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Does your shoulder feel sore, painful, or weak after lifting weights or working out at the gym?
Shoulder pain after working out can develop for several reasons. Muscle or tendon irritation, rotator cuff problems, changes in training load, exercise technique, reduced shoulder mobility, or an underlying shoulder problem may all contribute.
Some post-workout muscle soreness is normal, especially after a new or more demanding workout. But pain that is sharp, keeps returning, limits your movement, or makes it difficult to perform certain exercises may be a sign that something more than ordinary muscle soreness is going on.
As an Edmonton chiropractor, I regularly assess active adults with shoulder problems related to gym workouts, weight training, sports, and other physical activities. Identifying what is causing the pain is an important first step in deciding what to do about it.
Why Can Working Out Cause Shoulder Pain?
The shoulder is designed to provide a large amount of movement.
That mobility allows you to push, pull, press, lift, throw, and reach in many different directions. However, it also means that several joints, muscles, tendons, and other structures need to work together to control the shoulder during exercise.
Exercises such as bench presses, overhead presses, push-ups, pull-ups, lateral raises, dips, and rows can place significant demands on the shoulder.
Usually, the body adapts well to these demands.
Problems may develop when the amount or intensity of training exceeds what the shoulder is currently prepared to handle, or when an existing problem makes certain movements uncomfortable.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain After a Workout
There isn’t one single cause of shoulder pain after a workout.
Where you feel the pain, which movements bother you, how the problem started, and whether you have weakness or reduced movement can all provide useful clues.
Rotator Cuff Problems
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that help move and stabilize your shoulder.
These muscles are active during many upper-body exercises, particularly movements involving lifting or rotating your arm.
Rotator cuff-related shoulder pain may be felt around the front or side of the shoulder and can sometimes extend into the upper arm. You may notice discomfort when raising your arm, reaching overhead, performing presses or raises, or lying on the affected shoulder.
A sudden increase in weight, repetitions, or training frequency may aggravate the rotator cuff, particularly if the shoulder is not accustomed to the increased demand.
Tendon Irritation
Tendons connect muscles to bones and repeatedly transfer force during exercise.
The rotator cuff tendons and the tendon of the long head of the biceps are among the tendons that can become painful around the shoulder.
Pain may develop gradually rather than during one particular repetition.
You may notice that your shoulder feels relatively comfortable at the beginning of a workout but becomes increasingly sore during or after training.
Muscle Strain
A muscle strain can occur when muscle fibres are overloaded or injured.
You may feel a sudden pull or sharp pain during an exercise, although milder strains can sometimes become more noticeable after the workout.
The location of the pain depends on the muscle involved. Your shoulder, upper back, chest, or upper arm may feel tender, painful, or weak.
Too Much Training Too Soon
Sometimes the problem isn’t a particular exercise. It’s the amount of training.
Perhaps you’ve recently returned to the gym after a break, added another upper-body workout each week, increased your weights, or dramatically increased the number of sets or repetitions you’re doing.
Your muscles and tendons need time to adapt to increasing demands.
A rapid increase in training load can sometimes exceed the current capacity of the tissues and contribute to pain.
This is one reason shoulder pain from working out can develop even when there wasn’t one obvious injury.
Exercise Technique and Position
How you perform an exercise can affect where forces are distributed through your shoulder.
This doesn’t mean there is one universally “perfect” technique for every person. Body proportions, mobility, previous injuries, training experience, and the exercise itself all matter.
However, if a particular movement consistently causes shoulder pain, it can be useful to look at your technique, range of motion, weight, and exercise selection.
Sometimes a temporary modification allows you to continue training while reducing irritation to the painful area.
Reduced Mobility
Good shoulder movement involves more than the shoulder joint itself.
Your shoulder blade, upper back, ribs, and surrounding muscles all contribute to reaching and lifting overhead.
If movement is limited in one area, you may compensate elsewhere.
For example, reduced upper-back or shoulder mobility may change how you perform an overhead press.
Limited mobility doesn’t automatically mean it is causing your pain, but it may be one factor worth assessing when symptoms repeatedly occur with the same movements.
Decreased Nerve Signals from Neck
I often see neck mobility or misalignment problems contributing to shoulder pain.
If movement is limited in the neck, nerve signals to and from the brain are hampered.
Suboptimal nerve signals can cause pain, muscle weakness, and flawed mechanics in the shoulder.
Is It Normal for Your Shoulder to Hurt After Lifting Weights?
Some muscle soreness after exercise is normal.
Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, often develops after unfamiliar or strenuous exercise. It typically feels like a diffuse muscular ache or stiffness and may be more noticeable the day after your workout.
Pain from an irritated or injured shoulder can feel different.
You may be more concerned if the pain:
- Is sharp or localized to one particular area
- Occurs every time you perform a certain movement
- Is getting progressively worse
- Limits your shoulder movement
- Causes noticeable weakness
- Wakes you at night
- Makes it painful to lie on the affected shoulder
- Continues well beyond your usual post-workout soreness
- Returns as soon as you resume training
You don’t necessarily have to stop exercising completely because your shoulder hurts, but repeatedly pushing through significant pain isn’t a good strategy either.
Which Gym Exercises Can Aggravate Shoulder Pain?
