I am 59 years old, 6 feet tall and weigh 200lbs. I have been lifting weights regularly for several years.
I have been diagnosed with arthritis in my right shoulder.
Due to my arthritis, I may not be able to perform overhead presses much longer. Bench press seems to be ok for now. As do lat pulls. I can high bar squat and deadlift without pain.
What other lifts would you recommend to keep my shoulders strong and stave off shoulder replacement surgery as long as possible? I have read Dr. Baraki’s article on arthritis posted on the Starting Strength website.
I have a similar issue and glad to see this post. Ortho diagnosed AC joint arthritis (x-ray and MRI). Rest, meloxicam and pennsaid have not worked too well. The surgeon is thinking about arthroscopy and shaving the bones. I don’t want to give up on the press and wonder if you have any ideas / modifications to try before surgery.
I have a similar issue and glad to see this post. Ortho diagnosed AC joint arthritis (x-ray and MRI). Rest, meloxicam and pennsaid have not worked too well. The surgeon is thinking about arthroscopy and shaving the bones. I don’t want to give up on the press and wonder if you have any ideas / modifications to try before surgery? Thank you for all the great content on the site and I have been enjoying the Peri Rx and Whey
I have arthritis in both hips and will probably be getting a total hip replacement in the next year. I can’t squat to full depth because my right hip can’t get there. Using Jordan’s advice, I squat to a box (I have it at 18.5”) one thing that I have noticed is that continuing to squat with some frequency preserves my ROM. If I go without squatting for a week it will take me until the 10th or 11th warm up set with weight before I can even touch the box and even after that I am barely getting there for the rest of the session. If I maintain frequency I can often get to the box between the 5th and 7th warm up, before even adding weight and by the time I get to work sets, I feel that I could lower the box by 1”. So for me at least, continuing to work, by altering the lift as little as possible, has proven beneficial. I do get frustrated and depressed about my ROM and I have a hard time with sleeping and everyday things like tying my shoes but I have found that avoiding squats doesn’t make anything better and actually contributes to my depression and frustration.
"Who has told you this?"…I went to see an Orthopedic doctor in May 2018. He requested a MRI. The MRI showed 75% of the cartilage gone (according to the doctor). He called it osteoarthritis. The doctor said it was most likely from shoulder surgery for a dislocating shoulder back in the early 1980’s. (football injury). He told me to continue to lift weights if that is what I liked to do (and I do) but go a little “lighter” on the overhead stuff…whatever that meas. He also said I will probably need a shoulder replacement sometime in my future.
What have you been told about arthritis? ….Only know what I have read on the internet. It is my understanding that there is no “cure”. . Just things you can do to slow it down. I am researching “stem cell therapy” as a possible treatment. Joint supplements probably don’t work but I am taking some anyway.
Thank you for taking the time to address my question.
Dr. Crush
PS. I am not a doctor. I am an mechanical engineer by trade.
The reason I think my overhead pressing days may be limited is that there is some pain/discomfort even when pressing a broom stick. However…I recently found that by just hanging from a chin bar for several 30 sec intervals…every day… helps quite a bit. So I am trying that. I have been pressing once a week…75lbs 3x5…with some discomfort.
For what it is worth…I have had some coaching from a SSC.
So it sounds like you have been set up with a certain narrative, and certain expectations, about how this process goes. Cartilage loss is certainly a feature in OA, but is not particularly predictive of pain, disability, or need for surgery. You also have been set up with the expectation that this condition cannot improve, and that you would likely need surgery. There is research showing that providing providing patients with these ideas actually impacts their symptoms, disability, and likelihood of progression to surgery.
The thing we care about most here is your function, not what percentage of cartilage is present or absent in your shoulder. I would suggest taking a listen to our pain/injury podcasts, as well as the numerous educational resources we have put out and linked to on the topic (from places like PainScience.com and Dr. Lorimer Moseley, among others) – our goal is to find a way for you to train productively, not to just “limp by” until you need a shoulder replacement.
I wanted to check back in and thank you for recalibrating my mental model of osteoarthritis.
I did the reading you suggested and it changed my whole attitude. I also got a copy of the MRI (written version). I couldn’t understand most of it but it used the term “tendinosis” in several places. I now believe that some/all of my pain was from tendinosis…not arthritis. I also believe that the “low bar back squat” was irritating my shoulder more than anything.
I am overhead pressing 105 lbs. for sets of five with minimal discomfort. I know it doesn’t sound like much. But for a 59 year old who couldn’t press a broom stick over his head 6 months ago without pain…it is a small miracle. I am also doing chin ups which I haven’t been able to do for years. Doing “negative” chins seemed to help me heal the most. They hurt a lot at first. But the more I did them the better my shoulder felt.
I am feeling better already.