Shoulder pain while benching but not pressing

deadshot138

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Anyone else experience a sharp pinching pain at the front of either shoulder while bench pressing? I thought it was because I had a shitty bench but i bought a decent one and it’s still an issue some sets. Not sure if I’m misgrooving my reps and bar path when the pain occurs or not. I experience no pain or strength loss while overhead pressing so I think structural damage is out of the question.

I think perhaps it’s internal rotation or something.
 
Have you tried bringing your grip closer for bench? Do you flare your elbows during the BP? Have you seen anyone about it?
 
1)Upload a video of yourself benching. It may be a form issue.

2)If there's no obvious form issue or the pain continues, see a specialist like a sport's doctor or physiotherapist.
 
Anyone else experience a sharp pinching pain at the front of either shoulder while bench pressing? I experience no pain while overhead pressing.
This description is consistent with tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps tendon.
 
Have you tried bringing your grip closer for bench? Do you flare your elbows during the BP? Have you seen anyone about it?
I actually thought my grip was too close, when I widened it I noticed the pain happened less.
 
1)Upload a video of yourself benching. It may be a form issue.

2)If there's no obvious form issue or the pain continues, see a specialist like a sport's doctor or physiotherapist.
I need a tutorial of video uploading on here. Bench day is Sunday and I’ll see if I can get a vid up
 
Shoulder seems to float sometimes too, clicking and whatnot occasionally
 
Benched 315x10 no pain, 365 for 3 no pain and got stapled to the bench with a 405 pr attempt, only ego pain. Maybe it was just an odd day when it was hurting. Who knows.
 
Hvae sex with the bench, that always improves my 1 RM max if I'm stalling
 
Sounds like you may be having a heart attack...or it's cancer. Push through the pain.
 
have a similar problem in my left shoulder. went to dr. had mri rotator has some tears in it. not bad enough for surgery but still hurts a lot. went for rehab seemed to help. I just go lighter and do some exercises like flys.
 
Is the pain in the front of the shoulder? Under the front delt? If so, its almost certainly 1 of the 2 biceps origin tendons (doesn't matter which one, its treated the same). If its up towards the collarbone more than its the AC joint.
 
I'm going to butt in here a little bit.

This description is consistent with tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps tendon.
Not necessarily more consistent than with other pathologies. Could be the labrum, or other anterior structures like the capsule, could be supraspinatus or referred pain from the AC joint due to the compression (or other structures referring). Could even be radicular. You'd have to have more information and do tests, eventhough the sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic value on most are piss poor.

Is the pain in the front of the shoulder? Under the front delt? If so, its almost certainly 1 of the 2 biceps origin tendons (doesn't matter which one, its treated the same). If its up towards the collarbone more than its the AC joint.
The short head of the bisceps brachii inserts at the processus coracoideus, as I'm sure you know, and if it's an enthesopathy of the short head then it might as well be the pec minor that's causing the issue. The symptomatology is also different from a tendinopathy of the long head. Again, while palpating the AC or creating compression certainly would create known pain locally at the AC joint, referred pain from both the AC and other structures can be felt anteriorly near the front delt, or at various other places at the delt, or the upper part of the humerus. I agree with you that most rehabilitation is pretty cookie cutter regarding anterior glenohumeral issues though (if that's what it is).

Sorry to be brash but with giving diagnostic advice over the internet it's important to be sharp.

In the end TS only had pain once, came to Sherdog, then the pain went away. Pretty much making a mountain out of a molehill. Or so it seems.
 
Not necessarily more consistent than with other pathologies. Could be the labrum, or other anterior structures like the capsule, could be supraspinatus or referred pain from the AC joint due to the compression (or other structures referring). Could even be radicular. You'd have to have more information and do tests, eventhough the sensitivity, specificity and overall diagnostic value on most are piss poor.

That's almost certainly false. For example, it is very unlikely a supraspinatus injury would result in pain during bench pressing but not during overhead pressing. On the other hand, a bicipital tendonitis will typically (i.e. almost always) result in pain during bench pressing but not during overhead pressing.

