A number of people suffer from shoulder pain after doing bench press repetitions. There are various causes of this condition. In most cases, the pain intensifies when the lifter continues to work the already injured shoulder muscle...
One of the most popular weightlifting exercise in the gym is the bench press. It is essentially an upper body exercise, where the weights are lifted primarily by the upper body. However, it is also one of the exercises which is known to cause the maximum amount of injuries as well. Therefore, it is not uncommon to hear of shoulder pain after exercise, especially after doing bench press. In most cases, this pain is caused when barbells are used for the exercise. Many people, hence, resort to the use of dumbbells to do this exercise or avoid the exercise altogether. This however, does not resolve the problem at hand. There are a few measures which must be taken to get rid of the shoulder pain caused by this exercise.
Cause of Shoulder Pain after Bench Press
If you suffer from shoulder pain when lifting arms after your session of bench press, it may be due to shoulder impingement. A symptom of this condition is when you are able to do some exercises without any problem and while you do some exercises, you suffer from immense pain. In some cases, the person will also find it very difficult to catch up on sleep.
More often than not, people use flawed technique when they are doing the bench press. It may be seen that people who have been working out for very long may also suffer from this pain. Therefore, it is necessary to have your trainer monitor you while you are doing the bench press. With observation, the trainer will be able to give you tips on correcting your technique to do the bench press.
At times, not only is the technique flawed, but most people also have a flawed posture. You will often be able to see people slouching when they do bench press. It can be attributed to the fact that most people slouch all through the day. Therefore, the first tip is to raise your sternum, as you squeeze the shoulder blades into one another.
It can also be caused due to muscle imbalance. It can be caused due to use of excessive weights. When the muscles in the front of the shoulders are not able to lift the weight, it leads to imbalance with the other muscles being used to lift the weights. Many patients complain of shoulder pain at night. This may also be caused due to wrong sleeping position. If one has to delve further into the topic, it can be attributed to tight shoulders, which may be aggrieved after bench press session.
How to Avoid Shoulder Pain due to Exercise
The muscles in the lower traps have to be strengthened to stabilize the scapula. A stabilized scapula will also help in avoiding shoulder pain problems. Swiss ball exercises are said to be especially beneficial for the same. It will help in increasing range of motion. Working on the muscles in the chest region is also recommended.
It is important to understand the muscles worked by the said exercise. It is the muscles in front of the shoulders that are worked by bench press. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the said muscles. Also make sure you are not exerting a lot of pressure on the muscles in the back, while doing bench press.
If one has tight shoulders, then one will have to take up stretches or exercises to loosen up the shoulder joint. When the soft tissue in the shoulder loosens up using an exercise band, the pain will be alleviated to a great extent. One can take up yoga exercises or Pilates exercises to gain flexibility in the said joint region.
Many people neglect their warm up and cool down routine. If the muscles are not sufficiently warmed up, it can lead to injury. Therefore, it is important that the warm up exercises are not neglected. Likewise, one should also not forget to do the stretches after the workout. The stretches will help in keeping flexibility of the shoulder joint.
If shoulder pain after doing bench press continues to persist for a few days, then it is best to consult your physician. In most cases, shoulder pain treatment consists of physical therapy, which helps in alleviating the pain in the said region. Only if the condition is serious is surgery recommended after conducting different tests for the same.
