This week I started experiencing pain in my right shoulder, in a small but specific area in the front of my shoulder, right in the center. I'm not even sure when I first felt that pain, Monday maybe?
I took Monday, Wednesday and Thursday off from practice, for other reasons more than for my shoulder, but yesterday I opted to do a Hot Core Power class at the Decatur studio instead of full primary with John, as I normally do on Fridays. Hot Core is easier on the upper body than primary series. I did tripod headstand during the class and my shoulder felt fine; however, at the end I did headstand the regular way and the action of pushing into my shoulders was painful. It didn't last terribly long, and was only a very mild ache by the end of the day.
This morning I went to John's and did full primary. It didn't hurt in a specific way during practice, just a general ache, though again headstand produced a specific pain in my shoulder. All afternoon I've had an ache in my right shoulder, stronger than it's been before. It seems to have migrated to the joint, and the entire shoulder hurts.
What seems to hurt the most are small back and forth or pulling motions, like when I was shredding chicken for tacos with two forks, or when I used our wine vacuum pump to put a cork in a bottle of wine. Also, extending my arm out and back to put my jacket on is uncomfortable.
It doesn't feel severe enough to see a doctor (and I'd be paying out of pocket to do so), yet it's uncomfortable and I'm worried that continuing to practice is going to make it worse. I am loathe to take a prolonged break, because I am worried about losing all I've gained in terms of upper body strength.
NSAID's haven't helped so far. I wish I knew if this was a case of things happening in my shoulder as a result of my practice, like when I was first binding in Supta Kurmasana and my collarbones hurt all the time, or it is a bonafide injury that needs attention.
