Lateral Deltoid Problem on left side

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:08 pm

It always gets quite sore after a few months of lifting and I stop making progress on my military press. This has happened when I've lifted before, I remember taking a week off and it did nothing. This time around I haven't made any progress on my military press in weeks. It only seems to be the left deltoid (I'm right handed). I'm going to go easy on it for at least a week and see what happens. I've also started stretching it and doing SMR again. I just got done icing it and have been taking Aleve due to a shin splint for awhile(not for pain but inflammation).

So I'm curious, why does this happen? How can I avoid it? The rest of my body keeps up with my lifts, I only lift 3 times a week. Anything else I can do to help it heal faster?

Thanks.

Rik-Blades · Post by **Rik-Blades** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 5:57 am

Its probably an issue with your routine/exercise selection.

Post your workouts here so we can evaluate the whole picture.

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:16 pm

I have a fairly balanced routine, the only twist this time is that I just started doing MMA and all the punching probably doesn't help. However, this happened a few years ago when I was doing Starting Strength (which is the framework for my current routine) and nothing else that would've worked my lateral delts like boxing. That's what threw me for a loop.

Post by **Ironman** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:51 pm

I have a feeling it is not your lateral delt, but it is under your lateral delt. I have a feeling you have a rotator cuff issue. You probably need to do the 2 things at the bottom of this page.

http://exrx.net/Articulations/Shoulder. ... chor110483

Use them at the beginning to warm up the rotator cuff muscles. It should also strengthen them.

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:24 am

Ironman wrote:I have a feeling it is not your lateral delt, but it is under your lateral delt. I have a feeling you have a rotator cuff issue. You probably need to do the 2 things at the bottom of this page.

http://exrx.net/Articulations/Shoulder. ... chor110483

Use them at the beginning to warm up the rotator cuff muscles. It should also strengthen them.

I could try that. For some reason I don't think that's the issue, but I'll definitely give it a shot.

Anyways, in the mean time I need to let it heal, I'm hoping this isn't anything like this damn shin splint I've been nursing for weeks. I tried doing some light work on it, but it made it a bit worse, not like it was, but it's a step back. For some reason I have the feeling that this is some sort of similar issue to the shin splint.

Anyways, to help this heal faster, I have been icing the shoulder (doing the same things for shin splint...), taking Aleve twice a day, stretching the muscle groups, and using some myofascial release (applying pressure/foam roller).

I'm unfortunately going to have to go easy on the lifts for that muscle group. It seems like the military press needs to be out of my routine for awhile. I'm guessing I'll still be able to do dips and bench press (and substitute those in on the days I'd be doing the military press). I've also recently starting taking MMA classes and practice on days that I don't have class - so I've been punching in slow motion when i practice. I'm wondering if I'll still be able to do cleans. I don't think I've noticed it bothering my shoulder, but do you think it could? For a warm-up, I do clean and jerk's with a measly 65 lbs, would it be alright to do this? Or just stick the clean... Anyways, my other question is about the shoulder rotation exercises-would doing those now make things worse? Do I want to wait to do them until I'm healed?

Thanks....I know there's a lot of questions. I just hate not being able to do all the lifts/exercises I want to, and I've already been on this shin splint for what seems like forever.

robertscott · Post by **robertscott** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:38 am

i think ironman's right about it being rotator cuff, lateral fdelt problems are pretty rare, whereas rotator cuff issues are ten a penny. I have a dodgy shoulder that flares up every now and then and hurts at the side of my delt, but it's really an issue with my infraspinatus

Post by **stuward** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:26 am

I have the same thing going on. This looks interesting. http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deal-with ... aspinatus/

Rotator Cuff problems are a dime a dozen here so you get a better deal at 10 for a penny.

robertscott · Post by **robertscott** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:37 am

stuward wrote:I have the same thing going on. This looks interesting. http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deal-with ... aspinatus/

Rotator Cuff problems are a dime a dozen here so you get a better deal at 10 for a penny.

good article Stu, a lot of that is stuff I already do but I'm not great at remembering to do stretches and stuff on rest days.

And yeah in the current economic climate you don't want to be forking out for expensive shoulder injuries

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 1:53 pm

Great article. I went in and lifted today, trying to avoid certain lifts.. didn't go great, even a warm up set of deadlifts bothered my shoulder. So, I'm going to take the week off, continue doing the other things to help that I've been doing, and add somethings in from that article. Then next week I'll lift lightly and add some of those rotator cuff lifts. Little depressed that I have to take the week off, but I guess it is what it is.

Thanks a lot

Post by **Jungledoc** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:18 pm

stuward wrote:I have the same thing going on. This looks interesting. http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deal-with ... aspinatus/

Rotator Cuff problems are a dime a dozen here so you get a better deal at 10 for a penny.

Of course, you've got to take the exchange rate into account.

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:23 pm

I guess what I want to know is 1 week off lifting going to be enough? I'm thinking doing 1 week of light lifting after that? But exactly how light should I lift?

Post by **Ironman** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:23 am

Taking a week off is good, but this problem is going to take quite some time. I speak from experience. I have had rotator cuff issues. It is exactly how you describe it. I told you exactly how I fixed it too. It took a couple months to really make it go away. It might even have been longer.

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:27 pm

So, I take it this is a couple months until I can lift heavy again? I was thinking about starting to do circuit training in 1-2 weeks at doing 10-12 reps @ 40ish% and start working my way back up. I'd also stay away from overhead movements (military press/pull ups) as recommended by another article I read on this subject. Would this plan be advisable?

Ironman, what I was really wondering though, was when I can start doing those exercises?

The other thing that I need to factor in is the mixed martial arts classes I take and when it would be wise to start punching in anything other than slow motion again.

I appreciate the input. I'm just trying to get some ideas before I see the doctor next friday for something unrelated.

Thanks

Post by **Ironman** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 3:40 am

You can do them in a week or two, and go heavy shortly after. It is going to take time for the pain to completely go away though. It will gradually fade.

I would think martial arts would be the same as lifting, but I don't have any experience with martial arts training.

Haffy13 · Post by **Haffy13** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:25 am

Well, its not the pain that bothers me so much. I don't even know if I'd call it pain, more of an odd feeling. I suppose if I lifted it might hurt. But really, it's just the lack of being able to lift that bothers me more than anything. My concern isn't the pain, but the cause and how to make it better which I'm very happy to have received good information on. I'll wait until I see the doctor next friday at least before I start doing any sort of lifting. Even if he says go ahead, that is about the right amount of time to wait from what you're saying.

The martial arts... well, I went yesterday. Told my teacher, he told us to do pushups, and I said I could. All the drills involved the arms (we were doing thai plumb exercises if you know what that is). When required to punch I did so lightly, it seemed to bother my shoulder a little bit, but nothing like it would if I had done the shadow punching like he wanted, or the pushups. I iced it when I got home. Thursday is ground work.

Anyways, that brings up my other question, when I use ice/heat packs, I want to put it on my shoulder blade(infraspinatus) I take it, not where I feel the pain?

More importantly, it was suggested in an article on this to use dumbells for bench press instead, would the same go for military press? Would this help in the future to aggravate the same injury? I'm definently do everything else suggested, but I'd like to do everything possible so this doesn't happen again.
Thanks again guys, you've yet again proved why I tell everyone this is the best exercise site on the net.