Back & shoulder pain

[cs]

Maybe some of you guys can help me. Every now and than I get this un-explained pain in my back and shoulder. According to the diagram below it is the trapezius. For no apperant reason it will start to hurt and it takes about 2 weeks for the pain to go away. The wife says that it is all tensed and knotted up.

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/images/446/musclesbackview.gif

What would cause this?

Chad

[km gresham]

I hate to say it - date of birth syndrome. ;)

[cs]

Not on this Karen. This is a recurring problem that first started in my early 20's. I don't happen often but ocasionally it starts up for no apperant reason.

Chad

[Donn]

Mouse muscle? Does it happen after an intense session in your CAD software?

[cs]

Donn, it first started happening before I even knew what a mouse was. The pain is in my left shoulder/upper back and not my right side (mouse side). My first stabs at the internet search indicated mouse pain, but like I said it is in the other shoulder.

Chad

[MJC]

Forumitis?

[km gresham]

Oh well, my medical license is expired. ;) What does the doctor say? Have you asked? you're asking us bunch of nit wits on the forum?! :eek: No telling what you'll get.

Well, what about an intermittently pinched nerve? :confused:

[Alan D. Hyde]

Many such afflictions are stress-related.

A physician friend has convinced many of his patients to routinely walk 40 minutes a day--- as much for stress-relief as for exercise.

He says they have 90% less complaints than his patients who DON'T walk.

Alan

[FG]

Find a good DO.

[MickeyLane]

I used to suffer from this - still do from time to time.

I had it so bad once that I had to turn my body to look left or right. When it went from being really annoying to really hurting, I went to the Doc.

He did all the exam stuff. I asked "What is it?"

He said "Stress."

He prescribed nothing and I took nothing. The next morning it was gone - completly - and I didn't notice it again for a couple of years.

Now when it shows up, I take a look at what's going on in my life and try to come to terms whith whatever's bothering me. Works every time.

[Tristan]

Yeah, i vote for stress too. Also, if you are right handed there may be an imbalance of "exercise" which makes your left trap easy to become too tight, then painful. Just think about how painful a support leg can become if your gait changes slightly, for example, because of a temporary limp. At 71 I sometimes get fairly severe pain in hip, back, shoulder, etc. Tends to be something fairly stupid, like mouse pain, slight strain from yard work, stress associated with too much sitting in one position, or just one act,like pulling a dead branch out of the yard. Finally, the back is the key to a lot of pain in shoulders, legs, head, etc. Keep your back supple. I trained in Karate and some jujitsu for about 12 years. As my age slowed me down I began Chi Kung and have practiced T'ai chi for about eleven years. It helps. Lowell p. Thomas

[imported_Dutch]

i agree stress.

try a tall glass of http://www.bullz-eye.com/Models/200206lisa/lisa-08.jpg

[Tristan]

Where's my viagra? Now, dammit, what was it we used to do? Lowell Thomas

[Anthony Zucker]

Chad; It might be spinal misalignment. I have similar pains on occassion and go to a chiropractor who uses an activator, a device similar to a pistol with a large ball bearing in it which taps the vertibrae back into line.
I believe this works.
I just called his office and they suggested a Dr Roddy on E. Brainerd Rd in Chattanooga.
Again, this is not the old pop and pray school of chiropractic which was scary.
Good Luck;
PS; I think the Sea Scouts are going to adopt OPAL.

[JMAC]

I'd start asking around for a good local chiropractor. It may be an ankle or knee thing that is causing you to compensate in some way that your back doesn't like. The chiropractor I see just plain fixes things, on the spot, almost every time.

[Meerkat]

Wrap the covers around your neck at night! Otherwise, maybe it's bursitis and the pain is refered.

[Victor]

Perhaps you tore your rotator cuff at some point and it gets inflamed from time to time, or constant muscle tightness could make it act up. Not uncommon.

[cs]

Thanks for the help guys, but I ain't going to the doctor. Guess I was looking for an easy fix, BTW I hate going to the doctor. Guess I need to find a pretty physical therapist. ;)

Tony glad to hear that about Opal.

Back to the shoulder pain. The first time I remember this happening was in 1989. I used to have to carry an "A" bag all the time. It basiclly was an Air Force cargo bag (similar to what is shown below) that we carried all of our alert gear in. I would care it slung over my shoulder while holding on to it with the same hand. This put an awkard tension on the muscles in the back and shoulder. This is when the first episode happended and at the time I couldn't even move my arm higher than my shoulder nor turn my head around.

http://www.soldiercity.com/images/products/reg/5259.JPG

The pain from the first time went away and every now and than it returns for no reason. I reckon I could have hurt the rotar cuff and it could be getting inflamed now due to tension.

