shoulder issues

Hard to get a read since you do not log your workouts ... so here's 20 questions: what has your swim volume been like?  How has did you ramp up the volume?  Are you using swim paddles?

Where is the muscle pain?  "Front" of the shoulder?  Does it feel muscular/sore or skeletal/cartridge?  Does the pain happen only when exercising or all the time?  Any particular movement exacerbates it?

Did I say 20? I went to Ole Miss, so counting is optional ...

thanks ole miss. im from philly where we count often how many years since a major sport won a championship. i should know better.

 
sorry to leave out all that info. what it is unilateral to the left shoulder, sub trapezoid muscle when reaching out. not noticed during workouts except when lifting anything above head. pain is fatigue throbbing while in bed. some difficulty when sneezing. can rotate it fine but it hurts when elbow is up and extended.

normal week workout is mwf 1 hr weight train (chest/tri, legs/shoulders, back/bi) laying off shoulders of late

 run - t, th, sun intervals, tempo, long run

swim as noted above, new to sport but going m w f about 900-100 m total usually in intervals (75,100, ladders)

bike-new to sport. long 18-20mph 2hr rides on wed night and saturday. hard one other day of  week for one hour.

The description reads like a muscular issue ... not a doctor nor a PT but can say from personal experience that it pays to see a PT early such as when a muscle is niggling or talking to you - as opposed to when it starts screaming.

A good, sports orientated PT can not only help identify the problem and prescribe a path to healing it but also help with preventing it from happening again.  

Note the reference to "...sports orientated" PT.  Many PT's do not understand what we do as triathletes and therefore miss much of nuances of muscle groups - large and small - that are involved.  You will want someone who has seen this type of problem before so that you do not just get the textbook RICE formula/lay off of it/don't train response.

There was a thread a couple months ago listing PT's that people would recommend.  Try the 'search forum' link above and then narrow it down to this forum.

To get you started, though, I'll PM you with the contact info of the sports PT I use.  She may not be on your health plan, may not be convenient, may not [fill in the blank:_______] ... but at least it will get you started in case you cannot find anyone else.