UKC

Hi, looking for advice on a shoulder injury.

I went bouldering last night, didn't warm up as much as I usually do, only about 6mins of cardio to get my heart rate up, then started climbing some easy routes. I'd been sat in a car 2hours prior to this and was mentally pretty tired after finishing off some coursework deadlines.

I noticed a bit of pain in my left shoulder after a few easy routes so stopped and tested my range of movement, no pain whatsoever. Carried on climbing but still noticed some pain so stopped and headed home. This morning, still no pain over my entire range of movement, but I can feel a sharp pain if I try and do a pull-up. No pain if I lock off at 1/2 and full pull-up, only when I try moving between these positions. No pain just hanging off a pull-up bar. Also, no noticeable pain if I just rest.

I've booked an appointment with a physio for Monday, but was wondering if anyone here on UKC has had a similar experience before or has any advice?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Alex

In reply to climb the peak:

Nothing specific but it sounds like very early days. The body heals most injuries on it's own but it usually takes time. I had a nagging shoulder injury a couple of years ago and I think it took 3 - 4 weeks to get better. It didn't stop me climbing but I could feel it on certain moves. More recently I had some kind of injury in my arm. It hurt when I did pull ups and when warming up climbing. That took about 4 months to completely heal.

With injuries in general getting a correct diagnosis before any treatment is key. I've heard getting an MRI scan for shoulders is recommended as they're such complicated joints. Lots of stuff on Training Beta about shoulder injuries.

But if you can still climb I'd carry on, being careful at first, and see how it goes. It might well heal by itself. If certain things hurt or make it worse then avoid for the time being.

In reply to climb the peak:

Go to your Physio with an with an open mind about 'injury.' Answer all the questions the Physio asks you, with proper responses.
Listen to the rehab exercise advice, if given. There was a recent study that found patients listen to about 50% of the advice, the other 50% is misinterpreted. Clarify the rehab exercises, and make sure you do them as prescribed.

Give your Physio a chance to fix you, it is possible your injury will be sorted out in a single session. If it is not then make sure you see the same Physio 2 or 3 times. They will need to see progress/change to carry out a proper treatment.

At the very least, just rest. The boulder problem will still be there in (xx) weeks time.

In reply to climb the peak:

The shoulder joint is so complicated and with such wide range of motion that I wouldn't dare give any advice. Get yourself to somebody who understands it and see what they think.

One thing very much worth looking into is removing the cause:
1) Do you take sufficient rest days every week?
2) Is your training different each week or does it involve many days of hard boulderig?
3) Do you often sag onto your shoulders on straght arms? Do your feet tend to slip more? etc

As others have said it sounds like early days and I hope everything heals smoothly and quickly. Good luck!