Shoulder issues: exercise suggestions?

I've had some niggling ache in my shoulders (more so the dominant side) on and off for quite a while. I finally started looking around at injury possibilities as it has recently flared up again. From what I can tell, based on the motions that cause it, and the location of the pain, it seems likely to be bicep tendonitis.

The pain is in the very front of the shoulder, on the head of the humerous and seems to be caused by inward and outward rotation coupled with raising or lowering the arm in the lower third of its arc. It's more likely to happen with some sort of resistance; either a weight in the hand when movement is to the front of the body, or downward force when the arm is behind the body (such as lowering or raising my body with the arm). There's no pain when the arm is at or above the shoulder. This leads me to believe it's bicep tendonitis rather than a rotator cuff issue.

It's not currently bad enough that I feel seeing a doctor is necessary, but I'm interested in trying some preventative exercises to see if they help. If anyone has any suggestions or sources for exercise specific to this problem, I'd appreciate it.

www.dieselcrew.com/how-to-shoulder-rehab works wonders. Follow closely and give it two to three weeks and you will notice a difference.

Thanks Eric!

do YTWLs

Thanks D-Roc. I checked that out and it seems like a good place to start.

Mathias wrote:I've had some niggling ache in my shoulders (more so the dominant side) on and off for quite a while. I finally started looking around at injury possibilities as it has recently flared up again. From what I can tell, based on the motions that cause it, and the location of the pain, it seems likely to be bicep tendonitis. The pain is in the very front of the shoulder, on the head of the humerous and seems to be caused by inward and outward rotation coupled with raising or lowering the arm in the lower third of its arc. It's more likely to happen with some sort of resistance; either a weight in the hand when movement is to the front of the body, or downward force when the arm is behind the body (such as lowering or raising my body with the arm). There's no pain when the arm is at or above the shoulder. This leads me to believe it's bicep tendonitis rather than a rotator cuff issue. It's not currently bad enough that I feel seeing a doctor is necessary, but I'm interested in trying some preventative exercises to see if they help. If anyone has any suggestions or sources for exercise specific to this problem, I'd appreciate it.

grab some pompons and cheer other climbers, in no time you will recover

Eric Carlos wrote: www.dieselcrew.com/how-to-shoulder-rehab

I have a 2cm tear in my supraspinatus and it had the same symptoms as you described. I was supposed to get the surgery, but had already lived with it for about 2 years. I instead worked out several weight training regimens and it is about 95% pain free. But that's besides the point. You need to consider impingement as a culprit too, better yet go get a real diagnosis. Meanwhile, read this and see if it applies:
emedicine.medscape.com/arti…

Check out the crossover symmetry workout. I have terrible shoulders with torn and frayed everything and this has done wonders. Really helps stabilize your scap which is huge in preventing tweaking. You don't need all of the fancy crap they're trying to sell--just use a regular band at the gym and you'll be fine. Also, stretching and range of motion exercises have helped a lot.

Shoulders are super complex and an ounce of prevention is fully worth a pound of cure. (took 6 months off this winter for surgery) In the grand scheme of things, 600 bucks for a few PT visits out of pocket to figure out what exactly is going on and how to fix it is almost certainly worth it in the long run. None of us (and probably no PT) is going to be able to accurately tell you what's going on/what needs to change based on a typed description of symptoms, etc. Find someone that is good at working with shoulders who preferably understands climbing, and seek out their help.

Go to a PT. Everyone has their shoulder exercises, but you cannot gauge if it is appropriate for you. I wasted a month and made my injury worse by avoiding an appointment.

Thanks for the replies. I'll seriously consider seeing a doctor as many of you are suggesting. It doesn't seem like a big deal right now, but I certainly don't want it to become one.

There was a TrainingBeta podcast recently that talked about some exercises.
trainingbeta.com/media/ask-…

Basics: Internal and external rotations with band, whatever the one is where you step on the band and put your shoulder/elbow into 90 degrees positions and rotate toward the ground then up, and IYTs with light weight on an exercise ball.

The Diesel Crew shoulder rehab adds some other good shoulder movements.

also this:
dpmclimbing.com/articles/vi…

and this:
dpmclimbing.com/articles/vi…