Weight Training with Shoulder Injury - Help!

Hope someone can give me some advice. I took a tumble about 9 weeks ago and injured my right shoulder. I'm still having pain and stiffness and haven't been released for strenous exercise. I walk 4-5 times a week at a pace of 4.0-4.3 MPH, and I've lost 6 lbs since joining CalorieCount Aug 10th.

Does anyone have any suggestions for weight training while I'm still healing?

Thanks,

Peg

dont lift. respect your body and let it heal.

i only do free weights so there is nothing i can lift without stressing my shoulders that i can think of. i guess if you work out in a gym you could do lower on machines.

try stretching and try exercising your shoulder by using the same motion you would to lift weights (without weights though). try to get it to a good mobility before adding weights.

anyway, thats only my opinion, i'm not a specialist, but i'm figuring the quickest way to recover is that way.

I injurred my shoulder in November and am JUST now getting back to weights 4 weeks ago. In PT they gave me really LOW weights -- it was more range of motion. And they would stretch my shoulder out really well. I was doing lat pulldowns with only about 20 pounds, shoulder shrugs with 2 pound wts, lateral lifts w/ 2 pound wts, bicep and triceps w/ 5 pound wts. Some band exercises and pressing against the wall. VERY wimpy. Hardly seemed worth it. Eventually, my shoulder got better but it still hurts a little bit. I guess it will depend what you hurt. Don't rush into it. I hurt my rotator cuff. Good luck.

I feel for you. I hurt my shoulder, or more specifically my supraspinatus, as well as my bicep muscles. I couldn't touch a weight for 10 days and now I'm only allowed to do tricep kickbacks, rows as long as i keep my arms straight & pullovers as long as i don't engage the bicep muscles. FRUSTRATING. 

Injuries do suck. I injured something in my forearm (they're calling it tennis elbow) back in April and it's still not any better.  I ignored it for a few months and kept lifting, which probably made it worse. I haven't done any real upper body in almost two months now and I'm doing PT, but it's just not improving. Very, very frustrating. I'd be real careful with what you do. You don't want to make it worse, like I probably did.

Thanks to all who answered my cry for help.

I was a bit frustrated when I posted my 'rant'. I know better than to go against my doctors orders, but it's just taking SO LONG!

Oh well, at least I can still do cardio.

Thanks again everyone.

Peg

Original Post by octo-luv:

I feel for you. I hurt my shoulder, or more specifically my supraspinatus, as well as my bicep muscles. I couldn't touch a weight for 10 days and now I'm only allowed to do tricep kickbacks, rows as long as i keep my arms straight & pullovers as long as i don't engage the bicep muscles. FRUSTRATING. 

 I'd be careful with those rows as they also engage the biceps.

I've been able to get away with doing squats before with a shoulder injury, and as they say if there's 1 exercise you should never miss out it's Squats.

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

Original Post by octo-luv:

I feel for you. I hurt my shoulder, or more specifically my supraspinatus, as well as my bicep muscles. I couldn't touch a weight for 10 days and now I'm only allowed to do tricep kickbacks, rows as long as i keep my arms straight & pullovers as long as i don't engage the bicep muscles. FRUSTRATING. 

 I'd be careful with those rows as they also engage the biceps.

I've been able to get away with doing squats before with a shoulder injury, and as they say if there's 1 exercise you should never miss out it's Squats.

ok i will. i make sure not to & to keep the arms straight. don't really like doing them anyway, so i don't do them a lot.

yeah ive been doing the bulgarian squats & deadlifts mostly

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

Original Post by octo-luv:

I feel for you. I hurt my shoulder, or more specifically my supraspinatus, as well as my bicep muscles. I couldn't touch a weight for 10 days and now I'm only allowed to do tricep kickbacks, rows as long as i keep my arms straight & pullovers as long as i don't engage the bicep muscles. FRUSTRATING. 

 I'd be careful with those rows as they also engage the biceps.

I've been able to get away with doing squats before with a shoulder injury, and as they say if there's 1 exercise you should never miss out it's Squats.

Sucks to hear that. I effed up my right quad today. Probably be out for a while... Doc appt in the A.M., see what the verdict is.

Original Post by pegwen:

Thanks to all who answered my cry for help.

I was a bit frustrated when I posted my 'rant'. I know better than to go against my doctors orders, but it's just taking SO LONG!

Oh well, at least I can still do cardio.

Thanks again everyone.

Peg

I had to stop all exercise for 3 weeks when I injured my left shoulder. Started doing spinning classes after that because it was low impact cardio. 4 weeks after the injury (that's when the pain was gone) got back on high impact cardio and weights. And it took me 4 weeks more to get back to where I was before. It was hard not being able to work out, specially when you're used to doing it 6 days a week.

Let your shoulder heal properly. Like you said at least you can do cardio!

Yeah, that sucks.  I also sustained a shoulder injury in early August.  I waited about 4 weeks before doing weights again, but even that turned out to be too soon.  Now I'm back to waiting for the pain to go away and just moving it without weights.

I was looking forward to getting back into it soon.  Now, specifically on Friday, I tore a tendon in my pinky finger.  6 weeks in a splint to look forward to.  At least I can still jog and do lower body even if it is only on the machines.

Yeah, I had surgery in April, and it took for-bloody-ever to get back to a point where I can train properly on a regular basis; it's actually only been the last three weeks or so that I've been able to do a full program. I've trained around the issue as best as I was able, but it's been a frequent source of frustration.

 I've done a lot of unilateral training, mobility drills, flexibility training and whatnots; those are especially important to keep up while injured. You need to hit up a physical therapist for an assessment and exercise recommendations though, it's one of those things where you really need in-person consultation to be able to judge what's safe for you to do.

I feel your pain- literally lol. I injured my shoulder in a car accident a few years back and it has never been the same since.

I would suggest you look into swimming. It is the only strength building exercise I can do with out hurting my shoulder.

Also, keep up with the PT/stretching. I personally think it's terribly boring, but it really helps.

Lastly, before attempting anything, make sure to stretch - a lot.

Hope your feeling better soon!!