Pinched Nerve. P-Funk, others please read.

[camarosuper6]

Hello.

Here is a brief recap of my story. Monday during my usual workout, doing smith overhead press, I felt a slight "give" or tweak in my upper back/lower neck area while doing my set. I knew I had at least a slight pull, because Ive had this happen more than once in the same area, so I finished my workout as planned and went home to ice the area.

The next morning, of course I had a pretty intense pain in the area, that I figured was a pulled muscle, but as the week progressed, I changed my mind.

I have had numbness, tingling in my left arm (tricep and fingers)... sometimes even a slightly sharp pain shoot down the arm.

I cannot for the life of me get in a truly comfortable position, regardless of what Im doing. It feels as if there is a dull ache behind my shoulder blade/scapula area on my left side of the back, and I cannot touch the pain...as I would be able to if it were a muscle (usually, or if not that, at least turn my head in a direction that would stretch the area and cause pain).

Sleeping sucks. I wake up and cannot get comfortable either. No matter what I do, it tends to hurt.. so I have to keep my neck elevated and sleep on my back or chest for best results.

The real kicker, is that on Wed during my leg, bicep,forearm workout... all went well. No loss in strength at all. But today, when just attempting to warm up with dumbell chest press, I picked up 50lb dumbells and my left side could barely muster enough strength to rep three out (and an ugly shaky three at that). So any pressing movement is about 50 percent strength or so... obviously I wont be able to press until this is healed.

So my question to anyone with this previous experience or expertise, suggestions would be helpful. Obviously I am going to rest the area, apply ice (according to my nurse, ice works better for nerves because heat doesnt get deep enough to encourage blood flow as ice does). I will refrain from anything pressing... but would like to continue my legs, biceps, etc.. because they seem to be completely fine.


Help... suggestions... comments.. please welcome.

Thank you

 

[camarosuper6]

Update:

Im beginning to think I may have a slightly herniated c7 disc causing the pain, compressed nerve and weakness in the arm. I am slightly better than earlier in the week, so my guess is that a few weeks of rest and some NSAIDS is probably the best option with mild exercise to keep the blood flow positive.

Nothing much else I can do.

 

[Arnold]

not much you can do other than stay out of the gym and rest until its healed, it could take weeks.

 

[P-funk]

i would try and get to someone who can check you out and see what it what.


part of it sounds like you could have activated some trigger points, part of it sounds like you could have some nerve compression going on.

why press on a smith machine? A normal arc is an overhead pressing movement requires the bar to move around you (which doesn't happen on a smith machine and hence the reason why machine overhead presses have the handles placed out to the side of your head). That is a poor line you are trying to apply force into (and I am sure you are using substantial weight, as you are a strong guy) and I can only imagine where (and how) your head and neck are positioned when performing the press (which alters scapular position and function, which alters shoulder functin, etc, etc).

 

[salahhuddeen]

hi, you should try to find an oestopath. it might help

 

[Arnold]

i would try and get to someone who can check you out and see what it what.

part of it sounds like you could have activated some trigger points, part of it sounds like you could have some nerve compression going on.

he could but they cannot really do much, I did something very similar several years ago and saw 3 different doctors, it was not a disc just a compressed nerve (the brachial plexus nerve), my right arm, shoulder and pec all atrophied and had a 80% strength loss, it slowly came back and took me about a year to get my right side back to normal size/strength, after taking about a month off I started back doing push-ups on my knees and had trouble with that, it was depressing, but I slowly rebuilt and gained all of my size/strength back, this was back in 2003.

 

[Dale Mabry]

Hello.

because Ive had this happen more than once in the same area,

Which side, and do you sleep on your side?

Don't know if this is what just happened, but continued issues in the area of the scapula can be caused by sleeping on one's side, especially with people who have protracted scapula in resting posture. It sounds like you may have done something more serious right now, but even if it is an issue of a slight herniation, there is some obvious movement dysfunction that is causing impairment in the area that will come back until you find out what is causing it.

