noises your shoulder shouldn’t make

Exactly three weeks ago today I completely busted up my left shoulder. When it happened, I was doing an exercise that I have been doing for years. One arm triceps push-ups. I did these things while I was pregnant…both times! It’s a simple exercise and I can easily crank out 25/side without a whole lotta’ effort. So, I can’t even guess at what happened that day, but as I was doing them I heard what literally sounded like cardboard crumpling and a fierce pain in my shoulder. Honestly, it was the SOUND that freaked me out even more than the pain!! The human body shouldn’t make such noises.

The day after it happened was the Color Run. I spent the previous night and early that morning in the hotel room with the heating pad wrapped around my shoulder (tried ice first and it made it worse). At one point while trying to get dressed for the run I stopped and said out loud “how the hell am I gonna do this?!”. Trying to lift my arm past my shoulder was brutal. Many Aleves later, I managed to get dressed and headed out. Every time it started feeling better I’d do something that would tweak it…by Sunday morning it was completely shot.

If there is ever a time when you truly understand just how much the muscles in our body work in harmony it is most definitely when you have an injury. Since I was trying to not use my left arm, I was overcompensating with my right. When I picked up the baby I would do so with my right arm and lift with my back…instead of my other arm. This resulted in neck and back pain, which I very rarely have. My entire body was out of whack.

There was no improvement in my shoulder that first week. I decided to give myself another week and if there was still nothing I would make a doctor appointment. Fortunately, by the end of week two I was about 90% better. Over the course of the third week I felt more strength return and eventually I had 100% mobility back.

So, yesterday I headed down into the home gym for the first time in three weeks to do an upper body workout.

Since this happened I haven’t gone near a free weight. I think sometimes people mistake my passion for all-things-fitness with being too overzealous. I am not a careless person. I know my limitations and I never push past what I think is my cut-off. Injuries happen, even to the most responsible of people. When it comes to recovery I try to be just as cautious.

Anyway, I decided to pop-in P90X2 Shoulders + Arms. Even though I could have safely used my typical weights for my biceps, I decided to swap out all of my weights for lighter ones. I also only did two rounds of the workout, instead of the three…regardless of the fact that I’m certain I could have gotten through the entire thing.

At times my shoulder felt a little tight and fatigued, but I definitely didn’t feel any pain. I was ready to call it quits at the first sign of discomfort. I was all about lifting lighter than normal and modifying when necessary. The big test was the Six Direction Shoulder Fly…this movement right here…NEVER would have been able to do it 2-3 weeks ago. I could raise my arms forward, but not out.

I went through the reps slowly and got through them without any problems. So, I’m pretty psyched that at this point it’s looking like a full recovery for me! I’m not much for drama, but there were several days there that I honestly thought I was going to end up at a surgeon’s office!!

I plan to take it easy with lighter weights for another week or two and if all goes well I’ll be dustin’ of my 15 pounders in no time!!