Correcting Muscle Imbalances?

[BJ@LW&WW]

I recently had a pretty bad injury that caused some nerve damage that has affected the right side of my body. Most heavily, it is affecting my right chest, but it also affects my right tricep and lat.

Initially I had lost about 20% of my benching ability. My right side would fail while my left side could easily get the bar up. I've since rebuilt some of the strength and maybe am a little more than 10% off of what I used to be. However, the imbalance is still very present and definitely affects my form on my heavy sets and even affects my form to a lesser degree on my non heavy sets.

What is a good way for me to go about fixing this imbalance? Currently, after I finish my bench sets and move on to other non-chest related exercises, I'll throw in a set of dumbell press between exercises where I only press the right side. Is this a good thing to do? I'll also do some tricep extensions on my right side only as well.

 

[j123]

I think overall regular DB work should sort out muscle imbalances. Too much focus on doing barbell (bilateral) work for years will do that to you.

You mentioned your lats taking a hit as well, try doing some work there as well.

It gets alot of shit on these forums, but I found that a bodybuilding type routine assistance work (done after heavy lifting with your main lifts) is a good way to cull imbalance issues. My case, was mostly rear-delts, if I got injuries or cramps, thats the place where it mostly happened.

 

[ripskater]

The problem may originate in the spine on that side. Probably from some compression on that side.

If you live in LA, go see Dr. Edythe Heus (Revolution in Motion). Her workouts will help you lengthen the spine over time. And you might just get back some of the function you lost.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

I've been to doctors that have checked out my injury. It seems its essentially just something ill have to live when unless im going to get surgery in my neck that doesn't have the highest success rate to begin with.

I think overall regular DB work should sort out muscle imbalances. Too much focus on doing barbell (bilateral) work for years will do that to you.

You mentioned your lats taking a hit as well, try doing some work there as well.

It gets alot of shit on these forums, but I found that a bodybuilding type routine assistance work (done after heavy lifting with your main lifts) is a good way to cull imbalance issues. My case, was mostly rear-delts, if I got injuries or cramps, thats the place where it mostly happened.

i dont have imbalance from weight training. I have it from an injury.

What exactly should I do to isolate my lats on a single side?

 

[j123]

I've been to doctors that have checked out my injury. It seems its essentially just something ill have to live when unless im going to get surgery in my neck that doesn't have the highest success rate to begin with.



i dont have imbalance from weight training. I have it from an injury.

ah, okay.

What exactly should I do to isolate my lats on a single side?

1 arm DB Row, or those machines that allow for single arm work

 

[spin]

I believe I added extra reps to my weak side, and a couple extra iso sets after, to overcome my own imbalance from injury.


some researching online was really helpful, I recommend it.

 

[JauntyAngle]

It gets alot of shit on these forums, but I found that a bodybuilding type routine assistance work (done after heavy lifting with your main lifts) is a good way to cull imbalance issues.

I don't think that's true.

Doing assistance lifts high rep is a respected and quite popular approach to strength training. Plenty of people here do it. You will often see people doing a high-rep compound exercise after the main lifts, and many will do some isolation exercises high rep after that.

Your recommendation (do some BB/hypertrophy type work in a problematic area to make it more muscular), far from getting shit, is actually a very common one.

No one here knocks high-rep work, as long as it isn't the only thing you do, and you are trying to increase max strength.

As for bodybuilding, well, yes, some people knock that. But there's more to BB then just doing everything 5x10 and throwing in a little isolation work. Or so I'm told anyway.

 

[Chungungo]

Well chinese olympic weightlifting team does one day of complementary work kind of bodybuilding so I guess it works...
I am doing pilates reformer for my lower back issues anyway and it works wonders...

 

[Badger67]

To chime in with Jaunty, a lot of the best things i learned about rehab i learned from bodybuilders. Changing joint angles to maximize or minimize a muscle (or groups) involvement helps speed up recovery and reduce muscle imbalances, as well as adding strength, hypertrophy, and increase soft tissue strength.

Straight arm pull downs and DB pullovers are great for Lat and tricep work.
Can do scapular depressions by hanging from a pullup bar, use only the lats to depress. Or can use cables to isolate more specifically the one side.


Additionally, protraction exercises along with cable flye's at different angles may help for the pec aspect. If the pec is weak or compromised, i also recommend strengthening the scapulae as a stabilizing group. Typically when the shoulder girdle becomes compromised for any reason, its a giant domino effect.

 

[Sano]

What kind of injury did you have? Was it a sudden trauma? When did it happen? Do you get a tingleling sensation in areas?

Pec major/minor, latissimus dorsi and triceps brachii all pretty much spring from plexus brachialis, or rather, nerve segments C5-C8(T1). Sounds like you might have hurt the posterior fasciculi, or had another plexus brachialis lesion. Maybe even a direct spinal injury around C7. I know this probably sounds like jibberish. What I mean is; did you hurt your lower neck/shoulder area?

You say you've been to the doctors, but have you been to a physio? They can give you a better neurological and muscular screening, and help make a suited rehab plan.

 

[McBryde Mats LLC]

What kind of injury did you have? Was it a sudden trauma? When did it happen? Do you get a tingleling sensation in areas?

Pec major/minor, latissimus dorsi and triceps brachii all pretty much spring from plexus brachialis, or rather, nerve segments C5-C8(T1). Sounds like you might have hurt the posterior fasciculi, or had another plexus brachialis lesion. Maybe even a direct spinal injury around C7. I know this probably sounds like jibberish. What I mean is; did you hurt your lower neck/shoulder area?