All I know is it hurts and Advil or Icy Hot don't touch it.

Chad

[ 01-25-2005, 07:35 AM: Message edited by: cs ]

[Tristan]

Not necessarily anything as serious as a rotator cuff. I experienced a similar problem after blocking a hard kick with my right arm (karate). I was about 53 at the time. Couldn't raise my right arm above shoulder level for a week or two. Went to ortho doc. "Hummm," he said, "you have an impingement." Apparentlyl the tendons were strained, inflamed, and swollen. He sent me to a PT who gave me some rubber bands to attach to doorknob and pull, with arm straight, down, to side, up, etc. She said to do whatever hurts, but do it only to modest pain, not to agony. The shoulder freed up after a couple weeks. I was instructed to keep doing the exercises. The final healing came a month later, I blocked another hard kick with the same arm, felt instant agony, but never had any more problem. My belief is that a small adhesion was broken loose by that second kick. Anyhow, you might try getting some big strips of rubber, the kind PT's use, and doing full range of motion exercises, especially to point of modest pain. Otherwise go to a good ortho doc and get a referral to a PT who will probably have you do the above. Lowell P. Thomas, (been there, done that).

[Ken Hutchins]

Time for you to get some Watkin's red liniment. ;)

[cs]

Woodworker's know muscle pain, that's why we offer Watkins liniments. ?The active ingredient in Red Liniment is camphor, from an Asian evergreen related to cinnamon. Together with red pepper extract, it works by stimulating nerve receptors that feel heat, masking the feeling of pain and relieving the discomfort of minor muscle pain, soreness and stiffness. In a shatter-resistant bottle. For external use only. 11 fl. oz.http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/ProductImages/bodycare/2317.jpg

Now where do I get it locally?

Chad

[Memphis Mike]

Tiger Balm will do just as good.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I'm an expert in (suffering)pain like this. I have some arthritis in my shoulders and neck, from an injury in my younger years, and here's what happens: The joint inflames slightly and I compensate a little. Then the muscles bunch up around the compensation, and then the pain starts, from knotting. A pain cycle can last anywhere from (mild) 3 or so days, to (arrrgh) about two weeks, some of which is so bad that I can't sleep. I hit it with advil for a couple of days at maximum dose. I also do stretching exercises, and on occasion get a cheap massage. I find the stretching exercises do the most.

Get a good pillow, sleep position can affect this too. BTW I don't like Chiropractors....some people swear by em, but I think the idea is somewhat foreign. I'd go to an acupuncturist first.

[Gary Bergman]

When you think 'chiropractor', try 'orthopaedic surgeon' first........

[cs]

Well if it don't start feeling better I may have to do something that I hate to do, visit the doctor.

Chad

[htom]

I have had a series of deep cysts by my left shoulder blade that acts like that, Chad. Office surgery for it (them) several times, but it keeps coming back.

[Tealsmith]

Chad,

I had similar pains. They would come and go every few years or months. Did trigger point injections for a while that helped for a while. Got worse, a chiropractor didn't help at all. A MRI showed a herniated disc. A neurosurgeon prescribed medicine that did help. So far. When it really hurts bad you might try a neuro surgeon.
Good luck.

[cs]

Today is the day. If it don't get better I will call the doctor.

Chad

[cs]

I think that maybe I can rule out the doctor. The pain is receding (kinda like my hair line) and I've not had to take any drugs this morning. The muscle is starting to have some promising twitches (I hope that is good). Maybe I'm on the road to getting better. Last night it was hurting all the way down my arm and today I have better movement.

Chad

[cs]

Thought I had it whupped, but last night I had to work on a garage door and aggrivated it again. We will see how it does as the day wears on.

Chad

[cs]

Turned another corner last night. Woke up this morning in pretty bad pain. The drive to work just about did me in. I will call the Doctor's office when they open.

The pain has reached a point where it don't stay put. It has migrated lower into my collar bone with frequent trips down my left arm past the elbow.

Chad

[cs]

Well, I'm off to see the doctor. If you don't ever hear from me again, you will know that a bullet was the only option. LOL

Chad

[Shang]

Funny you should mention it, Chad...for the past week I have been hiding out from the Horse Knacker, who wanted to shoot me for dog meat.
Now I am a little better, and if I was a horse they would merely sell me to an unsuspecting Presbyterian.

