Another Shoulder Injury

Hi, I picked up a shoulder injury from my last karate training on Tuesday. But I didn't notice it during the training or after training. It took a night of sleep before I felt the pain. I'm used to having little bits of pain here and there, but it's like my shoulder is getting worse every time I wake up in the morning.

There are certain angles and movements that I make that can suddenly give a surge of pain. It feels like it's from a tendon or something. I can press the painful part with a finger and it's somewhere between my shoulder and my chest.

I just googled shoulder anatomy and I think the place where it hurts is called Subscapularis Tendon.

I'm thinking of just giving myself some rest, but the fact that it's getting a little bit worse every day makes me worry.

I'd love some advice. Thanks.

 

go see a doctor =p

the general advice i've seen here over the last week or so is that shoulders are complicated bits of kit, and proper medical advice is the best bet, so either a doctor or perhaps a sports physio type person - or if its really bad A&E =p

 

Alrighty then. I have to wait till Tuesday though, so I'll see how it's holding up after the weekend.

 

I'll never understand why people with significant medical issues would ask a random bunch of people on the internet about the best course of action. Go to someone with medical knowledge and the ability to examine your shoulder in real life.

 

Well I can't go to the doctor for every little thing now can I?

 

a joint injury is not a little thing.

 

nor is any "significant medical issue", as count stated, for that matter.

 

yes, you can.

and joint trouble is not a little thing.

 

sadly..

You know that while I agree with you completely (and this is not meant to be an advertisement ;' ) I routinely get people in my office who have not been examined by their doctors and are often just put off without even basic initial injury management strategies. More often than not it's meds and perhaps, if lucky, an exercise sheet without any real attempt to examine or produce an accurate diagnosis. So yes, I can understand why people, in their frustration, turn to the net for some sort of answer.

On the other hand you would not believe the number of people who come in and say , yes I have taken my meds, but it's not gotten any better. I ask them if they have tried anything else to settle things down and the response is inevitably that no as no one as told them what to try. The doctor may have offered repeat prescriptions but often people are put off up to 4-6 weeks before being referred to a physiotherapist or consultant just to see if things just go away on their own. I have to say that over the last 45+ years of getting injured I almost always tried to find some way to make myself feel better irrespective of what the doctor offered as I really have no patience with sitting about in pain.

First thing, irrespective of the injury (assuming it is not life threatening or catastrophic needing to be seen in A & E) would be to apply the simple principles of RICE (relative rest, ice (read this as something cold) , compression and elevation). It would be exceptionally rare to see a condition that could not benefit in some way from applying these simple procedures for the first few days post-injury. For some people the internet could be their first exposure to this approach and may well make them much more comfortable and heal faster than if they did nothing at all. Anyone on here could suggest this approach relatively safely.

Just sayin'

LFD

 

Well, I don't even know how I got it. That's why I think it's nothing major.

I've healed through the craziest things by just resting, this shoulder doesn't even make my top 10. That's why I was inclined to ask the internet first before taking the effort to see a doctor. I'm lazy you see.

 

You talk of pain surges that get worse every day.
Hardly a little thing. Esp given that you live in the Netherlands where visiting a doctor doesn't cost you an arm and a leg.

The pain of fatigued muscles is normal.
The pain of bumps and bruises is normal.
Most other kinds of pain aren't, and if you neglect them, they'll just turn into chronic ailments.

Don't be a macho.

 

From the sound of it, you are having repeating shoulder injuries, get them looked at before you cant train anymore.

 

Wrong wording on my part. First time I've ever had shoulder pain since I quit tennis. It's my other shoulder as well, so no that isn't it.

Well, maybe pain surge sounds a little dramatic. Serious discomfort would probably be a better word for it. Like when something is stiff, but you try to move it anyway.

I'm not trying to be a macho. I just really think it's silly to go to the doctor every time you have some pain. I mean, I get plenty of injuries and I get worried a little more than a few times. But every time I just give my body some rest so it can sort it out, I've been able to heal through it. Except once when I had to get calf surgery. Which is story that actually disproves my way of doing things, but I consider it an exception.

Anyway, I am actually going to the doctor. I just have to wait until Tuesday because unless it's urgent you have to wait for certain days when they have time. A medical visit might be cheap over here, but it's not very practical.

I do appreciate the input though, perhaps something to consider next time.

 

So I went to the doctor on Monday, but the guy wasn't there because of an emergency or something. I was told to wait, because it wouldn't take too long but my appointment ended up being cancelled. When they asked when I wanted to reschedule, I said never mind it's not that urgent anyway.

After last weekend my shoulder felt a lot better already and I had doubts if a doctor's visit wouldn't have any real value, because I was finally starting to heal on my own. And now, four days later and my shoulder has almost healed completely. The way it's looking right now, I only have to skip today's training to be sure and I'll be good for Tuesday.

This is probably not going to help my attitude towards visiting doctors, but oh well. :love:

 

Just a heads up OP. Pain isn't an indicator of whether you are better or not, just that the injury is no longer sensitive. It might be better but you should do a few things to make sure you have recovered sufficiently to return to your full level of training.

1 Make sure you have recovered your full range of mobility-residual stiffness might cause you pain if you move quickly or get jammed during a move.
2 Make sure that you haven't been left with weakness that might leave you susceptible to re-injury when you throw a technique, get grabbed or even just slip and use your arm to steady yourself/breakfall
3 Make sure you haven't developed any odd movement patterns as compensations e.g. using the shoulder blade too much to avoid putting pressure on a previously sensitive tissue
4 Make sure you haven't made changes to your technique because of previous pain which can lead to long term overload or just bad skills which again might get you injured either directly or indirectly

I am sure there is more that could be added but these are a few to consider to start. If all appears well when you check yourself over than great. If you were a football player who had a knee injury you would not be allowed to return to a full out match after an injury without going through a rehab program of some sort as every time you get injured you are of no use to the team. As a MA player you only become useless to yourself but hey that is still a pretty big thing ;' )

Hope the shoulder is completely better soon!!

LFD

 

I've had to give up most of my martial arts due to a recurring shoulder and knee injury. My son has had to give up BJJ due to a torn knee meniscus. Martial arts aint for the faint of heart.

 

That's great advice, thank you.

 

I'm such an idiot. I recovered my shoulder and resumed my training, but then I had the brilliant idea to start jogging again. Long story short I completely overdid it and somehow I ruined the arch of my right foot, because it's pretty painful to walk. And the pain is located under my foot.

So once again, I am injured.

I didn't plan on jogging that much, but my lungs and muscles were holding up surprisingly well even though it had been a while since I went for a run. So I ran and ran and ran until I finally became tired. I hit the shower, ate something, went to bed and woke up as a cripple. :bang:

 

... Doctor?