Alright since this is the second post on bodily feelings, yall may be thinking "GEEZE, this kid gets hurt too easy!" lol well I dont. Ive had a pinched nerve for about a year and a half, its rather annoying/very annoying. Is there anything you can do for a pinched nerve???

 

How does a pinched nerve get pinched? A lot of help I am.

 

Well, since I am an expert at living with pain and pain medications, let me see if I can give you a couple ideas.

1. See a Chiropractor or acupuncturist.
2. Some pinched nerves will stop being a nuisance after a while..but yours sounds more serious if it has lasted this long. I have several areas where the nerve will pinch and it will take weeks or months to get where my arm is fully functional. My back..now that's a different and longer story in itself.
3. What does your MD say? Had x-rays or CT scan? If it is something lasting this long, I'd personally see my Dr about it and get a thorough look see done on it.

 

I havent been to a doctor about it. It only pinches if I move my arm a certian way, like put my hand up (kinda like when your rinsing out shampoo in the shower and you put your hand up and rub your hair back). The nerve thats getting pinched is in my shoulder. When it does I feel pain all the way down to my fingers. Never had any X rays on it before or a cat scan. Its gotten to the point now where I dont even lay on it in bed or on the couch. And Im wondering, along with mike (by the way, like your new avatar), what exactly causes the nerve to pinch?

 

With me, first neck surgury replaced a disk and fused L5 & L6. That was May 21st, 2002. Still alot of pain in neck and inside of arms to the thumb and first finger and headaches. Second surgury, remove plate and fuse L7 to L6 and add a bigger plate. First plate helpped with cell phone reception and second plate gets me satilight TV in my glasses. Cool huh. Now they want to cut open both elbows and cut the muscle, reroute the nerve futher into the arm to see if it will stop the arm pain. Both arms have a great amount of pain but on the outside of the arm now. They go to sleep and numb alot. Numb as in hit with a hammer and feel no pain. Kind of like my head. Been off work since March 29th, 2004 and can never return to the same type of work. PT person tells me to ice alot it will reduce the swelling in the nerves. The best way that I can say cause a pinch nerve is moveing wrong or a sudden impact causing a shift in your bone structure. Kinda like a u-joint. All works good until the angle goes past it limits. Something gives.

 

I am starting to hurt just reading that.

 

i have some similar pain/ numbness in my right arm. months ago i had a severe ache in my right shoulder that lasted about a week. now my arm movement is somewhat restricted and will start to go numb if left in the wrong position. i am going to see my chiropractor about it. im not a big believer in the "cut you up and see if it works" mentality. my dad had a serious pain in his arm a few years ago, the doctors told him he needed surgery and it might not work. he went to our chiropractor for about three months and his pain has never returned. and no knives!

 

You could have one of two things occurring in your shoulder.

1. Brachial Plexus is being impinged by the Greater Trocanter of the humerus when it is rotating in the scapula.

2. Impingement syndrome. This often occurs with the SITS muscles. (Also known as the rotor cuff) This is common and will often go away, but a way to check this is take a can of any food you have in your cabinet. Turn in like you are pouring it out and raise it up from your pant pocket. If you can complete this task you are out of the woods, but if you cannot then you have impingement syndrome and need to start PT.

a. Supraspanitous – Above the spinous fossa on the scapula
b. Infraspanitous – Inside of the scapula
c. Terries Minor – Above the scapula and along the clavicle
d. Subscapularis – Below the spinous fossa on the scapula

Do you lift weights by any chance? If you do you could have poor technique with them and that is going to cause more problems. In the rehab protocol, people need to lift NO MORE than 5lbs, because the SITS muscles are only active when lifting 0 – 5 lbs.

 

I was able to do the can test, and I dont lift wieghts. Only thing I can think of is when I played hockey. About 2 yrs ago I had an incident during a game and it tore up some stuff pretty bad in my left wrist, including nerve damage (what the doc said). It is also my left shoulder that is acting like this. But a year or maybe a little more is as far back as I can remember having this shoulder problem.

 

It sounds like you have an impingment of some sorts

 

aztrainer, thanks for the advice. not sure if you were referring to wezol or me but i think i have the problem you describe. i can do the can test but my shoulder wants to shift when i get the can above it. are there any stretches i can do to help?

 

You have a sprain/strain of the SITS muscle and it make for what is called “lose pocket” Yes there are exercises that can help and here they are.

Do not lift anything higher than 5lbs. Please start out with 1lbs. I know it sounds stupid and whimpy, but if I could have a dollar for every football player that I have made cry by doing this that can lift more that 300 lbs I would be rich. All of these exercises should be done 3 sets with reps of 15. The more that you can do go up in reps and sets until you are at 5 sets of 30 and then finally go up in weight. When you go up in weight go back down to 3 sets of 15.

1. Lie on your back with the effected (injured) arm on you
stomach/chest at a 90-degree angle from the elbow. Externally
rotate the arm away from the midline of your body to the farthest
extent it can go.
2. Lie on you right side and rotate the effected (assuming it is the
right arm) from horizontal with the table back up to your
stomach/chest area and again keep it in the 90 degree angle. If it
is your left arm rotate out and keep your arm at a 90-degree angle.
3. Lie on you left side and rotate the effected (assuming it is the left
arm) from horizontal with the table back up to your stomach/chest
area and again keep it in the 90 degree angle. If it is your right arm
rotate out and keep your arm at a 90-degree angle.
4. Stand up and put your back against a wall. Holding your arm and
the weight in the effected hand slowly raise it until it is at 90
degrees or straight. You can also raise your arm by sliding it against
the wall, but again do not exceed the 90-degree angle.
5. Stand up and face the wall. Slowly raise your arm to as far as it
can go behind you.

Speed is not an important factor in this exercise and you should work at it slowly. You can do this everyday for a week and see if it gets better. You will get soar, because these are muscles that have never or rarely been worked in a long time. Good luck

 

thank you so much aztrainer! i printed this thread out and will start the exercizes tonite when i get home. i may try and PM you if i have any questions if you dont mind. wezol, start doing these too and we'll see who gets better first! im glad to start healing this because its starting to affect my guitar playing.

 

It is my pleasure and hope that you get better. e-mail me if anything comes up.

 

Haha your on matt!
Ill start tonight, thanks alot AZtrainer.