The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ranks overhead and above-the-shoulder weightlifting among the common athletic activities leading to shoulder injuries. Using proper form during weight training and knowing your limits prevents workout injuries. And knowing proper workouts after suffering weightlifting injuries helps maintain conditioning and recovery.
Function of Injury
Weight-training shoulder injuries arise from the repeated movement of soft tissues in the shoulder in conjunction with and sometimes between bones and joints. In his article for Bodybuilding.com, Dr. Clay Hyght, a bodybuilding specialist, notes that when you raise your arms during weightlifting, a series of muscles known as scapular stabilizers move to keep bones in the right place -- sort of like the gears of a clock working together to move the hands. All at once, rotator cuff muscles coordinate movement of arm and shoulder bones. If any of these steps is off balance, bones bump into and sometimes sandwich tissue, leading to pain and injuries over time.
Common Injury Types
Most athletic shoulder injuries -- including those arising form weightlifting -- affect soft tissues, not bones, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Common injuries involve the muscles, ligaments and tendons of shoulders.
Doctors classify such injuries in two main categories: instability and impingement injuries, according to the AAOS. When one shoulder joint moves out of its standard position, weight trainers often suffer instability injuries, including pain and possible dislocation. Impingement injuries follow excessive friction between shoulder muscles and the shoulder blades during overhead activities such as weightlifting, the AAOS notes. Avoiding medical treatment for such injuries risks damage to your rotator cuff -- the part of the shoulder allowing arms to reach overhead.
Healing and Treatment
The AAOS encourages weightlifters suffering shoulder swelling and pain to visit doctors for immediate diagnosis and treatment, because continuing workout regimens under such conditions often leads to more serious injuries. However, doctors may clear patients for certain lower-impact exercises -- sometimes under the supervision of trainers -- to maintain conditioning and aid in the healing process. The IDEA Health & Fitness Association recommends a number of modifications to weightlifting regimens, shifting stress and burden from the affected areas while allowing conditioning during the healing process. Such modifications include lifting and squatting exercises that avoid shoulder movement or securing a weight bar with crossed arms over the chest region, again shifting stress away from the shoulders.
Beyond healing exercise, the AAOS notes doctors sometimes prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and discomfort. Early detection and treatment through exercise helps avoid the need for surgery.
Warning Signs of Shoulder Injury
If you experience shoulder stiffness, have trouble rotating your arms, feel the shoulder joint moving out of place and are too weak to carry out normal daily activities, you likely have a shoulder injury requiring medical evaluation or treatment, according to the AAOS.
Injury Prevention
Prevention techniques for rotator cuff injuries include exercises to keep that portion of your body strong and avoiding overworking of the shoulder during weightlifting. The Sport Injury Bulletin recommends never increasing weightlifting workloads by more than 10 percent per week to reduce injury risk. Consulting sports medicine specialists before beginning workout regimens also helps identify existing problems in shoulder function and range of motion. And workout techniques evaluated by professional trainers often mean fewer injuries.
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