Shoulder Muscle Sharp Pain/Very tight/HELP!!!

[mauger0789]

I have had previous injury to my left shoulder but never anything like this. I have dislocated it twice in the past two years once attempting mma cage fighting and landed on it wrong. Then once while playing in a softball league at church I dove for base and broke my hand and dislocated it again. I remeber it being great after the second incident then I agrravated it sometime later and never has been the same. Recently I have been back to the gym(Crossfit) and I mainly notice it in my pullups. I use to work out every day for hours and pullups were a walk in the park. Well two years later I can feel my shoulder muscle right above my bicep get very tight and is discomforting. i sleep on my shoulders everey night because I cant sleep on my back and if I sleep on my chest my arms fall asleep and I have a great time attempting to roll my self over with two asleep arms. I really hate to stop going to the gym but dont want to further injure my arm. Any suggestions of what it may be or any cures?? Thanks and by the way I am a 21 year old male if it matters.


Thanks

[Heidi]

Hi
Have you had any rehabilitation after the dislocations? This is really important after such injuries as otherwise you can end up with muscle imbalance problems and weaknesses which may result in future injuries.
I would advise you to visit a therapist who can assess your shoulder and devise a rehab programme for you.

[mauger0789]

no I had no Prescribed rehabilitation but i followed all the rules and recommendations of my doctor. I was a very active gym rat and was told how to work the shoulder back into my workout. Just more recently I have had some problems.

[mauger0789]

I recently Dislocated my shoulder playing volleyball at church. The third time in 3 years( May 08, June 09, December 2010). I seen my doctor 4 days after and he advised me to get an MRI because he suspects either a torn labrum or the capsule is stretched. I have not heard back yet on the results but was wondering if anyone has had either problem and how the surgery and recovery went. Any suggestions as well will be helpful.

[Heidi]

A torn labrum and stretched capsule are pretty common in repetitive shoulder dislocations. If the MRI comes back positive then surgery would usually be recommended and as far as I know these procedures are usually successful. Of course a thorough rehab plan is advised afterwards to get the shoulder back to full health. This should involve strengthening the rotator cuff and all other surrounding shoulder muscles.

[mauger0789]

ok so i finally got my labrum anchored back together on thursday the 18th. my rotator was fine but tissue was pretty torn up in labrum area. I have had trouble sleeping and showering. Any tips for easy way to tie my arm up for a shower? Also i have heard both sides of whether or not to try PT. Should i or shouldnt i and are there any previous surgery patients who are active in crossfit. I wonder if i will be able to do CF again and when can i start running?

thanks

[Heidi]

Make sure you do the PT!!!
It is the only way of getting the shoulder back anywhere near normal in terms of strength and movement.
You can cross train and run again, but give it time! These exercises use the shoulder and surrounding muscles more than you would think.
Don't try doing anything like that until you have a full pain free range of motion.