Possible Shoulder Labrum Tear (Clicking / No Pain).
Hi everyone,
I’m 33, regularly train 3-4x/week. I’m not a competitive lifter, but I have trained consistently and progressively overloaded over time.
For the last ~2 months, my left shoulder has started giving me issues. There was no clear traumatic event, no fall, no dislocation, and no single movement where I felt something “go wrong.”
However, I have been experiencing:
- Clicking/grinding in my shoulder joint when performing arm backwards rotations.
- Unilateral strength decrease during pressing movements and flys.
- Reduced left contractile capacity (pec, shoulder, bicep).
- Occasional arm/forearm/pinky finger numbness after sleeping or rest positions.
I have no pain, not even when lifting, but I can feel the left side is mechanically off, stiff and weaker.
I saw a physiotherapist. Based on symptoms and manual assessment, they suspect a possible labrum tear, but this has not been confirmed by MRI.
The cause may be associated with repeated overhead/pressing movements.
The current plan is relative rest from provocative movements, rotator cuff / stabilizer work, plank variations, and reassessment in 2–3 weeks.
I am posting here as I am seeking advices / want to hear stories about:
- Whether rehab exercises are effectively useful also for trained lifters whose muscles around the shoulder joint are already relatively strong.
- General experiences of recovery / suggestions.
I’m not asking you for a diagnosis, and I know this needs proper medical assessment.
I’m mainly looking for experiences, practical training advice, and signs that helped you decide whether conservative rehab was working or whether further investigation was needed.
I can provide more details if useful.
Thank you very much in advance :).