Thread: Back injury from Shoulder Press

I think i need help with form here.

in the last 4 months i have strained the muscle in my upper back just to the side (once left and once right) of my spine twice. the pain seems to be quite deep and is significant when I turn my head (especially when laying down).

when doing my shoulder press i usually sit on an adjustible bench with the back almost at 90 degrees. I use dumb bells most of the time as i get a better squeeze at the top.

I do tend to arch my back slightly (very slightly) as the reps get up there.

I start out with low weight for a warm up set and increase the weight until i am getting 6-7 reps to failure.

I am wondering if this exercise is not condusive to heavy weight, but i see many others pushing low reps with hevey weight.

I am wondering if i should go to using only a bar bell, or if i should drop the angle of the bench, say to 80 degrees or so?

I suffered some shoulder problems the last 6-8 months, I stopped doing all overhead pressing movements and incline presses.