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Old Forum shoulder pain from get ups

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Aron

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Hi everyone!

I'm experiencing a slight pain just behind my right shoulder blade which I think comes from the get up part of SS. I'm wondering if this is a common issue and if I can do anything about it? I thought I'd check with you guys before meeting with an SF instructor.

 

Thank you very much! :)

 

 

 

 
 
I have had the same pain on occasion in the past. I have never been able to definitely narrow it down to a specific exercise that caused it.

Two things definitely aggravate it though. Wearing heavy body armor and other gear all day, and bench presses. Based on an article by Dan John I started doing bat wings and other pulling exercises to counter balance the bench press work.

Bat wings alone did not help. What finally helped a lot was to spend some alternating the arm bar stretch with a kettlebell and rolling the upper back muscles with a lacrosse ball against a wall. My back was pretty bad for a while and a Tennis ball would squish flat with the amount of pressure I had to use on it.


I tried the lacrosse ball thing after reading the pain may be caused by over active nerves and tight muscles. Tight pecs make the back work harder to stay balanced. So loosen the pecs with the arm bar stretch and roll the trigger points with the lacrosse ball. Repeat as needed.

Also, as a side note to the caffeine thread, I tried cutting caffeine for a week and still expericed the pain so I continued with my one or two cups of coffee each day. I do wonder if caffeine can contribute to the overactive muscle issue though.

That's just what has helped me.
 
Aron-

You write "slight pain." Is it soreness or more like an injury pain?

Proper packing of the shoulder is essential and improper shoulder packing in the working arm (the arm holding the bell) or the supporting arm (non-KB arm) during TGUs can lead to strains and injury. You can easily hurt your shoulders with swings if the proper shoulder mechanics are not observed.

Another cause could be increasing weight too quickly.

Don't delay seeing a SF instructor. He/she will correct things you may not even be aware you are doing.

Good health to you,

-Al S.
 
Aron-

Your pain could be from the getups. It could also be from the swings.

Either way it's a matter of either improper shoulder mechanics or increasing weigh too fast.

My suggestion is to go and see a SF instructor as soon as possible. They can point out things you may not be aware you are doing or not doing.

-Al S.
 
No offense Pavel, but if I had to see a doc everytime I had slight pain somewhere in my body then I would never get to do exercise.
 
Pnigro

Why are you in pain so often?

That is not normal and should not result from training.

On an internet forum where we are blind to the individual who is asking for advice for a potential medical condition the only appropriate advice is to get it checked.

You would be amazed to see how much information is missing from a simple request like "it hurts when I do this...." and how dangerous and inappropriate it can be to give advice.
 
I just don't believe a slight pain warrants a doctor visit.

For example, I get slight pain in the upper back sometimes when I do halos. If I go to a doctor for that I will be spending a ton of money only for him to give me some advils and tell me to rest.

So personally I have to disagree.

Maybe if the pain was moderate, had been bothering me for some time, and the doctor is really knowledgeable in exercise physiology, then sure, a visit might be a great idea.

 
 
Halos shouldn't hurt - period

Training shouldn't hurt.

Your "halo pain" might just be soft tissue work, or t-spine mobility or breathing or something more serious - hard to know if you haven't had it evaluated (therapist, chiro, Dr. etc....) and as I said when giving advice BLIND on an internet forum I will always advise referral to be sure we are not missing significant pieces of information and critical evaluation information.
 
<a title="View Pnigro's profile" href="http://www.strongfirst.com/users/pnigro/">Pnigro</a>, you may, of course, do as you wish - perhaps you know your body well enough to differentiate between pain that warrants a doctor visit and pain that does not, but it's a very different thing to suggest to another person to do the same.

I, too, don't see the doctor every time something hurts, but I have seen the doctor, many times, and have had lengthy discussions with him about my exercise.  I do have my doctor's clearance to exercise as I deem appropriate for myself.   My doctor, however,  didn't give me permission to extend this clearance to others, just to myself.

Our original poster here should see his doctor- preferably one acquainted with lifters - to discuss his situation and then to follow his doctor's advice.

JMO.

-S-
 
It's ok, don't want to go into a lengthy discussion here.

@Steve: Of course it's very important to discuss with a doctor and get clearance for exercise, especially if we're going to lift heavy things. I was only referring to those cases in particular when we get slight pains here or there. I think people are being a little paranoid when they say a slight pain in the upper back could be something SERIOUS or DANGEROUS. Again, emphasis on "slight".

@Brett: I understand that halos shouldn't hurt. But that's not the point. Just because sometimes I get minimal pain while doing halos doesn't mean I have to go see a doctor. That's like visiting the doctor for having a little knee discomfort after going for a 25 minute run.

Most of the time these issues are related to technique, being tense, or just the body getting used to the new exercise. Again I'm talking about SLIGHT pain.

Anyway I'm not so much against the idea of him seeing a doctor. What bothers me is when it's implied that he should stop everything he's doing and not see a SFG instructor until a doctor checks what is this little pain he's feeling.

I actually think it's better to see a SFG first, to see if there's any obvious mistake in his form, like not keeping the elbow straight or the shoulder in the socket. Most doctos don't even have the slightest clue of what a turkish get up is.
 
pnigro

you are still missing the point a bit -

Why are you having knee pain after running?

Why do you get pain during Halos?

What if the pain in the shoulder area is what the OP is asking about but they have neck pain as well or a recent surgery or....or......or...... could be many things and the trainer working with him should know enough to refer out to get those questions answered when appropriate.

Should the OP get with an SFG to check form etc... yes but getting the shoulder pain checked is also important IMO

Dr.s might not know what a get-up is but they might know quite a bit more about that shoulder situation.

Also - it's not paranoid
I know of MANY situations that seemed minor but turned out to be something major and I hear more stories like this at every workshop I teach.  Mid back pain that turned out to be an aortic aneurysm or calf pain that turned out to be cancer - do you want to be the internet provider of advice in these cases???

A little bit of paranoia can be a good thing IMO
 
I’ve been thinking a lot about this thread.  To be honest, I had a tendency to think like Pnigro… and for those of us that had tough parents, coaches, or time in the military, we learn to "suck it up" and press on... although I understand that when someone has pain, the only appropriate advice is to get it checked, especially in a forum. 

But it does actually make more sense now, thanks to Brett and Steve’s explanations.  Pain during these exercises is not normal… something is wrong with either the body (see a doc) or the technique (see an SFG)… best to get at least a medical screening/check FIRST. 

FWIW, I’ve had an experience very similar what David T describes; the pain and problem varies, but I’ve had it thoroughly evaluated and the doc says there is nothing wrong with my shoulder joint.  So it’s myofascial pain, trigger points, tension, imbalanced muscles, etc.  Likely cause is my IT job – too many hours at the computer – plus a tendency to hold tension in the upper back and shoulders.  I’ve been having success with the Yoga Tune Up massage therapy balls (squishier than lacrosse balls but firmer than tennis balls… just right!).  David, I totally agree - in my case at least - “pain may be caused by over active nerves and tight muscles. Tight pecs make the back work harder to stay balanced. So loosen the pecs with the arm bar stretch and roll the trigger points with the lacrosse ball. Repeat as needed.”  This is exactly the direction I’ve been headed! 

But back to Aron, who is going to get checked out (right, Aron?)…  just one of many possibilities, but worth mentioning… make sure your shoulder is packed throughout the getup, including the transitions, like elbow to tall sit, tall sit to tripod, and tripod to kneeling, both going up and coming down. 
 
I will play it safe and have booked an appointment for next week. Thank you all for your comments! :)
 
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