So what exactly is a labrum, anyway?

I've been a bit bummed since my last post.  I made it to the gym like I hoped, and hit a new 10-rep squat PR with 385 lbs!  However, my shoulder felt worse, just from stabilizing the bar in my back.  By the end of that week, I realized too much time had elapsed since the initial injury (May 16), and that things should have improved from a muscle strain. 

Before I go too far, or in case you're short on time, here's a quick recap video.  In 3 minutes and a few seconds, you can watch the one of the last set of overhead presses I did (which may have been the straw that broke the bull's back), the squat PR set, and get a quick synopsis of what's going on with me.

Now for the timeline, at least as well as I can remember it:

•  May 16:  Date of initial injury.  Hurt it doing overhead presses with 150 lbs for 8 & 9 reps, and/or 8 sets of weighted pull-ups with 55 lbs each set.

• May 26: Did overhead presses & weighted pullups again.  Strength on both were down, and pain was up.  Decided to back off of overhead lifts for a while, but would continue training the Big 3 (Squat, Bench, Deadlift, in case you don't know) moving towards USAPL Raw Nationals in August.

• May 27: Squatted 400 lbs for 7 reps.  I'm pretty sure that's a raw squat PR.  But I mention it because I noted left shoulder pain in my journal on this day.  It must have been pretty bad, because all I did was squat.

• May 30: Slapped some Tiger Balm on my shoulder and benched 245 for 6 reps and 255 for 3.  All I had time for, because it was Memorial Day and the gym was closing early.  That must have been a mercy to me so I wouldn't do any more damage.

• June 4 (or so): Went to urgent care center for my shoulder.  Doctor said it was probably a ligament strain.  Gave me some diclofenac sodium.  I'd already started taking 800 mg ibuprofen.  3 weeks of NSAID's gave me terrible stomach pains to go along with my shoulder pain.

• June 7: Benched 270 for 2 doubles.  I noted that I thought my shoulder was improving, but wasn't sure.  I noticed that it was harder to retract my left shoulder on the eccentric portion of the bench press.

• June 10: Deadlifted 495 lbs without a belt (beltless PR), and easily pulled 525.  Decided to go ahead with my next full 5/3/1 cycle, adding overhead presses back in.  Only 2 more cycles before Raw Nationals!

• June 13: After a thorough warm-up, I pressed 155 lbs for 3 sets of 5, followed by 135 x 8.  Felt very hard, but I figured it was due to laying off the lift for a while.  By the time I went to bed, I could barely raise my left arm.  My wife massaged it pretty hard, and my range of motion improved quite a bit.  By the next morning, it was messed up all over again.

• June 15: Hit the 385 lb x 10 squat.  Face looked like :)  Went to bench, and could only get 4 reps with 235.  Face went to :(

• June 18: Went back to urgent care and saw a different doctor, since I couldn't get an appointment with my primary care doctor until mid-July.  This doctor ordered an MRI, while making jokes about how I must be crazy "to lift that much weight".  I decided against telling her how weak I am compared to lifters I admire, and really couldn't wait to get back to lifting heavy again.  It was somewhere between the 18th and 21st that I decided I was out of this year's Raw Nationals.

• June 21: Got MRI done.  Nice preview of what being in a coffin will be like, not that I wanted one.

• June 24: Saw an orthopedist, who diagnosed me with a torn labrum (I learned the answer to the title question), bursitis, tendinitis (in the biceps tendon), and bruised humeral head.  He said I have 2 options: physical therapy or arthroscopic surgery.  Explained things, answered questions, and wasn't pushy either way.

• June 28: Started physical therapy.  Plan is to go for a month, then see the orthopedist again for re-evaluation.  

So in a big nutshell, that's it.  I don't know how fast things are "supposed" to improve with PT, but if the first 8 days are any indication, I may be going under the scope before it's all over.  My shoulder hurts more, but it seems to have improved ROM.  According to my therapist, a worst-case scenario is that I really do need surgery, and the PT will have me stronger going into it and coming out of it.   Here's hoping for the best.  Another concern of mine, aside from being out of the gym, is missing work.  I haven't seen too many one-armed mail carriers before.  I'm not saying it can't be done, but I'm sure I would miss some time that I really don't want to miss. 

At least there's a silver lining in this cloud.  I start school again in 5 days.  I'm back in college to study actuarial science, which is what I planned to do coming out of high school.  Maybe this is God's way of making sure I don't have too many distractions when I go back.  If so, I trust He knows better than me.

For now, I'm training legs on machines (leg press, squat press, leg curls, bootleg GHR's, etc.), and doing sit-ups for abs.  I think I'll get a neck harness.  I've been meaning to try one, and I don't have much else to do right now.  I'll post progress with all of that, along with therapy updates, as things happen.  Thanks so much for reading all this and catching up with me.

More real-time updates to come on Twitter @BodyBldgPwrLftr