injuries messing with my emotions

[Clever Name]

So I noticed a few weeks back my shoulders weren't feeling so good during my chest workouts, which involved pushups on a medicine ball, barbell bench press, barbell incline press, and barbell decline press. I made the brilliant decision to think, "Ah, probably nothing. No need to change any exercises!" The pain would go away after the workout...and then a couple of days later...and then, it didn't. [Kicking self for not switching exercises at the first hint of discomfort ] I took two weeks off lifting, noticed my shoulder felt mostly better, then did very light weight, full-body workouts emphasizing plyometrics--upper body stuff was different styles of pushups and light dumbbell presses while doing traveling lunges. Shoulders felt fine during the whole week, but on the weekend, the pain was worse again. I saw the doctor on Monday, and he said I've got shoulder impingement syndrome. I'm now doing rotator cuff exercises with 16-oz cans 5x/day and have stopped upper body workouts.

 

I was going to do extra cardio and lower-body work while my shoulder heals, but now my knee and foot are hurting. The high-impact plyo stuff just has never felt good to my feet and joints. It just feels like my whole body wants a rest. I've lost my appetite (VERY unusual for me) and have been struggling with depression. For years, I've looked to my workouts as giving my life a sense of mastery, the part of my life where I'm always learning and seeing improvements, even if I'm struggling with everything else. I want to be patient and accept that my body needs time to heal, and I want to identify other areas of my life where I can create meaning and a purpose, but I want even more to be lifting hard and heavy again. I keep thinking of my body going soft and losing all the muscle I've worked so hard to build. I feel anxious that my injuries won't heal properly and I'll never be able to lift again. I am having trouble accepting things as they are now.

 

So I've got two questions for the group:

 

1) Anyone ever deal with shoulder impingement before? How did recovery go for you?

 

2) Any thoughts on dealing with the psychological aspect of being injured?

 

I suspect the powers of the universe are encouraging me to find other sources of self-esteem outside the gym. Stupid universe with its life lessons!

[Guest]

I've never had that shoulder problem but I've dealt with about a dozen dislocations and an uncountable number of sublocations and the rehab would likely be significantly different so I can't help you much there.

As for dealing with emotions of not being able to work out I'd work around that by doing whatever I could...this normally meant my legs would get considerably stronger while my upper body lagged behind. I had to lift every day even though I would only lift with my legs. It probably hurt me physically but I really needed it mentally. I have had upper and lower body injuries at the same time too...this normally results in me doing ridiculous amounts of core work. Thing is you can only do so much of this and I'm the opposite of you...when I can't workout I eat more. Anyhow...try to find some type of cardio equipment that doesn't bother you so much. If not stick to doing more leg extensions/curls and work on strengthening your hips and groin muscles...it'll pay off when you get to go all out again.

[DV]

Ahh, Clever Name, welcome to the club. I really think that lifting changes as you age (not to disregard all you young 20-something males). I am now 12 months into a "traveling" shoulder injury. I call it traveling because I believe it started anteriorly and moved posteriorly. Probably a coincidence. I could tell you every exercise that works around my injury because that's how important working out is for me. So you can still work out despite an injury. However, I have probably waited too long to have this one looked at.

 

On the other hand, I get aches in my forearms and wrists often - they are too weak compared to my biceps and triceps. Therefore, I feel a bit more comfortable working these areas despite the pain (within reason and without causing strain or stress).

 

Pain, aches, it's all subjective. You really need to get to know yourself well before you know when something is a true injury vs. a small set-back.

 

I've taken this time to concentrate on other areas of my body. As much as I would like to work my shoulders hard, I can assure you that every other area can use some work. So I deal with injury by just concentrating on different body parts. If you focus on your injury, you throw the baby out with the bath water, or however that stupid saying goes.

 

I hope that made sense.

[DV]

Ahh, Clever Name, welcome to the club. I really think that lifting changes as you age (not to disregard all you young 20-something males). I am now 12 months into a "traveling" shoulder injury. I call it traveling because I believe it started anteriorly and moved posteriorly. Probably a coincidence. I could tell you every exercise that works around my injury because that's how important working out is for me. So you can still work out despite an injury. However, I have probably waited too long to have this one looked at.

 

On the other hand, I get aches in my forearms and wrists often - they are too weak compared to my biceps and triceps. Therefore, I feel a bit more comfortable working these areas despite the pain (within reason and without causing strain or stress).

