Hi Dr.’s Baraki and Feigenbaum -
I recently dislocated my left sternoclavicular joint during training. I was diagnosed with an anterior dislocation by an orthopedist. I was having a vague pain in my left chest when bench pressing and deadlifting over a period of 3 weeks. Last Saturday I was doing some volume conventional deadlifts at a moderate weight for me (385x5x3). On my last set I felt a “pop” in my left chest and severe pain. Sure enough, I dislocated my clavicle.
Have you ever heard of this happening in the context of barbell strength training? The orthopedist is recommending I avoid all lifting for at least 4 weeks. I’m pretty frustrated to say the least. I’m wondering if me having a wide grip (ring fingers on the PL rings) when benching could have contributed towards this? Last Wednesday (12/10) I performed 1x5 of rack pulls at 455. I had a severe pain in my chest after the set but brushed it off as a strained pec muscle. I’m trying to assess if bench pressing or deadlifts/rack pulls caused this injury. I look forward to getting back to training once this is healed, but certainly do not want this to happen again in the future. The orthopedist is not recommending surgery, but just letting it heal. I really appreciate any insight and guidance you are able to provide.
Thank you!
Mike
Sorry to hear about the injury, Michael. I wish you would have come here under more pleasant circumstances.
As far as anterior sternoclavicular dislocations go, they are very rare in both the gen pop and powerlifting. As the orthopedist recommended, these are typically not treated surgically.
With respect to cause, I suspect this is most likely a blend of luck and programming that’s not well-suited for you (looks like a Texas Method derivative) vs. any specific exercise or technique.
As you may have guessed, we do not recommend complete rest, though specific recommendations for you would require a consultation for a thorough assessment.
Some things I would think about for this situation if it were me:
- Avoid (for now) Heavy traction (deadlifts, heavy farmers walks) and end-range horizontal abduction (deep flys, wide bench).
- Consider doing for training:
- Lower Body: Leg press, belt squat, or safety bar squat (if holding the handles doesn’t hurt). Keep the legs strong.
- Upper Body: Single-arm work on the unaffected side (cross-education effect can maintains strength on the injured side).
- Injured Side: Isometrics. Press your hand against a wall gently. Squeeze a ball. If pain is low, try light triceps press-downs.
After words, I would strongly advise against returning to your previous program. We’d be happy to help you on your journey, if needed.
-Jordan
Thank you @Jordan_Feigenbaum ! Will do! 
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