Day after training legs, I had a sore left shoulder/trap, so went and had a deep tissue massage.
Next day still sore but trained Chest and felt much better.
Next day I had this immense searing pain going from my left trap through my rear dealt left tricep.
I thought maybe the massage disrupted something, however I went to the gym pump some blood around the area as that normally helps. After warming up I went over to start my first exercise of barbell rows, put 135 which is my warm up weight, and when I started rowing the left arm, shoulder, trap just wouldn't contract.. it was like trying to row with the left side of my body being dead. This puzzled me as I normally work up to 265 for 8 reps.
So, I scrapped this exercise and went over to do some pulldowns.. same thing occurred - the upper left back area and arm were struggling to pull down a weight that was real easy. Screw this I thought and left the gym.
Over the next week I didn't go to the gym and I didn't do anything to agravate all of this but it got worse, really painful, so I went and had an MRI of the shoulder - nothing wrong with the shoulder, doc gave me a handful of pills - they didn't work.
Then had an MRI of my neck, c5-c6 herniated aggravating the nerve and two protruding discs further up my neck.
2 months later and the pain has gone but I haven't regained all the strength in my left side, I still can row shit, or lift anything, if I can curl 50 pounds in my right arm for 10 reps, I can only curl 15 in my left for the same reps. I've got this pain in my rear delt area but it's not the joint, and everytime I do chest it feels like my shoulder is going to dislocate or something, there no strength there in the back of my shoulder
I figure I may have to have surgery, like a spine fusion or something to be able to get back in the gym and train like before.
I've been training for 7 years and always had a weakness in the left side that has gotten more noticable over the last year, which makes me think that I injured it when I was younger.I've always trained smart in the gym, I know I didn't injure it in the gym
Has anyone experienced something like this before? And has anyone had surgery for a similiar problem? If so, were there any restrictions after full recovery from the surgery. I know Bob Chick had lower back surgery over 10 years ago, I'd be grateful if he could give some feedback on what his recovery was like.
Thanks in advance.