( The doctor gave me some pills, which when taken in tandom click off the pain like a light switch--unfortunately they also make reasonable thought impossible, so I stopped taking them.
--No! Honest I did!...)

[imported_Steven Bauer]

So what did the Doc say?
You've kept us waiting all day... smile.gif

Steven

[Tristan]

The pain has reached a point where it don't stay put. It has migrated lower into my collar bone with frequent trips down my left arm past the elbow.

Hummm, I am hoping, for your sake, that this pain is not coming from two sources. One, from a shoulder problem, two, from a heart problem. Pain in the left shoulder that radiates down the left arm suggests a heart problem.
:confused:

[cs]

Why I hate doctors.

I get in there he ask a few questions, gets the history and sends me on my way with a couple of prescriptions and says "See you in 10 days for a nerve test"

All in all maybe 10 minutes in his office. The pain medicine just barely works, works enough to let me sleep a little bit.

Hydrocodone 325mg
Sxelaxin 800mg
PredniSONE 10mg

Sill 2 hours till my next dose of pain medicine and I hope I can make it.

Chad

[Tristan]

Well, the good news is that it sounds like he feels there's no connection to the heart. Keep in mind that ordinary muscle pain can be very intense. Good luck, Lowell p. Thomas, Naples, FL

[cs]

You are right, he did rule out heart problems. About muscle pain, I've experianced plenty of muscle pain and this goes far beyond that. I've had broken bones that haven't hurt this bad.

Chad

[Tealsmith]

I still predict disc problems. My pain went down the arm as well. Good luck with it no matter what it is.

[cs]

I almost think it could be that. I was hoping that the Doctor would do an X=ray, but alas he did not. :(

Chad

[Jim H]

Chad, I had the same problem with pain in my lower back radiating down my legs. The Navy Doc X-rayed my back and said he couldn't find anything wrong and offered me 10% disability (that's the closest I ever came to telling an officer to KMA). When I got back to the real world a friend suggested I go see his Chiropractor. The Chiro diagnosed a pinched nerve and after a couple of months of weekly visits for an adjustment I've been pain free for 14 years. I did have to stop going to the gym for a while to give it a chance to recuperate.

[Tristan]

Well if it is a herniated disc or such that would explain the intensity of the pain. Aside from shingles, some of the most severe pain I've had resulted from what was probably a herniated disc (L-4 or L-5 I guess)which I got about 30 years ago. Pain radiated down my right leg and into my foot. I was literally unable to walk more than a few steps for a week, took me a month of self imposed rehab before I could walk a block. Never went to the Dr. and the thing gradually resolved. Reading about such injuries over the years leads me to believe I did the right thing to avoid the Dr., as in those days the big "cure" was surgery, which was no more effective than rest, exercise, and gradual resumption of activities. There are some pretty good books available on back problems, one by a surgeon who had his own bad back, but I can't remember his name and loaned the damn book to a friend. Anyhow, check around your local book store. Also chiropractors (I hate to admit it) can be very helpful. lowell p. Thomas, still creaking along in Naples, FL

[Tealsmith]

It took an MRI to find my problem. I was on something called Baclofan (sp?) and lots of Ibuprofen. It got better within a week and I've weened myself down to 1/4 of the prescribed medicine. It would really have to be bad before I'd be ready for surgery. Although I was getting close to that point 5 months ago.

[Nora Lee]

I have suffered on and off with excruciating pain involving L4 & L5 dics one bulging and one herniated, have had successful lumbar epidurals and have remained pain free for about 1 1/2 years! Never had to go under the knife, didn't like the odds!

Before that I used a TENS Unit to short circuit the pain, it was very effective and allowed me to be pain free without the aid of heavy duty drugs, as my digestive system cannot tolerate too many drugs! You wear it in your pocket and it attaches electrodes at the site of the pain...you give it some juice and stops the pain!

Worth a try!

Good Luck!

Nora Lee

You can obtain a TENS Unit from the pysical therapy dept of most hospitals.

[cs]

Just a quick update. The pain is starting not to be as intense. I didn't take any pain medication before going to bed and only had to get up one time for some drugs. The drive to and from work is the worst part of the day, but at least today I didn't feel like I need to drive myself to the hospital.

Not looking forward to this weekend. It is drill weekend and I will have to ride around standing up in the chief's hatch of my launcher. If I don't feel that I can bare it, I will talk to them about it.

Chad