On the bench press, you should have your shoulders retracted, your back arched, and elbows tucked in to some degree. Deviating from this form is a common cause of shoulder pain. So if that applies to you, try it out.
I did try to pay attention to those details and... no change. Except for the arched back... maybe I should look into that a little bit more.
Thanks
several things come to mind, but I'm not a medical professional and hope you can go see a GP and or a physiotherapist.
a typical press up is kind of closer to decline press in terms of the angle you exert at. you may find that decline bench and dumbbell press feels okay?
I would also be mindful of the positioning of your upper arms when comparing the two exercises; I suspect the angle which they extend laterally from your body is different in these cases, like closer to 45 degrees during press ups, closer to 80 during barbell bench press
I'm curious if the positioning of your wrist plays a part in this; and and am inclined to wonder if an open-palm barbell bench press results in any ease of discomfort (please be careful if you're testing this for the first time). thinking about your muscles as a chain, it's not unheard of to see someone who suffers elbow pain due to an undiagnosed tight neck muscle or trap.
I'll try the decline bech press. Lets see...