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Rotator Cuff Injury - Mental Block When Bench Pressing

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  • 19-12-2015 9:45am
    #1
    hadoken13
    Registered Users Posts: 630 ✭✭✭


    I picked up a rotator cuff injury almost 9 months ago so I stopped doing weight training for a couple of months to see if the pain would go away. It didn't so I went to a physio who's diagnosis was to lower the weights and do loads more reps and stretch every day.

    When our brain senses injury (nice way of telling us to stop) or strain we tense up and stop lifting. He told me not to stop lifting and was saying with this injury to push a little further each time as over time, the range of motion will decrease if I were to stop every time I felt a tweak in my shoulders.

    This is working so far with shoulder presses, dips (although sometimes I can't get quite the range or depth when dipping down) but not with bench pressing or dumbbell flys. I cannot increase the weights when bench pressing as when I feel a tweak my brain tells me I can't lift and I have to finish the rep and decrease the weight. This is even the case when only increasing the weight by 5kg. I feel this is due to the mental block of my shoulder telling my brain to stop at the first sign of pain.

    Anyone have any suggestions as how to overcome this or how to gradually lift more? I have tried Press ups and warming up with dumbbell benches (about 30 reps with light weights) however, nothing I seem to do is working and this is the case for a few weeks now.


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    #2
    Wailin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,407 ✭✭✭Wailin


    Funny that he told you to keep lifting away with an injury that is notoriously slow to heal. I tore my supraspinatus start of last year and, like you, could not do anymore heavy bench or shoulder work. I went to a physio who told me to stop any heavy lifting (apart from squats, deadlifts etc) and he made up a program to work the shoulder with various routines to increase blood flow to the area to promote healing. Patience is the key, after 6-8 months I was back benching close to my previous levels and pain is gone. Did the physio locate exactly where the injury is as the rotator cuff is composed of at least 4 muscles?


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    #3
    discus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,049 ✭✭✭discus


    Physiotherapy is starting to seem like quackery. Anyone who has been injured and has seen 2+ physios will know that the same injury gets a broad range of diagnoses and treatments. I think I'll be more inclined to go to a physical therapist should I ever need one in future.


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    #4
    Wailin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,407 ✭✭✭Wailin


    discus wrote: »
    Physiotherapy is starting to seem like quackery. Anyone who has been injured and has seen 2+ physios will know that the same injury gets a broad range of diagnoses and treatments. I think I'll be more inclined to go to a physical therapist should I ever need one in future.


    100% agree. But I would go back to the physiotherapist I have used. He sorted out a hip flexor strain plus the rotator cuff injury.


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    #5
    hadoken13
    Registered Users Posts: 630 ✭✭✭hadoken13


    What's the main difference between both?
    discus wrote: »
    Physiotherapy is starting to seem like quackery. Anyone who has been injured and has seen 2+ physios will know that the same injury gets a broad range of diagnoses and treatments. I think I'll be more inclined to go to a physical therapist should I ever need one in future.


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