fmiceli

Hi Everyone,
I've done a search of this forum and cannot find the answer I was looking for.
I have been avoiding bench pressing for a while becasue of pain in my A/C joint. Regardless of what grip I use, it still hurts. I do not have any problems with my rotator cuff, tendonitis, or bursitis. I can do dips and military presses (to the front, not the back of the head) without any problems. Dumbell presses are ok as well as long as I lift and lower the weight along a specific plane. Has anyone heard of this problem and its causes? I suspect it could be a muscle imbalance but I do not know.
Any insight is greatly appreciated. I would like to get back into regular barbell bench pressing.
Thank you.....

Quadsweep

Tear in a ligament?

(+12 months recovery)

Yanick

you might be impinging your supraspinatus, do you bench with your elbows flared out to the sides (aka bodybuilder bench).

"...we have to remember that training is a complicated dance of stimuli and response. Our goal is to understand how to manipulate the stimuli in order to evoke the responses we desire." -Nathan J. Polenchek

DrChiro

AC and SC joint problems are common in lifters and can be avoided by watching form, ROM, and avoiding certain exercises (like behind the neck pulldowns).

Personally I would find a chiro who is familiar with sports injuries and extremity adjusting to take a look at it...I had an SC joint malposition that my ortho said would be only fixed by an operation....one adjustment and it was 100% better. This is not to say that you will get the same results....obviously mine was a true malposition (aka subluxation) and only needed realignment.

If you did actually tear the ligament (acromioclavicular ligament) causing a true separation then you may need surgery or extensive rehab. My thoughts are always to try the most conservative methods first.

Go to the chiro...see what he says...if he is good and can fix it he will....and if not he should be able to make the right diagnosis and send you to the right Dr for fixin'

My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right.

When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.

Yanick

great advice doc. one question though, SC? Forgive me its been a while since i read any anatomy.

"...we have to remember that training is a complicated dance of stimuli and response. Our goal is to understand how to manipulate the stimuli in order to evoke the responses we desire." -Nathan J. Polenchek

DrChiro

my bad....sternoclavicular joint

the clavicle articulates medially with the sternum (breast bone) and laterally with the acromion.

both hare succeptible to injury when lifting although the AC joint is much more commonly injured.

I separated my SC joint by dropping a heavy DB after doing DB bench press and not letting go of the damn thing...it tractioned my arm and seperated the joint...and damn did it hurt!

My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right.

When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.

Yanick

ok i gotcha, thanks for the info doc.

"...we have to remember that training is a complicated dance of stimuli and response. Our goal is to understand how to manipulate the stimuli in order to evoke the responses we desire." -Nathan J. Polenchek