I've had issues with my left rhomboid minor tweaking during pull ups in the past, so I looked it up in Shirley Sahrmann's book which stated that it was likely something at the scapula. I always slept on my left side so I switched sides. The pain reduced exponentially. After a couple of weeks, I had a massage therapist work the area and now I have had no issues since, aside from no longer sleeping on my side.

Regardless, get it checked by someone, as P-funk said.

 

[camarosuper6]

Hey fellas, thanks all of you for your input.

I went to urgent care today because the pain was just too annoying.

Doctor said I had a minor herniation of a disk causing the pain. He did x-rays to determine if it was severe or not, and said he couldnt see anything at all on x-rays, so that probably meant it would have no problem healing on its own. (and he complemented me on my bone density which he said was the best he's seen in years)

So he prescribe me some naproxin, some vicodin and rest.....which is what I figured. He told me since the xray looked good, the problem was probably not serious enough to warrant anything but good ol rest, but if my arm continues to get weaker, get back in their ASAP.

So thank you everyone. Looks like rest and some future looking into imbalances/weaknesses are in my near future. I think I have come to a point in my bodybuilding "career" where because I do push heavy weights, safety is becoming paramount ( I was using the 280lbs on the smith for 10 reps)...

Thanks again guys.

 

[P-funk]

he could but they cannot really do much, I did something very similar several years ago and saw 3 different doctors, it was not a disc just a compressed nerve (the brachial plexus nerve), my right arm, shoulder and pec all atrophied and had a 80% strength loss, it slowly came back and took me about a year to get my right side back to normal size/strength, after taking about a month off I started back doing push-ups on my knees and had trouble with that, it was depressing, but I slowly rebuilt and gained all of my size/strength back, this was back in 2003.

soft tissue work can do wonders for releasing compressed nerves! You need someone skilled enough to know where in the tack the nerve can become compressed and where it is compressed!

 

[Perdido]

Sounds allot like the same symptoms I have on my right side. Went to the Dr's then had an MRI and Xrays done. Hope to find out what's up this week.

 

[Perdido]

Any tips on how to avoid these types of injuries?

I've been to several doctors with no real answers. X rays and MRI's show everything is in order.

Dr. suspects a possible nerve issue that will heal on it's own with therapy. I have been training light avoiding movements that are painful. Pain is much better and my strength is coming back to normal but would like to know if there's anything I need to do to avoid this happening again.

Thanks in advance.

 

[P-funk]

go see someone who can do good soft tissue therapy and release muscular compression from the nerve.

patrick

 

[DesertFox]

Man I had a pinched nerve or at least thats what I think it was when I was a senior and soccer try outs where going on. Damn I swear even walking was painful. You know how it feels when you put a clip on your lip or ear and it hurts like a bitch? Well it felt like that but on my left side middle of my back.

 

[bobz]

see a chiropractor, same thing happen to my mate and the chiro fixed him good he's back at the gym now

 

[Perdido]

Thanks Patrick & Bobz. I've been to therapy and pain is almost gone. Now to get the strength back. Sucks doing DB rows with 125's on one side and have to drop back to 60's on the other.

 

[camarosuper6]

Well, now a month later, my pain has improved dramatically, Im probably around 85 -90 percent pain free, except in certain odd positions.

My strength has not returned, however it has improved slightly and seems to be a waiting game more than anything.

I saw my regular doctor and after evaluating my with some basic exercises and pretty elementary sensory tests concluded he felt that I had a tricep and trapezius strain/partial tear.

Which quite frankly blew my mind, considering I have no pain in my tricep what so ever... and the strength in my fingers has returned completely, and my tricep is GRADUALLY improving;

Bottom line is Im going to take another few weeks off any type of pressing movement and do some maintenence type work for the rest of my body.

 

[paul_uk]

pfunck your dead right about head and kneck position ive done the same thing. i know suffer with a condition called winged scapular my nerve is damaged and my shoulder blade sticks out. i can only lift 7kg on my righthand shoulder press.