Shoulder Pain Rehab Template

Pain & Rehab Forum [Moderated]
1

Shoulder pain rehab template has been released.

https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop…ehab-template/

Detailes:

This is a brand-new 13-week template was designed by Drs. Michael Ray and Jordan Feigenbaum for individuals with shoulder pain.

Shoulder pain is often viewed as a complex issue with many potential causes. However, in situations not involving a trauma, we rarely are able to put a finger on a specific issue and rather can focus on managing loading of the area with a well-designed progressive program specific to the individual’s activity goals.

This template is designed to aid individuals focused on resistance training (specifically squat, bench press, overhead press, and deadlift) with finding an entry point to activity and slowly building over time. Given many folks will seek healthcare consultation for their shoulder pain, here are a few examples of labels this template would be appropriate for:

  1. Shoulder osteoarthritis
  2. Subacromial Impingement Syndrome
  3. Subacromial Pain Syndrome
  4. Rotator Cuff Related Pain Syndrome
  5. Rotator Cuff Tears
  6. SLAP (Superior-Labrum Anterior to Posterior) Tears
  7. Bicipital Tendinopathy
  8. A/C Joint Sprain (Grade 3 or below)
  9. Other associated shoulder sprains/strains (grades 1 – 2)

Alternatively, if you are a trainer or health professional looking for exercise tools to implement with your clients or patients with shoulder pain, this template and 33-page eBook is also for you.

The following are included in the Shoulder Rehab Template:

  1. 13 weeks of all-inclusive programming with user-selected exercises based on symptoms, resources, and preferences split over 3 phases.
  2. 3-5 days per week of training.
  3. Includes expended exercise demo’s and training logger
  4. Scientific resources provided for further reading

This thread will serve as a centralized area to ask questions regarding the template and shoulder pain rehabilitation.

2

Hey guys, great to see more rehab options now. I downloaded the shoulder template and it looks great. Looking forward to starting with it.

I have a query with the application. As well as having a grouchy right shoulder, I also have some pain, clicking and inflammation on the lateral part of my right elbow too.

I’m hoping that symptoms will improve on both joints using this template but is that a reasonable expectation?

Is there anything I should consider adding or modifying if there is pain in both elbow and shoulder?

3

Hey Khay - thanks for purchasing the template and for your questions. We can provide more insight to help individualize the template via a consultation. Difficult to say what, if any, changes need to occur to the general template outline. With that said, I think it’s reasonable the template can help adjust dosage of activity to your tolerance level related to upper extremity symptoms (shoulder and elbow). Hope that helps!

1 Like
4

Dear Barbell Medicine,

I recently purchased the shoulder rehab template and I was wondering about the exercise selection around the shoulder rehab exercises.

I cannot clearly pinpoint my shoulder pain exactly (front, side, back). The pain seems to be originating in the center if that makes any sense. I can particularly feel it in the bottom of the overhead press. Immediately when I initiate the press.

Which shoulder rehab exercises from the template would you recommend for me?

Best,
Ivo

5

I understand. Probably the upright row and/or side lateral raises. Let me know if you have any other questions.

6

Dear Barbell Medicine,

first and foremost I want to thank you for your great work.

Since around May this year I have an ongoing problem with my left shoulder (the weaker side). There was no incident, but I think I have overdone benchpressing until this point. I made some significant progress, benching almost daily, but the shoulder situation decreased steadily. Until the point I couldn’t tolerate any load (not even the empty barbell), my arm and shoulder felt numb, I had difficulty raising the arm, and I had (and still have) strange popping and grinding sensations in my left shoulder only. A short break from benching allowed for some low load training afterwards. But the symptoms where steadily swinging back and forth, with no significant progress.

I have self-diagnosed it to be a an A/C joint sprain. Since the pain originates from the top of the shoulder. And the grinding, popping comes quite obviously from this joint.

I can do overhead presses, with little to no pain. Same for dips.

By May the beachvolleyball season was starting off as well, and I experienced significant pain when throwing the ball for the serve with my left. I circumvented that by switching to throw with my right. But prolonged sessions where still painful, because the approach to the net requires swinging the left arm as well.

I have purchased the template a while ago in hope of a path out of the misery and I’m now in week 6. It is working great in most aspects.

But now to the question(s), sorry for the longwinded intro, the analysis tab shows a slow but steady decline in the benching numbers, basically since the beginning, is this still ok? Or should I switch something up? Extend phase 1? I’m gauging the RPE based on the pain, I’m feeling and can tolerate.

The second but related aspect is the benching technique. When I’m really focusing on depressing the shoulder blades, the pain during unracking is significant. Later during the set, when moving the weight “further down”, the pain decreases. Is his normal? Can/should I make technique adjustments to circumvent this initial painful phase? Maybe not building so much tension through arching, leg-drive and such … and bench more with a flat back?

Thanks and best regards
Dirk

7

Hey Dirk - thanks for purchasing the template and for your questions. Glad to hear overall the template has been helpful.

I wouldn’t worry too much about training numbers right now. My biggest concern in this scenario is finding tolerable loads that help you continue to be active but don’t leave you feeling worse afterwards. In time, the loads will come back up. Additionally, totally fine with adjusting technique to tolerance as needed but with the idea of progressing back towards your specific technique over time; be sure to still prioritize RPE for load selections.

