Hi, 22 y.o Norwegian guy checking in…
So, I’ve been dealing with a painful shoulder ever since I failed to max my bench about a year ago. Went to several PTs, but they all seemed incompetent and the diagnosis varied from a pec tear to a supraspinatus strain. One of them said swimming for 3 weeks would miraculously fix my shoulder (what?).
Anyways, for the last 8 months or so I’ve been doing alot of internal/external rotation exercises as well as rowing exercises because I thought it was an RC issue. These have relieved some of the pain, but I’m still unable to do any pressing exercises, not even pushups without feeling pain.
A few months ago I had an MRI scan of the shoulder, which didn’t reveal any damage.
As the shoulder hasn’t improved much, and I’m an active guy, my last option now is to undergo surgery. The surgeon I talked to is a renowned guy, and said based on the information I provided it’s most likely a SLAP II tear, but he wouldn’t know for sure until he entered the shoulder arthroscopically.
So here’s my questions:
The shoulder isn’t really bothering me much when I’m not doing any pressing movements, rows are fine if I don’t go too heavy on them. I can even do pull ups without much pain. Sleeping on the shoulder is not problematic. Can this mean that the tear is not ‘too’ bad?
As a student, I’m planning on spending the fall semester in another country. If I had the repair on say June 16th, which condition will my shoulder be in 2 months later? I know it won’t be 100%, but will it be very vulnerable at this stage? Considering postponing the surgery until 2012… but rather not.
Regarding weight lifting: Is the idea “if it hurts, don’t do it” applied to a SLAP tear? Can I still work out with light weights? Biceps curls and a variety of rows seem ok. Squats hurt a little if there’s too much resistance.
As a soccer player, can falling on the shoulder etc. make the tear worse?
If someone could answer these questions, it would be highly appreciated. English isn’t my first language, so don’t hesitate to ask if something is unclear.