Back and shoulder exercises

[TOMS1SS]

I noticed there seems to be a lot of people with a strong knowledge base pertaining to weight lifting techniques in the weight loss thread. I curious to find out if someone has dealt with a similar injury to mine and what they did/do to lift with it.

To start this out, I was hit by a 05 Mustang when the driver ran a stop sign in Coronado California in February 2010. I was out running when the driver ran the sign trying to get across the three lanes of traffic going onto the bridge into San Diego. Lets just say a 3,500 pound car hitting a 175 pound person at 25 MPH doesn't equal good. I was launched about a good 30 feet down a side street and received many minor injuries like facial lacerations and bruised ribs. The one major injury was my left arm was shattered by the impact of landing on the ground.

At the hospital I was told I would recover about 50 to 70% of the use of my left arm. Now before I make this sound like a sob story I did recover about 98% of the usage of my left arm after surgery and 3 months rehab. I would attribute my recovery that I have been weight lifting and running since I was 12 years old. I was also compensated FAIRLY by the driver for running the sign.

After my rehab was finished I gradually recover my strength in my left arm. However I've noticed over time on pulling exercises like back rows and shoulder shrugs the plate triggers some nerves my left arm and its annoying as hell. It doesn't really hurt, rather it makes my hand go numb. I'm not to the point of seeing a doctor because this only happens at the gym with these exercises so I figure its best to avoid them. With that in mind anyone have alternate back and shoulder exercises they might think work to replace these pulling motions? I attached some photos to illustrate where the injury was at.

[Epitaph]

I know it sounds like something anyone could answer, but I wouldn't take advice from someone on the internet about something so serious. Maybe you should hit the local gym, as well as a chiropractor (or whoever it is that helps), to see what they say about it. I'm glad to see you've recovered so much! That's crazy as hell..

[TOMS1SS]

Originally Posted by Epitaph

I know it sounds like something anyone could answer, but I wouldn't take advice from someone on the internet about something so serious. Maybe you should hit the local gym, as well as a chiropractor (or whoever it is that helps), to see what they say about it. I'm glad to see you've recovered so much! That's crazy as hell..

Yeah your right about that but at this point. I'm kind of plain out ideas to float to my therapist other than just straight doing pull-down exercises for back and just avoiding shrugs on shoulders. I can literally do everything else normally buts something about those motions for whatever reason. I would have thought something like bench pressing would had given me problems, but I'm lifter way more than I did prior to the accident without issue.

The accident itself happened literally about a week before I was going to order my Camaro. On the bright side it through transmission debate straight out the window, the automatic was literally the only option for a good long while after this. Hey, at least I got to put down about twice about what I was originally going to put down on the car. Freak things happen sometimes I suppose, at least the driver stopped her car and asked if I was okay. Damn thing was you figure that kind of impact would knock you out.....

[PatsRS]

I am certainly no doctor but it looks like your injury and scar are roughly in the same location as where they operate for carpal tunnel. Does your whole hand go numb or just your fingers except pinky? Maybe your palm. Obviously your injury is way more serious than CT but with weight lifting and those screws in your wrist perhaps it could be a culprit.
Again I am no doctor just someone who has had CT, had surgery and still suffers from it. Either way continued good luck on your road to recovery.

[TOMS1SS]

Originally Posted by PatsRS

I am certainly no doctor but it looks like your injury and scar are roughly in the same location as where they operate for carpal tunnel. Does your whole hand go numb or just your fingers except pinky? Maybe your palm. Obviously your injury is way more serious than CT but with weight lifting and those screws in your wrist perhaps it could be a culprit.
Again I am no doctor just someone who has had CT, had surgery and still suffers from it. Either way continued good luck on your road to recovery.

Its not the entire hand, its like you said with the fingers almost exactly. The thing that has been me concerned is that if these particular motions are tugging on the screws. That being the case my thought is that this could somehow over time cause a screw to pop out. When I asked my orthopedic doctor he said there was very little risk of this happening. Some risk even a low risk, is still risk in my eyes.

[CFD]

Originally Posted by Fearer2010SS

Its not the entire hand, its like you said with the fingers almost exactly. The thing that has been me concerned is that if these particular motions are tugging on the screws. That being the case my thought is that this could somehow over time cause a screw to pop out. When I asked my orthopedic doctor he said there was very little risk of this happening. Some risk even a low risk, is still risk in my eyes.

Most back exercises I am familiar with are similar to various rows and other pulling exercises that seem to be where your problem is. The only pushing exercise that has good results I can think of is actually push-ups. If you chime in on the thread I mentioned last night and direct your question to hrpii he may be able to help. He is very knowlegeable with various exercises and the muscle groups they target