Pain when bench pressing
Shoulder pain when bench pressing is common. This is because the exercise has a high injury potential. The main problem lies with the bench on which the user lies during the exercise.
This is usually too wide and prevents the natural movement of the shoulder blade, which would normally move backwards from a certain angle during the downward movement. This is prevented by the bench, so that instead an unnaturally strong movement in the humerus is created. This leads to overloading of the outer rotators of the shoulder and damage to the joint capsule.
On the other hand, the inner shoulder muscle (M. subscapularis) is less stressed. This is weakened in the long term, resulting in an imbalance of the shoulder muscles (muscular imbalance). During the pushing movement, the humerus literally springs into the socket and compresses the anterior joint capsule and the long biceps tendon.
In the long run, this leads to damage to the joint complex and to pain in the front shoulder area. Prophylaxis: If you want to avoid the pain of bench press, you should only train with narrower benches or benches with recesses for the shoulder blades. This allows the shoulder blade to follow its normal movements and muscles and joints are not overloaded to the same extent. In addition, a good technique with appropriate grip width, as well as weights adapted to the training level should be observed.
Bodybuilding/strength training
Front shoulder pain can also occur during bodybuilding/strength training. These often do not occur as a result of an accident, but are rather the consequence of an incorrect or even excessive load.Since bodybuilding or weight training often trains the large muscle groups (large pectoral muscle – musculus pectoralis, upper trapezius – musculus trapezius and the deltoid muscle – musculus deltoideus), a muscular imbalance occurs in the shoulder area. During training, the opponents of the individual muscles may be neglected, so that the pulling force in one direction always predominates.
In strength training it is especially important to always train players and opponents of a joint. An example of this is the biceps and triceps of the arm. By training on both sides, you achieve good stability in the joint and no one-sided overstraining of the individual structures.
The consequence of this one-sided training can be a change in the position of the humeral head in the socket, which can lead to functional limitations and pain. In addition, the increased muscle mass and expansion of the muscles in the shoulder area can lead to constrictions, so that tendons become trapped in their sliding bearings, which can also cause shoulder pain. Overloading or overexertion can also lead to pathological changes in the area of the muscle tendons (so-called tendinopathies).
The tendon of the supraspinatus muscle, a muscle of the rotator cuff, is often affected. As a symptom, a so-called painful arc can occur, which means that when the arm is spread between 60 and 120°, strong pain can occur. Certain technical errors made during strength training can lead to anterior shoulder pain.
For example, during exercises with the bib tension bar, the rule is to pull the bar towards the chest rather than towards the neck. Another technique mistake is bench press with widely spread elbows. In this case, the load on the shoulder joint increases significantly in contrast to tight elbows.
If you experience new shoulder pain after training, you should refrain from doing the corresponding exercises for a few days or weeks. Shoulder pain can have many causes. Depending on the localization of the complaints, however, there are clinical pictures that typically cause complaints in these particular areas of the shoulder.
The pain does not have to relate exclusively to the front part of the shoulder, but may also radiate to the front of the upper arm. The structures in the area of the shoulder joint that lead to pain in the front of the shoulder when injured, such as a torn shoulder muscle fiber ,or inflammation, are typically the anterior joint capsule and the long biceps tendon. The so-called pulley lesion refers to damage to the long biceps tendon as it passes through the shoulder joint.
The tendon normally runs through the shoulder joint protected by a tendon sheath in a bony groove over the head of the humerus through the shoulder joint. If there are signs of wear (degenerative changes) in the joint or other injuries, such as a tear in the rotator cuff, the position of the biceps tendon can change. It no longer runs protected in its groove, but gets caught between the bony structures and is trapped and damaged.
In the long run, the tendon becomes very thin and can even tear. It can also lead to chronic inflammation of the tendon. Finally, shoulder joint arthrosis can also develop.
The pain caused by damage to the biceps tendon is usually concentrated in the front part of the shoulder. Therapy: The biceps tendon cannot usually be returned to its original position because the entire shoulder joint is usually already too damaged. In this case, the damaged part of the biceps tendon is removed instead, so that the disruptive factor is removed from the joint.
This is usually perceived by patients as pain-relieving. The loss of function that the removal of the biceps tendon entails is usually no longer a significant disadvantage due to the previous damage to the joint. A muscular imbalance of the shoulder is present when the muscles at the top and front of the shoulder (deltoid muscle, pectoral muscle) are more pronounced than the rear shoulder muscles (infraspinatus muscle, teres minor).
This causes the shoulder joint to assume a defective position. The front and upper muscles pull more strongly in their pulling direction and the rear shoulder muscles cannot counteract this.In the long term, this causes the humerus to be pulled out of its socket and exerts pressure on the surrounding structures, such as the biceps tendon. This manifests itself as unpleasant shoulder pain, especially in the front shoulder area.
Secondarily, an impingement syndrome can develop due to the muscular imbalance. Cause: Often young athletes already suffer from muscular imbalance, especially those who do throwing sports. These additionally strengthen the upper and front shoulder muscles so that they become even stronger and the imbalance is further aggravated. That is why throwing athletes should also specifically train the rear shoulder muscles in order to prevent the development of an impingement syndrome.
- Pulley lesion
- Muscular Dysbalance
