I'm 40 and still shoot a 80# bow no worrys, Thanks to acupunture.

...Hell you're in N.Y. plenty chinese there      

[doctorbrady]

Don,
Your problem does sound like shoulder impingement.  I suffer from it from time to time, myself.  It always seems to hit before a big hunt.  The very best way to get better from impingement is simply not to use it.  No amount of stretching or "working it out" will help.  Just make yourself keep it at your side and avoid raising it above your waist for 1-2 weeks and it will probably go away.  All that said there are more serious or at least long lasting shoulder/rotator cuff issues that can also present like your shoulder problem, so if it isn't better in a week or so get in to see your doctor.

[David Bartholomew]

Shoulder impingement?  "No amount of stretching will help"?    I have to respectfully disagree.  

If one doesn’t move the soft tissue of the body (slow, even movements), I feel you will do more harm you than good.  In the case of a shoulder, I can see a "frozen shoulder" developing.

In the case of a soft tissue (muscle, tendon or ligament) shoulder injury, you're looking for stability / tone ... for both the shoulder joint, and shoulder girdle.   Remember, tight tissue is not necessarily strong tissue.  

Also, in a “at home rehabilitation program”, many folks don't try or don’t know how to balance the tissues....front to back… side to side...balance.    If one side is tight…stretch it.  On the weak side…strengthen it!

I am an advocate for stretching.  Stretching done correctly is not done fast (there is no such thing as a quick fix).  Stretching, done with purpose, will greatly help to “open up” the area / tissues causing the impingement (if – in this case - that is what it is... an impingement).  

Standard orthopedic functional assessment tests can help the rule out many concerns.  See your local ortho, not just a general physican.

Concerning stretching: The problem?  Many folks just do passive stretches... and then over do it / overstretch and cause more harm.  

Does a muscle/tendon problem go away? Answer: IMHO... no, not really.  Just think of it this way: Your wife might forgive you for your blunders, but …. she doesn’t forget anything.  So, in the case of a soft tissue injury ... the body doesn’t forget your errors either.  Everything adds up.

DoctorBrady... respectfully, may I suggest you call Mr. Aaron Mattes, one of my mentors, and the developer of Active Isolated Stretching (AIS).  We can all learn something new ...each and every day.

Sincerely,
David Bartholomew


 www.stretchingusa.com

[NorthShoreLB]

Totally agree, a consistent regimen of Yoga/stretching done properly is the best long time way to keep your body functioning properly.


.....Preventing is always better than curing.

[doctorbrady]

David,
The problem with stretching in a true impingement is that if you continue to impinge the tendon against bone, the problem will not be relieved but worsened.  The inflammation, and thus the pain will not improve.  You can not effectively stretch the bony acromion process which is causing the impingement.  This is not to say that any type of stretching will worsen the condition, but stretching to the point that the shoulder is continually reimpinged upon worsens the condition.  What I mean to say is that this is not a problem that you can use the "shake it off and work it out" philosophy that many of us grew up with.
As far as developing a frozen shoulder, capsulitis of the shoulder will not develop over the course of a week or two of resting the shoulder.
Lastly, most general physicians are well qualified to handle this type of problem.  If your primary care physician is comfortable with musculoskeletal problems, an orthopedist will likely only be necessary if you need surgical intervention.
Best regards,
Brady

[doctorbrady]

I do need to add, that ultimately proper stretching will help prevent reinjury.  Here we can all agree.  Keeping the body's muscles and tendons stretched out is one of the best ways to prevent injury in the first place, but sometimes resting the insulted muscle or tendon does more for healing and repair than anything else.  Brady

[David Bartholomew]

Doc,

I don’t agree that stretching will cause more damage with a “true impingement”.  Respectfully, this is simply not true in many, many cases.   Also, in a true impingement, you are not trying to affect change to the acromion process, but to the muscles in that region. Ice, heat, medications in combination with slow active stretching will help “give slack” to the muscles or any other soft tissue in the area so they won't “rub” onto any irritated areas(i.e. - bursa).  You don’t need to do many stretches… just a few…back off…come back later…do some more.  Again, slooooow.  

May I suggest this analogy concerning stretching: Just like a rust bolt, with tight muscles, you go slow…take your time…open the area of concern up s-l-o-w-l-y… gently!  If you go to fast, you will just tick the area off (and that is what many folks do… even health professionals).

Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) can help because these stretches are “thinking stretches”.  Please, don’t confuse anything I say with the high school “passive stretches, or ballistic stretching.  In AIS, you are targeting specific muscle tissue and then opening the area up in degrees, not leaps and bounds (whereas fast, or ballistic stretching will cause more damage).  

Doc,  I acknowledge that “adhesive capsulitis / frozen shoulder” won’t happen over night, but your recommendation of not moving the area for up to two weeks…well, I just can’t sit back on that one.  Sorry.

Concerning injuries, recent literature (last 5 years) shows slow, even movement (a.k.a. - "stretching") helps in a quicker recovery period.   For example, with an immoblized ankle injury, or tib/fib fracture:  wiggle the toes, ankle-toes up (dorsa-flex) only a few degrees and then ankle-toes down (plantar-flex) only a few degrees.  What is actually happening?  Ans: What you are really doing is akin to CPR… you’re simply moving stagnate material (blood, lymph) out of the congested / idle / injured area.   Again, the patient/injured individual SHOULD NOT try to go fast, but slowly…and only by small degrees (not leaps and bounds) especially with a acute injury.

Of course, I agree that stretching is an outstanding preventative maintenance method.  But, many folks don’t do it… get injured… moan and groan… and then only stretch enough to have the pain go away.  Yup, once the pain goes away, they stop stretching.  Why?  Go figure!!

Lastly, in rehabilitation, folks should work on FULL range of motion movements first, and then focus on strengthening.   Many folks work on strengthening just as soon as they start “rehabilitation”, and that, is where you will make a soft tissue injury worse.  

Respectfully,
David

 www.thinkmassage.com

[James Wrenn]

I had pain just as you descibe.It got to where it would wake me up at night when I bumped it.Mine was a bad case of tendonitis.A cordazon shot and taking it easy with lighter weight bows for a month or so has got me back to 100% again.Go get it checked and fixed up.