Hi I am 20 years old and like to bench press alot. A few months back I started out benching with to much weight and pulled my shoulder. I went to my dumb doctor who didnt tell me much, he said that I probably have mild arthritus and bursitus. All he did was gave me pain killers so offcourse I still have the nagging injury. I want to know what I can do to get rid of it? What excercises, practices exc. any advice would be helpfull thanks

Shawn

Hi I am 20 years old and like to bench press alot. A few months back I started out benching with to much weight and pulled my shoulder. I went to my dumb doctor who didnt tell me much, he said that I probably have mild arthritus and bursitus. All he did was gave me pain killers so offcourse I still have the nagging injury. I want to know what I can do to get rid of it? What excercises, practices exc. any advice would be helpfull thanks

Shawn

I would suggest an X-Ray and/or MRI of the injured area to find out exactly what it is. Once you know exactly then you will know or find out how to treat it. Without specifics there is no way to know if anything you try would cause more damage or not.

Repeat stress injury does exacerbate bursitis and athletes tend to get these types of injuries. I have it and it stinks. You realize you benched too much so you will need to curb benching so your shoulder heals. After healing perhaps you would consider an alternative exercise program that has less impact on the joints, like swimming. The aquatic exercise programs are done in a group setting & is suggested for those with arthritic conditions. Another low impact program for strengthening and stretching is with the use of bands of different tensions.

When I began to have shoulder bursitis it would come and go and I had limited range of motion with pain. Repeat activity would worsen it. I am also physical and overdid it this summer lifting & moving flagstone creating tendonitis & flaring bursitis in that shoulder. Unable to move the shoulder portion I went to the ER. The exrays showed no bony changes or calcifications. It is a soft tissue injury. They gave me a anti-inflammatory injection in addition to a different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication with a tetanus shot. I was put in a sling, wrapped with a wide ace (around body) for immobilization and iced. I almost passed out from the pain and the medications did little to nothing in the beginning. That pain was worse than a broken bone. Soft tissue damage causes a steady flow of pain that was constant. I've had a wide range of sport and other injury but this one took the cake. It does take time to heal. Especially soft tissue injury's. I recently received recommendation for physical therapy for the impingement. The trick is to not overdue it by not exceeding limitations.

If you continue to have shoulder problems the doctor may request additional studies. At initial injury I made a makeshift sling, used soft cold gel packs, took over the counter anti-inflammatory's (like Advil). Therapy protocol depends on what's happening and the severity. Is it mild, moderate or severe? Is it getting better, the same or worse? If you are resting your shoulder and still have problems revisit this issue with the doctor.

Optional holistic alternatives are available. There are tinctures, supplements etc. I have been looking into alternatives because of what these medications do to the liver. If your therapy is short term - my blessings.

There are over the counter supplements that may be helpful. One purportedly acts as a cox-2 inhibitor (for example) that performs like the Rx. anti-inflammatory medication Celebrex (also known to be less caustic to the gastric system). A pharmacist would be able to tell you what it is. I can't list it because of the board rules. I am considering this myself and may go that route. After I start PT I should have additional useful input to offer regarding the shoulder issue.

Good Luck, Gemi

Hi I am 20 years old and like to bench press alot. A few months back I started out benching with to much weight and pulled my shoulder. I went to my dumb doctor who didnt tell me much, he said that I probably have mild arthritus and bursitus. All he did was gave me pain killers so offcourse I still have the nagging injury. I want to know what I can do to get rid of it? What excercises, practices exc. any advice would be helpfull thanks

Shawn

I have bursitus in my hip. It took an xray to rule out arthritis. Dumb doc is right. Have you gone to an orthopedist? Other than pain killers, stretching before and after exercise is crutial. And if the reason for the injury is lifting too much weight,,,,STOP.... and let it heal. I wish I had the same luxury for my hip. Can't not walk....but did quit my job cuz it was causing the problem to be worse, standing on my feet for 7 hours a day.

Hi I am 20 years old and like to bench press alot. A few months back I started out benching with to much weight and pulled my shoulder. I went to my dumb doctor who didnt tell me much, he said that I probably have mild arthritus and bursitus. All he did was gave me pain killers so offcourse I still have the nagging injury. I want to know what I can do to get rid of it? What excercises, practices exc. any advice would be helpfull thanks

Shawn

Also, ice the area. Heat just makes mine worse.
Good Luck

Gemi, I would consider my bursitis mild because it has got a lot better, and I can lift as heavy as ever on it if I want, but it just doesnt go completely away and is annoying. thanks everyone for your replies

if i stop working out how long will it take to recover? I have been working out with this problem for a long time, am i actually making it worse? or is it ok to stretch it out?