Hi, I’m looking for some insight while I wait for my doctor's appointment.
- Age/Sex: 23yo male
- Activity level: Regular gym (strength training)
- Injury timeline: 4 weeks ago
- Location: upper part of the front Shoulder (feels deep inside)
What happened:
I injured my shoulder about 4 weeks ago during a gym session (chest-related exercise). At the time, the pain wasn’t extreme, so I assumed it was a minor strain.
I stopped training the upper body and gave it time to recover. I still trained other muscle groups that didn’t involve the shoulder.
Progress:
Over those 4 weeks, it seemed to improve gradually.
What changed:
Yesterday, since it felt better, I tried doing chest exercises again. Today, I woke up with:
- More pain than before (would say medium on a scale level?)
- Pain when doing certain movements
- wouldn't say weaker, but pain intensifies the more power I exert
It actually feels worse than when I first injured it.
Current symptoms:
- Pain when letting my arm stretch toward the ground
- Pain at certain ranges of motion (especially extended or rotated towards the back positions)
- No constant pain at rest (mostly movement-triggered)
What I’m worried about:
I’m concerned I may have made the injury worse (possibly something like a tear instead of a simple strain).
I already have a doctor’s appointment scheduled, but the sudden regression is causing a lot of anxiety.
Questions:
- Does this pattern (improvement then relapse after reuse) suggest something more serious than a strain?
- Are these symptoms more consistent with a tear? if yes, how bad does it look?
- Should I completely immobilize it, or keep gentle movement until I see the doctor?
- Does it look like I would require surgery?