UKC

Hi all,

I have had a shoulder issue for a couple of months. I am pretty sure it is climbing related (if not it would be cycling or sleeping which seems unlikely). However, it feels fine when i climb. Pulling feels fine but when doing antagonist training (push ups mostly) it feels a bit off (slight pain but no sharp or searing pain). The pain is mostly felt on the top of my shoulder and only on the right hand shoulder.

I haven't done any activity with my shoulder in the last 2 weeks and it actually feels worse. Has anyone had a similar issue? Should I go back to climbing or rest it further? The strange thing is I can still climb as hard as I have ever done with no pain. I just don't want to cause any long term damage.

I was doing shoulder exercises with a theraband before but not in the last 2 weeks as i thought i would give it a proper rest.

Thanks.

In reply to jasonpather:

I had a locked up muscle between my shoulder blade and spine that I saw a physiotherapist for about a week ago. Symptoms were broadly similar to what you're describing, but naturally would be best to see a somebody for diagnosis/treatment. After one session + a day or two of recovery exercises it was feeling much better. The month of less intense climbing & waiting for it to recover was a waste of time.

In reply to jasonpather:
not sure if its the same thing
but i damaged a rotator cuff lifting weights.it took a long time to heal.
i even rsted it for 3 months by just cycling and no weights.rest did nothing
just climb and do things that dont hurt it too much.

i since did the other side.i carried on going the gym and it healed itself eventually

In reply to jasonpather:

Try your nearest soft tissue therapist, the directory can be found here www.theisrm.com.

In reply to riddle:

What if his problem isn't related to simple soft tissue tightness? it could be joint stiffness, instability, muscle weakness, altered muscle firing patterns, a kinetic chain problem or pathology. The sparse information provided means accurate diagnosis is impossible.

Surely if it is any of those issues then massage therapy either will not help or will make it worse.

Recommending massage on internet forums in order to promote your own profession might be good for business but it is bad practice.

In reply to jasonpather:

Sometimes muscle pain can come t
From the Inbalance of strength between muscles, this could be why you feel fine pulling but not pushing. Try some other exercises to strengthen other muscle groups and find a way to relax the others

In reply to jasonpather:

Thanks for all your replies. I was trying the shoulder exercises that were in a UKC article not so long ago. I don't think I was doing it enough though to give it a proper chance.

Glad to hear that I should still climb though. I always feel a little bit more relaxed and loose after a climb. For me it has as much of a mental effect as it does physical.

I agree I should probably see a physiotherapist. Anyone know of any good ones in London that don't cost the earth?

In reply to jasonpather:

Hi Jason, i suffer from a similar issue that short of flares up ever now and the . It is as you say, noticeable most when resting but loosens up when climbing. Unfortunately I cant afford a massage every time this happens but below tips help.

Get a stretchy band or light weight and do the exercises as indicated on UKC.
Google arm,shoulder, chest and lat streches and try these out when warmed up.
Buy a tennis ball and sandwich the ball between the sore spot on your shoulder and a wall (rough textured wall like brick works best) and lean against the ball. Go gently first so the muscle accepts the force rather than locking up. After a minute start rolling it around in circles or across the muscle. You may hit a trigger point (your eyes will pop out of your head if you do), hold the ball on this spot for 30 secs then work the ball around this area.
Buy a foam roller and regularly roll your back, arms, lats and chest. Lying on your back with the roller below your shoulder blades, cross your arms over your chest to hug yourself then rolling up and down brings alot of release.

And finally something new i have added to my training is scapula mobility exercises to improve my top line so when I grab a far off hold the load goes correctly through my arm and back and not uneccesarrily onto the shoulder joint. Google scapula press ups, scap, pull up and scap dips.

Good luck!

In reply to jasonpather:

Sounds like rotator cuff. But I'd get a professional diagnosis from a Pysio, a buggered shoulder can cause you A LOT of misery.