Dips..the King of Upper body exercises??
This article is very relevant for rugby players and of late,GAA players and anyone that weight trains on a regular basis and experiences shoulder pain or shoulder issues.
Doing Dips on a Shoulder with Acromioclavicular Joint Problems
Traditionally, the acromioclavicular (AC) joint has been associated with traumatic shoulder separations,an example would be the traumatic effect of an outstretched arm of a rugby player getting over extended trying to prevent an opponent from getting past., but one issue that has become more and more prominent over the past 25 years has been atraumatic osteolysis of the distal clavicle(shoulder joint)
Interestingly, this increase parallels the increase in popularity of resistance training during that same time period. In 1982, Cahill noted that of 46 cases observed in a particular study, 45 of the subjects participated in weight training.(6)
We know that weight training is incredibly valuable, and that full ROM is crucial for long-term success. However, if you’ve got osteolysis, or are on your way — or if you have a history of traumatic AC joint problems — pressing exercises that pull you into full extension can be a problem.
We’ve seen people who’ve dealt with the issues, and most of them have a big history of dips and (obviously) benching in their pasts. When the problem is at its worst, benching with full ROM is painful, but dips are absolute murder. I’ve simply decided to avoid them for anyone who has ever had AC joint symptoms.
If you’ve got a bad history, cross dips off your list.
Interestingly, my experience has been that if you iron out the other related inefficiencies at the shoulder and just do partial ROM pressing (board presses, floor presses), in most cases, you’ll be able to return to full ROM benching down the road, once the pain settles down. I suspect that it has a lot to do with the fact that the scapulae can be locked in place on a bench, whereas they’re moving with dips.
Of course, some people struggle long-term with these issues and go the surgical route (distal clavicle resection). It’s actually not too bad a surgery and the recovery is relatively quick.
But if your free from any problems while dipping then continue to do so because in terms of upperbody strenght,muscle stimulation and core activation it is one of the best.