You say you've been to the doctors, but have you been to a physio? They can give you a better neurological and muscular screening, and help make a suited rehab plan.

Great reply. Thanks for sharing

 

[MandirigmaFit]

Strength is built most efficiently at higher intensities. Just spend a few session/week on low rep/high intensity movement patterns on the side that you're not as strong.

If the side that you are weaker on is also "smaller" in muscle mass, then add in hypertrophy work.

If you are an untrained individual, then the problem may fix itself over time. There are studies showing an increase in strength to the "untrained" side in unilateral strength training due to adaptations in the nervous system, rather mechanical adaptations.

Don't trip. The problem should be quick to fix unless it is actually nerve damage, but I feel like it would have to be a bit more severe than you're making it out to be and you would definitely know if it was. The way nerves are set up, it isn't point A affects point B. For instance, the set up of the brachial plexus enables efferent signals to travel through different routes, however, relearning that motor pattern may take a very long time, but if you had severe nerve damage, then I think more atrophy would be obvious.

Go get another evaluation from a specialized provider to confirm, because no one here can diagnose and Rx.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

What kind of injury did you have? Was it a sudden trauma? When did it happen? Do you get a tingleling sensation in areas?

Pec major/minor, latissimus dorsi and triceps brachii all pretty much spring from plexus brachialis, or rather, nerve segments C5-C8(T1). Sounds like you might have hurt the posterior fasciculi, or had another plexus brachialis lesion. Maybe even a direct spinal injury around C7. I know this probably sounds like jibberish. What I mean is; did you hurt your lower neck/shoulder area?

You say you've been to the doctors, but have you been to a physio? They can give you a better neurological and muscular screening, and help make a suited rehab plan.

it was a sudden hyperflexion of my neck. happened two months ago. no tingling but persistent and strong muscle spasms in the affected muscles, along with pain that ran down towards the top of my right shoulder and would be exacerbated by neck extension. cat scans didnt show any acute damage but they found i have cervical stenosis at my c5

 

[Sano]

it was a sudden hyperflexion of my neck. happened two months ago. no tingling but persistent and strong muscle spasms in the affected muscles, along with pain that ran down towards the top of my right shoulder and would be exacerbated by neck extension. cat scans didnt show any acute damage but they found i have cervical stenosis at my c5

Increasing pain when extending the neck would make sense with stenosis, however if it's a new phenomenon it's hard to say. The injury might have increased the symptoms of a pre-existing narrow spinal path, but it seems to me like there are more things going on. CT scans in reality don't show that much, MR scans are much better in that regard, especially when dealing with discs and the spine, but it's not always necessary to get one.

What exactly is it the doctor suggested surgery for? The spinal stenosis?

Honestly, you should seek out a physio and let them do a screening and examination on you. We can hypothesise over the internet, but no one can diagnose you properly without being there. It's worth it, especially when there is a neurological component.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

Increasing pain when extending the neck would make sense with stenosis, however if it's a new phenomenon it's hard to say. The injury might have increased the symptoms of a pre-existing narrow spinal path, but it seems to me like there are more things going on. CT scans in reality don't show that much, MR scans are much better in that regard, especially when dealing with discs and the spine, but it's not always necessary to get one.

What exactly is it the doctor suggested surgery for? The spinal stenosis?

Honestly, you should seek out a physio and let them do a screening and examination on you. We can hypothesise over the internet, but no one can diagnose you properly without being there. It's worth it, especially when there is a neurological component.

I'll likely go to see a physical therapist/specialist in August based on their schedule. Yes, the surgery for stenosis. They didnt suggest the surgery they just mentioned it's an option that most do not take.

 

[Sano]

I'll likely go to see a physical therapist/specialist in August based on their schedule. Yes, the surgery for stenosis. They didnt suggest the surgery they just mentioned it's an option that most do not take.

Yeah I wouldn't go for the surgery personally. Not unless all other options have been patiently explored and exhausted.

Hope everything turns out well! Let us know down the road if you don't forget!

 

[Chungungo]

To chime in with Jaunty, a lot of the best things i learned about rehab i learned from bodybuilders. Changing joint angles to maximize or minimize a muscle (or groups) involvement helps speed up recovery and reduce muscle imbalances, as well as adding strength, hypertrophy, and increase soft tissue strength.

Straight arm pull downs and DB pullovers are great for Lat and tricep work.
Can do scapular depressions by hanging from a pullup bar, use only the lats to depress. Or can use cables to isolate more specifically the one side.


Additionally, protraction exercises along with cable flye's at different angles may help for the pec aspect. If the pec is weak or compromised, i also recommend strengthening the scapulae as a stabilizing group. Typically when the shoulder girdle becomes compromised for any reason, its a giant domino effect.

Is this good for weakness in the scapulas ?
A kine told me they are not going together very well ...

 

[Badger67]

In what way aren't they? There is more than one aspect of the scapular mobility.

Upper trapezius (elevation and upward rotation), mid (retraction and stabilization ), lower (depression). Most people need more work in the mid and lower aspects.
Rhomboids minor and major (retraction and stabilization mostly)
subscapularis (internal rotation of the humerus but if the humerus is fixed it helps hold the scapula toward the ribs).

Also, the OP asked for lat strengthening. While the lat doesn't specifically attach to the scapula, performing depressions help to strengthen the lat in another plane of motion, and recruit the lower fibers of the trapezius to aid in depression of the girdle.

 

[YugoKing]

Wishing you a speedy recovery if God wants so.