I lifted a 25kg fridge from floor to bench and felt nothing for 2 weeks and only later experience elbow, bicep and shoulder discomfort. Fot the last month those areas have ebbed and flowed with discomfort, dull pain at times, etc and now, 10 weeks in, elbow is nearly better but bicep, taking more of the load, can ache sometimes but shoulder has got worse and shoulder pain means i cant move it much. is it normall for such complex muscle and tendon based components to take ages to heal, each at there own pace? the iniyial 2 wks with no sign of discomfort or pain and no one urgent immediate issue at time of moving fridge suggests no bone issue,
19:52
Your experience actually follows a very recognizable pattern for soft tissue injuries, and yes, what you’re describing is quite normal for this type of injury. Here’s why:
The delayed onset makes sense. Tendon and muscle injuries often don’t hurt immediately because the initial damage is microscopic – small tears in fibers that don’t cause acute pain right away. It’s only as inflammation develops over days or as you continue using the area that symptoms emerge. The 2-week delay isn’t unusual at all.
The shifting pattern of pain is typical. What often happens is your body compensates for the initial injury. So your elbow hurt first, you unconsciously protected it, which put more load on your bicep. Then as you protect the bicep, your shoulder takes over more work – but it was already damaged from the original lift, just not symptomatic yet. This creates a cascade where different areas flare up as they become the weak link in the chain.
Different tissues heal at different rates. Muscles generally heal faster (weeks), tendons heal slower (months), and the rotator cuff tendons in your shoulder are particularly slow healers due to relatively poor blood supply. At 10 weeks, it’s completely normal for your shoulder to still be problematic while your elbow has mostly recovered.
Your shoulder getting worse is concerning though. While some fluctuation is normal, progressive worsening and significant loss of range of motion at this stage suggests you should see a doctor or physiotherapist. You could have developed secondary issues like bursitis, or the initial injury might need professional treatment rather than just time.
The lack of immediate trauma doesn’t rule out significant soft tissue damage – it just makes fractures or complete tears unlikely. But partial tendon tears or strains can absolutely cause the prolonged recovery you’re experiencing.
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