My left shoulder has been bothering me more and more lately so I went to the doctor this week to have it checked out. After doing some strength and mobility tests, the doctor concluded that I most likely have a tear in my left rotator cuff to go along with the two tears I have in my right shoulder. I need to have another MRI to confirm this but I am hopeful that this tear isn't as bad as my other ones and I may be able to get by with physiotherapy for my left shoulder.
After leaving the doctor's office, I started thinking about the cause of my injuries. My right shoulder injury was caused (or exacerbated by) a fall on the ice, but I think weight training for many years with incorrect form is the underlying culprit.
When you're not lifting correctly, you put undue strain on other muscle groups that are forced to compensate and you put extra stress on tendons and ligaments. This made me think of the parallel in my kung fu training. I have the benefit of having my technique corrected by instructors and I can see the benefit of learning the proper form at the beginning so that I have a strong base for my technique. As a beginner and as someone that experiences frustration from learning slowly, this is a good lesson for me to keep in the back of my mind. If I had taken a patient and more systematic approach to my weight training, I likely wouldn't have developed the bad habits that I did, and I might not have two injured shoulders to show for it.
I'm not happy about having two bad shoulders but eventually I'll get them fixed, and if I can take something positive from the experience, then I guess it's not entirely bad.
Cory Smid
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