Hi, this is Ble from J-CLINIC Phromphong branch in Bangkok.
 

A fit body with muscles strengthened through weight training looks great.

But any imbalances that may arise between the outer and inner muscles can hurt the hips, shoulders, hip joints, and knees.

 
Today, I’d like to talk about J-CLINIC’s treatment for weight-training injuries, using an example of a client with pain in the left shoulder caused by bench presses.
 
Before we get to the case, let’s review what we mean by the outer and inner muscles.
 

✔ Outer muscles

• Outer muscles can be felt from the outside. They can be moved consciously.
• You can strengthen outer muscles with weight training.
 

Because these muscles are on the outside, you can see the effects of workouts on your physique, which helps raise the motivation to train.
 

✔ Inner muscles

• Inner muscles lie deep inside the body.
• They maintain posture and support the joints.
 
If you build only the outer muscles, they can overpower the inner muscles that are supporting your joints. The resulting strain can induce body pain.
 

Now let’s look at an actual case.

[A patient case]

Mr. K (31 years old, male) has been muscle training at the gym three times a week for eight months.

For a week, though, he hasn’t been able to lift the barbell in bench presses; his arms felt weak, and it was painful. Outside the gym, too, he experienced strong pain whenever he raised his arms.
 

[J-CLINIC’s diagnosis]

J-CLINIC diagnosed Mr. K’s condition as inflammation of the outer muscle (deltoid muscle and biceps brachii tendon).
 

 

We identified the following at the root of Mr. K’s pain:

1. Weak inner muscles of the left shoulder joint

The inner muscles supporting the shoulder joint (shoulder rotator cuff muscles) were weak, straining the shoulder joint and inducing inflammation.

 

2. Limited range of motion of the scapula

Encouraged by the concrete results of his workouts, Mr. K was working hard on his biceps, latissimus, and pectoral muscles.

However, the increasingly larger outer muscle led Mr. K to stoop, restricting the adduction (inward movement) of the scapula, and preventing him from lifting his arm normally.

▲Scapula movement

 
The outer muscle exerts a lifting force, while the inner muscle absorbs the shock to the shoulder joint and holds together the arm and scapula. Both outer and inner muscles need to be strengthened in a balanced manner.
 

Given the causes, J-CLINIC’s treatment for Mr. K comprised:

1. Massage to relax muscle tension
2. High-voltage electric therapy for pain relief
3. Motion & manipulation therapy to improve the motion of his left shoulder
4. Advice on stretching and other exercises
 

▼ Watch our treatments

 

 
In parallel with treatment, we showed Mr. K exercises to train his inner muscles around the shoulder joint and stretches to expand the range of motion of his scapula. We also advised him how to fix his stoop and maintain better posture.

 
―――――
If you feel pain or discomfort from muscle training, please come see us early on before the symptoms worsen. That way, you can get back to the gym sooner and be on track to achieve your ideal body.
 

If you are about to start a hard muscle-training or fitness regimen, we recommend you first check the balance of your muscles and joints and any differences between left and right sides of your body.
 

＜Read more our blogs＞
・Treating sciatica
・Treating frozen shoulder
・Physical therapy for ballet dancers
・Physical therapy for kendo practitioners
・Treating weight-training injuries
・Treating VDT syndrome with physical therapy and acupuncture