Without being able to make a confident diagnosis online, which I never attempted to do, I can tell you based on my experience that in the specific referral of anterior shoulder pain in benching with zero pain on overhead pressing, the number one suspect would be bicipital tendonitis.

By the way, and aside from any theoretical knowledge or professional experience I might have relating to the subject, I've had the unpleasant experience to have had all of the above, namely bicipital tendonitis, labrum tears (both SLAP and Bankart), supraspinatus tears, and AC joint tears.
 
That's almost certainly false. For example, it is very unlikely a supraspinatus injury would result in pain during bench pressing but not during overhead pressing. On the other hand, a bicipital tendonitis will typically (i.e. almost always) result in pain during bench pressing but not during overhead pressing.

Without being able to make a confident diagnosis online, which I never attempted to do, I can tell you based on my experience that in the specific referral of anterior shoulder pain in benching with zero pain on overhead pressing, the number one suspect would be bicipital tendonitis.

By the way, and aside from any theoretical knowledge or professional experience I might have relating to the subject, I've had the unpleasant experience to have had all of the above, namely bicipital tendonitis, labrum tears (both SLAP and Bankart), supraspinatus tears, and AC joint tears.
I agree that it's unlikely that it would be the supraspinatus, the bursa or anything other in the subacromial space given there's no pain on overhead pressing, but without knowing how he presses, how he benches, when the pain is there, and seeing if there's other signs of impingement you can't make a blanket statement like that. I've seen patients who didn't have pain during actual strict pressing, yet could be stressed enough by repeated abductions to reproduce pain symptoms, and who also showed degenerative signs on US diagnostics on the supraspinatus tendon. While pain overhead could be a sign of impingement/itis, regardless of the structure, you have to be a little more thorough than that. There's a reason why as I said the sensitivity is so low on the manual diagnostics that you have to combine as many as you can, plus use your clinical experience, plus get a very good anamnesis. Bicipital tendinopathy can also cause pain overhead, and especially with labrum tears as you probably have experienced.

If the referred pain is from discus, the AC or other osseous structures the difference in load and angle could explain why it would give symptoms during the bench and not the OHP. That's not uncommon to see, though many times OHP would be painful too. Pain from the labrum, although less likely a tear here, or the anterior part of the capsule could be caused by greater anterior translation of the humerus during benching compared to the OHP. It depends on how he benches and OHP presses, and how that effects his arthrokinematics. You'd have to look at it.

I've also had a SLAP tear on my right shoulder, bicipital tendinosis with flares and overall a fucked up shoulder, so I can relate. However that's a sample size of one. When you work with enough people you see how the symptomatology of especially pain changes. That's why you need to gather as much information as possible. Otherwise it's just sloppy reasoning.

He also apparently had pain once during a benchpress, so hardly any reason to suggest anything based on that.
 
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I agree that it's unlikely that it would be the supraspinatus, the bursa or anything other in the subacromial space given there's no pain on overhead pressing, but without knowing how he presses, how he benches, when the pain is there, and seeing if there's other signs of impingement you can't make a blanket statement like that.
Is the "blanket statement" the following: "This description is consistent with tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps tendon"?

Or is it pointing out that your saying a bicipital tendinopathy is "Not necessarily more consistent" than a supraspinatus injury is "almost certainly false"?
 
Is the "blanket statement" the following: "This description is consistent with tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps tendon"?

Or is it pointing out that saying a bicipital tendinopathy is "Not necessarily more consistent" than a supraspinatus injury is "almost certainly false"?
I think I explained it pretty well.

A blanket statement might be a stretch, call it a jump to conclusions. On the bisceps tendinitis part that is.

With what little information we have, saying that it's not necessarily (without context) more consistent with labrum, AC, various referred pain, radicular pain or supraspinuts/bursa issues then yes I'd argue it's a blanket statement. At least a premature one. I don't disagree with your reasoning, and the supraspinatus is definitely the most unlikely, but we still don't know enough of the scope to say the other diagnosis are almost certainly false.
 
I think I explained it pretty well.

A blanket statement might be a stretch, call it a jump to conclusions. On the bisceps tendinitis part that is.
Stating that "This description is consistent with tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps tendon" is jumping to conclusions?
 
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