Lifting injury

[ouch]

Hello,

I injured my shoulder and I wonder if anyone has experienced a similar problem or has suggestions about this.

I was trying to lift something that was way too heavy. My arm was down at my side and I was trying to lift up said heavy object when suddenly I felt this piercing, searing pain go through my shoulder. I immediately stopped trying to lift. The pain was severe for 2-5 minutes after the injury and then subsided. That was yesterday. When I woke up this morning, I felt a moderate pain in my shoulder that has worsened during the day. I have almost full range of motion, but it is somewhat painful accompanied by clicks and pops.

Any thoughts on what the problem might be or how to treat it - ice vs. heat?

[injuryupdate]

Definitely treat this with ice. The mechanism of injury means that the most likely damage is to the rotator cuff tendons which lift the shoulder. It is unlikely that you have dislocated the shoulder, for example. If you had a major tendon tear then you probably wouldn't have a good range of motion the next day, so I would predict that you recover well. If you lose range or have ongoing pain on lifting your shoulder through full range, it is worthwhile getting a scan (either ultrasound or MRI) to assess whether you have a major tear of a tendon. If range and function returns within 1-2 weeks, then it is almost certain that you haven't torn a tendon. Age is also an important factor. Tendons are very rarely torn by people in their 20s, but commonly torn in 50 year olds by comparsion.