What muscle injury is this?

[Tony Seng]

I try to keep my workouts pretty basic, my main exercises are:
bench, pullups with weight, shoulder press, squat, deadlift, dips with weights.
The weights for dips and pullups range from 45lbs up to 110lbs, depending on reps.

I sometimes get pain in my left - lower rear delt/upper tricep/armpit area.
Its right at the connection point (I assume) of the tricep/lower rear delt and armpit area.
For instance if Im standing with my back towards you with my arms at my
side, its basically a little to the side of where my armpit is on the tricep.

The pain happens at the begining of the pullup motion to the midpoint of the pullup.
Also when I do rows.
Now it hurts even when I do pullups with no weight.
It also hurts if I raise my arms backwards (opposite of front raise)

What could be causing the pain? What muscle is injuried?

Its strange, it hurts on the rear area (triceps) but it only hurts when Im doing pulling motions, which I would think hits the biceps.

No pain during pushing motions (bench, should press)

Thanks
-Tony

[James Withington]

Originally Posted by Tony Seng

It also hurts if I raise my arms backwards (opposite of front raise)

The long head of triceps brachii is involved in extension at the shoulder joint, which is the movement you described above. Extension of the shoulder joint also is a big part of doing pullups. It could be that you've torn some fibres of that muscle.

Judging from the location you describe the pain to be in it could also be a rotator cuff muscle like teres minor or infraspinatus, both attach to the humerus at around that kinda area. If you're not experiencing any pain when pressing, I would tend towards it being an issue with one of these muscles as opposed to the tricep.

Whatever it is that you've done, sounds to me like you'll just have to go and rest it for a week or two. Give it some time to heal, then take stock of things in a couple of weeks' time.

[Everett Steinbarger]

+1 to what James said.

The Lat insertion is also right near there.

[Steven Low]

It's either overuse or what I would suspect is that you have shoulder instability.

Basically because you have no horizontal pulling and all of the exercises you do are internally rotating (pretty much all pushing.. and pullups develop chest and lats which are internal rotators). So your external rotators don't get worked much except in deadlifts.

Stretch them out, and do some rotator cuff exercises for teres minor and infraspinatus... possibly supraspinatus and see if that helps.