 

Pain, aches, it's all subjective. You really need to get to know yourself well before you know when something is a true injury vs. a small set-back.

 

I've taken this time to concentrate on other areas of my body. As much as I would like to work my shoulders hard, I can assure you that every other area can use some work. So I deal with injury by just concentrating on different body parts. If you focus on your injury, you throw the baby out with the bath water, or however that stupid saying goes.

 

I hope that made sense.

[markc7]

Same story as potter. I was hit by a car five years ago and dislocated my shoulder. Since then it's dislocated about once or twice a year, sometimes while lifting weights. When it first got hurt, I couldn't run or do any upper body exercises. For a month, I spent a couple hours per week on the stairclimber, then did whatever leg exercises I could do without bothering my shoulder. It's a bummer, but if you focus on what you can do instead of what you can't do, you'll realize that there are quite a few option open to you.

[Clever Name]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. The good news is that (I hope I'm not jinxing myself by writing this), my shoulder is feeling better. Not all the way better, but better than before. The true test will come when it's time to reach up and then down again...for example, using a measuring cup to get beans out of an almost-empty bin that is on a counter at hip height...especially if I reach behind me to do it. That's the worst!

 

The bad news is that with my feet hurting over the past two weeks (knee has gotten better), I haven't done any cardio or lower body work except for one day when my feet and knee said, "You know, there's a reason you've avoided plyo for the past two years, and it's NOT because you're just lazy." I spent the rest of that week limping. I can now walk normally, but each step is uncomfortable...there are pains going through my feet right above my heel and behind my ankle. However, the pain has lessened over the past few days, and I don't think it will prevent me from doing cardio (of course, I won't be running...but then again, I never do).

 

The good news again is that I've come to be okay with having taken nearly a 2 week rest. I came down with a minor cold over the past week. I plan to start cardio and lower body work again on Monday, and I'm hoping that the rest has done my body good.

 

I see my PCP again on the 25th, and if the pain is still there, he'll order an MRI (the Xrays were all normal).

 

Sad to see my arms getting soft, but happy that I may be the only one to notice it...got a compliment on them from a coworker the other day and from my DH last night. And even in Phoenix, it's long sleeve season (time to go shopping for new winter clothes, 'cause my old ones are too big). So even if I'm out of commission until 2008, I've got time to build my arms again.

 

And a sort-of bonus is that with the depression and anxiety over the injury came a decrease in appetite, lowering me to my lowest weight since the fall of '92 (yes, I have a bizarre memory for numbers). Now, I know there's muscle and water in that loss, but for me, it feels better psychologically to think, "Time to recoup lost muscle from when I was sick/injured" than "Time to lose gained fat from when I ate too much and didn't make it to the gym."

[health freak]

well, CleverName, i understand how you feel.

 

5 years ago,(i was an omni back then) i used to lift weights and go to the gym quite regularly. Then something happened and my body just started to have pains. I felt pains in all my joints and my lower back. It was excruciating and the doctors ordered to stop weight lifting. Actually, since i had inflations in all of my joints, i wasn't allowed to any kind of exercise.

 

Very soon, i couldn't walk or even hold a bag when standing. The tests i ran showed that i had a rare type of youth arthritis. I was 24years old then and my life changed drammatically as i lost my mobility. With doctors saying that nothing could be done to this degenarative disease and prescribing me more chemical drugs for the pain, psychologically i was wrecked. I was in depression.

 

then i decided to take control of my life and went vegan. Very soon i felt much better and then I met a holistic, vegan doctor and with her guidance i started exercising again. She told me that weight lifting and running wasn't for me (at least for now) and that i should discover other types of exercise. She suggested swimming as the best king of exercise that is also impact free for the joints and benefficial too.

 

I couldn't swim but i had to do something good for myself! So, one day i went to the pool and started swimming classes. Very soon, i mastered swimming and started feeling all well and healthy again. It was invigorating! Now i can swim for hours and forget all of my problems and distress. I'm nearly healed and feel very healthy.

 

Don't give up. Don't let it take control of your life and psychology. Start doing as an exercise whatever you feel that doesn't hurt you. Swimming might be a solution for you too. Check it out.

 

I hope you'll be strong and healthy very soon.