Almost any upper-body exercise can potentially bother an already irritated shoulder.
Common examples include:
- Bench presses
- Overhead or military presses
- Incline presses
- Lateral or front raises
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups and chin-ups
- Dips
- Chest flyes
- Upright rows
- Certain Olympic or explosive lifts
That doesn’t mean these exercises are inherently bad for your shoulders.
An exercise that bothers one person may be completely comfortable for another. The important question is why a particular movement is painful for your shoulder.
Changing the weight, range of motion, grip, exercise variation, or training volume may sometimes allow you to continue exercising without repeatedly aggravating the problem.
Can Shoulder Pain Come From Your Neck?
Yes. Not all pain felt around the shoulder actually originates in the shoulder itself.
Problems involving the neck can sometimes refer pain toward the shoulder blade, upper shoulder, or arm.
Nerve irritation in the neck may also cause symptoms extending into the arm or hand, sometimes accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness.
As mentioned previously, problem with nerve signals from the neck can cause pain, muscle weakness and problems with shoulder mechanics.
This distinction matters because treatment for a shoulder problem may be quite different from treatment for pain originating from the neck.
An examination can help determine which area appears to be responsible for your symptoms.
Should I Keep Working Out if My Shoulder Hurts?
It depends on the cause and severity of the problem.
You may not need to stop all physical activity. Often, the better approach is to temporarily modify the movements that aggravate your shoulder while continuing with activities you can perform comfortably.
That could mean reducing the weight, changing an exercise, shortening the range of motion, decreasing training volume, or temporarily focusing on other areas of the body.
If even light movements are painful, you’ve experienced a significant injury, or your symptoms are worsening, having the shoulder assessed before continuing your usual training is a sensible choice.
When Should I Have Shoulder Pain Assessed?
Consider having your shoulder assessed if the pain isn’t improving, keeps returning with exercise, or is preventing you from training normally.
An assessment may be particularly useful if you have:
- Persistent or worsening pain
- Significant loss of shoulder movement
- Noticeable weakness
- Pain after a fall or sudden injury
- Recurrent pain during pressing or overhead exercises
- Pain that interferes with sleep
- Numbness or tingling into the arm or hand
- Difficulty returning to your normal workouts
Certain injuries may require medical assessment or diagnostic imaging. If your examination suggests that chiropractic treatment isn’t appropriate or further investigation is needed, you should be referred for the appropriate care.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help With Workout-Related Shoulder Pain?
Chiropractic care for a gym-related shoulder problem begins with determining what appears to be causing your symptoms.
That may include assessing your shoulder movement and strength as well as looking at the function of your neck, upper back, shoulder blade, and other areas that may be contributing.
Depending on the problem, treatment may include adjustments, soft-tissue techniques, exercise, rehabilitation, and advice about temporarily modifying your training.
The goal isn’t simply to reduce pain.
For active patients, the larger goal is to restore comfortable movement and function so you can gradually return to the exercises and activities you enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shoulder Pain After Working Out
Shoulder pain after lifting weights may be related to rotator cuff or tendon irritation, muscle strain, training load, exercise technique, neck problems, or another shoulder problem. The pattern of your symptoms and a physical examination can help determine what is most likely causing the pain.
Not necessarily. Depending on the problem, you may be able to continue exercising while temporarily modifying painful movements, reducing weight or volume, or choosing different exercises. Significant, persistent, or worsening pain should be assessed.
Normal post-workout soreness is generally more diffuse and tends to improve over several days. Pain that is sharp, localized, associated with weakness or loss of movement, or repeatedly returns with a particular exercise may warrant assessment.
Bench pressing places considerable demand on the shoulder and surrounding muscles and tendons. Pain may be related to training load, exercise position, rotator cuff or tendon irritation, or another shoulder problem. Repeated bench-press pain is worth investigating rather than continually training through it.
Chiropractors assess and treat many musculoskeletal causes of shoulder pain. Treatment depends on what is causing the symptoms and may include adjustments, exercise, rehabilitation, and training modifications. Some shoulder injuries require medical assessment or other forms of care.
Get Your Shoulder Pain Assessed in Edmonton
If shoulder pain after working out is keeping you from lifting, exercising, or doing the activities you enjoy, it may be time to find out what’s causing it.
At Collins Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre, we provide Shoulder Pain Treatment and Sports Injury Treatment in Edmonton for active adults dealing with shoulder pain, gym injuries, and other activity-related problems. We’ll assess what may be contributing to your symptoms and determine whether chiropractic care and rehabilitation are appropriate.
Book an appointment today to have your shoulder assessed and get a plan for returning to the activities you enjoy.
About Dr. Dean Collins
Dr. Dean Collins has been helping Edmonton patients improve their health through chiropractic care since 1998. With over 30 years of clinical experience, he has worked with patients of all ages, helping them reduce pain, improve mobility, and maintain healthier, more active lives. At Collins Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre, Dr. Collins focuses on identifying the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction while providing personalized care, education, and practical strategies to support long-term health and wellness.
Learn more about Dr. Collins or book an appointment today.
To learn more about how chiropractor care can help you and your family, read Dr. Collins’ comprehensive guide to chiropractic care: Chiropractic Care for Everyone.
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