Sunday, December 28, 2008

P90X Plus Day 13: Upper Plus ... Shoulder Injury

My left shoulder has been screaming at me the last couple of days. I hurt it on like day 6 or 7 of P90X (3.5 month ago) and it has been a nuisance ever since. It didn't really slow me down but it has always been noticeable. I have been icing and heating it pretty much daily as well as doing extra stretches. Since I started PLUS is has been acting up again and at times limiting me a little.

Well, yesterday during the first exercise of Upper Plus (Double Double Dip'll Do Ya) I hurt it again pretty bad. I actually fell to the ground between the two chairs. It immediately started to burn and I tried to ignore it. I waited a few minutes and did the dead leg pullups incident free, albeit in a little pain. Then I tried to do the 2-Direction Circle Flys and couldn't even lift up 5lbs dumbells with my left arm -- not to mention the pain. I had to stop, it was that bad.

So, I iced last night on and off for a few hours. It felt okay when I went to sleep but it was also numb so I wasn't sure. I woke up this morning and it still feels like hell. I am afraid I finally injured the shoulder. I am going to call my doctor tomorrow and get an appointment but I am going to have to shut down P90X PLUS until I figure out what to do.

My biggest concern is not my shoulder but that I am going to lose all the positive physical gains I have accomplished over the last 4 months. Luckily, I still have a gym membership so I plan on doing the treadmill and I can probably work in some Ab Ripper X. I am guessing the Doctor is going to tell me to rest and after some time if it does not feel better to get an MRI. I don't think an x-ray will tell you too much. My fear is that I damaged the rotator cuff.

I will keep the blog going if for anything it will be a place I can vent my frustrations. I'll report back after I get the doctor appointment made. Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me along this P90X journey -- I will be back at it as soon as I can!

Keep on Bringing It!

Jeff

9 comments:

  1. jeff, Dude I'm sorry about your shoulder! It really can be frustrating after all the positive gains you've made to have a setback. Even if you do have an injury, I think there are parts of the program including the cardio that will keep you from gaining lbs. especially if you stick to the great nutrition you've learned. Unfortunately, we have been programmed to Bring it in order to make gains and sometimes we cross the line and try to push the limits and don't back off when we should. Trust me, I've done it many times. Hang in there buddy you'll be back stronger and better.

    Glenn

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  2. Jeff, I've just been following your blog for a little while, but I had to write. I dislocated my shoulder several years ago and I truly feel your pain. My theory for injuries is a two part'er: 1) Don't be stupid. 2) Do SOMETHING! Shoulders are complex and can take a while to heal, so don't do things that hurt it. But do SOMETHING. As nutrition is 80% of the game, keep your nutrition clean. Do bodyweight lower body exercises if your shoulder can't take the drag of holding a weight. Do cardio in interval fashion.

    Sooner or later every athlete has to deal with injury in some form or another. It's how we deal with it that separates the men from the boys, so to speak.

    Best of luck, and bring what you've got!

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  3. Man oh man what a bummer!!! I am very sorry to hear about this shoulder injury. I think that taking a hiatus is definantly the best thing for you. Truth be told I was worried about your shoulder during the first round when you occasionally mentioned it. I had minor aches and pains the entire time but, your Shoulder always seemed to me a little more serious especially since it connects the muscles in your back with your arms and is neccasary for almost the entirety of excercises. Again I hope that you get alot of rest and relaxation and that the doctor gives you a short recovery time!!
    Until then I will push on ..

    On another note I am kind of confused as to what I should be doing diet wise.....anythoughts?
    So week 2 carb cycle is
    Week 0 171lbs 10.3%
    Week 1 168lbs 9.5%
    Week 2 164.2 lbs 9.5%
    So I took measurements this morning....I lost another 3.8 lbs. My body fat% seems to be the same at 9.5%. This seems strange to me. There is no way that I lost 3.8 lbs of muscle. I know that some it may be "lean mass fluctuation" which acounts for water, bodily waste and undigested food. I am wondering if the previous weeks readings were correct....a .8% loss is pretty big. I will be sticking with this diet for another 5 days to see what happens...If I continue to lose weight and my bodyfat % does not change I will Most likley up my calories from the 2500-2600 they are now to 2800-2900 and change the carb intake to 200gr, 200gr, 150gr, 0gr, 300gr(Previously 150,150,100,0,300). I guess this fluctuation could also be attributed to the 2%+- error that the body fat analyzer is capable of. I do not see losing 7 lbs in 2 weeks as very healthy....considering how light I have become. I may just have to start bulking again.....I guess I'll make a final decision in 5 days....Or I may just go back to 40/40/20 altogether

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  4. Lesile and Glenn Thanks for the support!

    Luckily or maybe unluckily? I am no stranger to shoulder injuries. My other shoulder was seperated and I tore all three ligaments. So I knew this time was more than just a little pain but an injury!

    I plan doing tons of cardio stuff while I recoup and hopefully will be back soon!

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  5. Matt,

    Wow.. you are dropping weight like crazy? How is your energy level? I knew you were tired last week but has it got better?

    You may want to jump back to the 40/40/20 breakdown. I know as soon as I made the move back to this my eneregy level went through the roof.

    I plan on being back soon so keep me posted on your progress.

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  6. I have winged my diet yesterday and totally f'd it up today....I have already at 3000 calories and its only 4:30. I know that the carb cycling was making me lose way more weight than I wanted so I decided to change it up(literally up the calories). I won't really get a chance to layout a new plan until Thursday so i will probably just wing it again tommorow. As for the4 workouts they are going fine. I showed my first substantial number improvements yesterday in Upper Plus!!! Hope you get better soon pal!!!

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  7. I just experienced an injury yesterday and am inspecting blogs to get advice. I am wondering if I should rest my shoulder or push through to do what I can, but I do not want to make any injury get worse, which sounds like happeded to you. I am in week 6 and threw a punch to hard in kenpo. The pain took my breath away and it is hard to even look over my shoulder with the pain in my back/shoulder. From your experience is it better to push through or rest now? Was this anything like your shoulder pain?

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  8. Dee - A big part of the problem with my shoulder injury was that I am an idiot! Seriously, I am too darn stubborn. I have experinced many, many injuries. Read this post it may help you:
    http://danglethecarrot.blogspot.com/2009/02/p90x-round-2-day-17-arms-shoulder-and.html

    I should have shut it down when I hurt my shoulder on day 7 of my first round but I didn't and ended up hurting myself a lot worse. I had to go to the Doctors and listen to him yell at me for being stubborn. When I finally did shut it down it took me a good 6 -8 weeks until I felt right again. If I would have stopped when I first hurt the shoulder it would have taken a lot less time to heal.

    Now all that being said, only you can answer the question of if you should continue. Take a day or two, rest and ice and then decide.

    Good luck and let me know what you decide.

    Jeff

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  9. Keep up the great work, but after your mid-30's, you have to listen to those joints and tendons...

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