Shoulder Update

Yesterday, I had my weekly appointment with the chiropractor who has been helping with my injured rotator cuff.  I expressed some dismay that things appear to be static.  Nothing is getting better, but it's not getting worse either.  He did find a fair amount of inflammation at the lower attachment point of the infraspinatus tendon - the one that is injured.  He thinks that even power cleans, which I've continued to do because the bar doesn't move overhead, are probably causing problems.  He suggested that I think about reducing my CrossFit days for a while, and really back off on anything that uses the shoulders.

I was pretty sore yesterday (all over) from five tough days in a row, so I took a rest day.

Today, I saw the sports doc who I've also been seeing for the shoulder.  After using cortisone twice, he doesn't think there's any advantage to trying it again.  I told him what the chiropractor had said, and he agreed.  Do more running.  More cycling.  Some CrossFit.  But, back off on any shoulder work at all.  I can still do some stuff, such as push-ups or dumbbell bench presses.  But, keep the elbows in tight, reduce the load in the injured area, and diversify my training a bit.

I think I can take a hint, and with the arrival of spring, it's easy to modify things a bit.  I'm going to go out for a run in a little bit rather than lifting today.

Tomorrow is the last workout in the CrossFit Open.  It's an odd workout, where you start with only four minutes to get a maximum number of reps, but if you are fast enough, you can earn bonus time.  Sort of like a video game in an arcade.

But, I'm not fast enough to earn any extra time, so it will be over in four minutes.  The bad thing is that I'm supposed to do thrusters and chest-to-bar pull-ups for those four minutes - two movements that will not be kind to my shoulders.

I'll probably do this workout just so that I can complete the open.  And then, I will really focus on giving my shoulders a break over the following six weeks.

If the problem isn't significantly better in six weeks, the sports doc and I will probably schedule a Platelet Rich Plasma treatment.  I had this done in 2009 for a hamstring tendon injury with good results - by the same doc.  The doc thinks it will be very helpful for the shoulder.  But, before I spend almost a grand on that treatment (no insurance coverage), I will spend six weeks trying to let the shoulder heal on its own.