8

Hey Guys, I just bought the shoulder rehab template. My current training focus is on Weightlifting, and for some reason the overhead squat position in the snatch continually inflames the front side of my rotator cuff on my right shoulder. There doesn’t appear to be a specific reason for this. My positioning is good, bar path good. This has happened a couple times, and each time I back off the weight, gradually work back up as pain allows. It eventually goes away, but then as soon as I start getting moderately heavy in weight, the shoulder gets inflamed again.

How would I modify this template to be specific to this issue? My thought was to switch to doing power snatches only for a while (which do not seem to inflame the shoulder), then gradually work the overhead squat back up using the approach outlined in the PDF.

Any other suggestions?

9

Hey Chewie,

Thanks for the questions and sorry to hear about the situation. Overall, sounds like you manage through these situations quite well by adjusting loading as needed and slowly building back up over time. We discuss such an approach here: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog…ining-what-do/

Modifying the template - yeah, a consultation would likely be helpful for specifically addressing your situation and outlining a path forward. Generally speaking - I often have folks regress snatch to a tolerable movement based on which part of the lift they are having noticeable symptoms. So perhaps we do snatch pulls, snatch grip deadlift, or something else to train tolerable pull positions but then we can slowly dose in snatch grip behind the neck overhead press to tolerance while progressing back to dynamic loading (OHS → Snatch drop → snatch balance).

Hope that helps.

One note - I am not sure I’d blame inflammation for your experience. I mention this because often that thought leads to unnecessary interventions geared at “reducing inflammation”.

10

Thanks Michael. This helps a lot. Two follow up questions on the template itself:

On the exercise selection tabs under Deadlift Exercises, there is a “Row” slot for each phase. However, I don’t see any of the row movements in the program overview. Am I missing something?

Second, it looks like the overall volume/intensity on the deadlift is relatively lower vs. some of the other BBM template programs I’ve used (no heavy singles, etc). Is that just to reduce overall fatigue during the rehab of the shoulder? Just curious.

11

Row - you are correct. Let me look into that further.

Volume/intensity - the initial phases of the template are meant to constrain overall loading as well as loading directly affecting the symptomatic region. By the final phase of the template, normative programming is occurring.

12

Ok, the template has been updated to include the row. Sorry about that. You can download the template from your link with the receipt.

13

to burn belle fat which i find this resource helpful watch this video, and thank GOD i posted it here. https://shrinke.me/pzslL

14

Hey team,

Just bought the Shoulder rehab template for a persistent pain since July. I’ve been using all the pain articles to self rehab with mix results, some weeks I feel on verge of being outta pain and then I won’t be able to lift my arm. Usually its outside activities that’s been causing flare ups. But it’s starting to affect my day to day. My actual question: I’m used to 4 days a week of lifting and two GPP days, Program is a three lifting day a week… I’m assuming adding a fourth lifting day is not recommended though I am adapted to it?

15

Hey! Thanks for purchasing the template. No, I don’t recommend adding frequency of resistance training to the template. It’s possible the reduced frequency helps with symptom resolution.

16

Hi friends,
I just bought the shoulder rehab template. My current training focus is on Weightlifting, and for some reason the overhead squat position in the snatch continually inflames the front side of my rotator cuff on my right shoulder. There doesn’t appear to be a specific reason for this. My positioning is good, bar path good. This has happened a couple times, and each time I back off the weight, gradually work back up as pain allows. It eventually goes away, but then as soon as I start getting moderately heavy in weight, the shoulder gets inflamed again.

17

Hello,

Would this template be appropriate for returning from a collarbone break? One of my wrestlers broke her collarbone at practice and I would like to have some exercises for her to do once she is cleared to return to sport.

18

Hi,

Thanks for this template. Just completed the Bodybuilding template, but pain in shoulder won’t let go despite following general advice on modifying painful exercises (hard to pin down specific movements, but pain seems to manifest after sessions with horisontal pressing and vertical pulling, moreso with close grip), so attempting to make rehab the main training goal with this template.

A question regarding scheduling for the GPP exercises. Most or at least some of your templates include a scheduling recommendation, but I can’t find any for the shoulder rehab template. Additionaly, the GPP exercises’ frequencies differ to the degree that I’m scraching my head a bit as to how to best schedule the whole thing (e.g. cardio 3x/week and arms 1x, while everything GPP in the bodybuilding template added up nicely 2x/week). Any tips?

FInal question: “Cable/Banded Internal/External rotations” are programmed. ‘/’ usually means ‘or’ and certainly does for cable/banded. But am I to do either internal or external rotations, or both? If either or, how do I decide?

19

Hello all,

I have a question about the shoulder rehab template.
Many years ago, I had two injuries on my right shoulder (clavicle fracture and acromioclavicular joint dislocation probably grade II).
However, this has not caused me any discomfort in training, the training has mostly improved the situation :wink:

Now I had another small accident in September 2021, which I unfortunately did not take seriously and continued to train normally for the time being, despite pain. I thought the give themselves with time, that was stupid.

In December I was now in the MRI.
Findings: Chronic injury to the AC joint and almost complete partial fiber rupture of the supraspinatus tendon. Other structures of the rotator cuff were preserved.

I would now like to try to get the problem under control conservatively for the time being, as well as I can, in order to hopefully be able to start the new low fatigue template at some point.

Can I buy the Shoulder Rehab Template with this problem and train with it and hopefully get a “good” condition again?

Thank you so much for your great work.

Christian

20

Hello! I have had shoulder pain during pushing movements for years despite lots of physical therapy. I am excited to try this rehab program. I am curious, my gym does not have barbells, only dumbbells. Will I be able to follow this program with dumbbells only?