The silver lining of sustaining an overuse injury is that you are forced to learn how to use your body properly. The forced reduction in training volume, load, and complexity forces us to master simple basic movements. For example shoulder sub-deltoid bursitis can be painful but all rotator cuff and shoulder structures are intact. Pain from elevating the arm and doing simple tasks such as putting on a shirt, reaching for the seatbelt, reaching over head can cause a sharp twinge that shoots down the arm to the elbow.
What can often accompany this is weakness of the scapular, rotator cuff, thoracic muscles that hold the shoulder girdle up. Without this stability, forward head, shoulder impingement, and thoracic flexion tend to rule the balance regarding how we can hold our body. This in turn exacerbates the shoulder pain each time we reach with the arm, excess forces are concentrated on the deltoid and its associated bursaes.
If we strengthen the muscles that are responsible for distributing load out of the limb and into the trunk the bursae stress can reduce and heal. In going through this injury process we learn more efficient and ultimately more powerful movement patterns that set the stage for grater capacity later. Without these challenges we would never be forced to improve upon a poor movement pattern. IF we do not have proper scap stability and strength we might miss out on the opportunity to learn how to press up into a handstand, breakthrough personal records on bench press. Not to mention reducing risk of injury to other body regions in the future. See your injuries as forced opportunities to grow. Linear progress is a myth in all realms, there is no better teacher than pain.
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