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Agony

Jay2U

Jay2U

Not as bad as he lóòks
Dec 7, 2010
5,988
11,580
22 ft below sea level
www.youtube.com
#1
I´m in agony. I´ve got an inflammation of a neck muscle on the right side. :bawl: This entraps the nerves to the lower arm. The pain goes all the way down to the fingers of the right hand. I'm not allowed to use my right arm at all. The doc even doesn´t allow me to play the bass. :eek: I´m typing this left-handed. Ouch, I'm annoyed. Somehow I'm trying to find some distraction here on TB. I know there will be... :p
 
#2
Sound exactly what I battle with, except with my left arm. The scalene muscles get really tight and end up pinching the nerves. I get numbness in my fingers and sometimes pain in my forearm. It first hit me when studying for a massive exam. I was studying for hours and let it creep up. Next thing I know I was in agony for weeks. Chiro, massage and constant stretching solved it. Google "scalene muscle stretches." Stretches work the best. Good sports massage works great. Currently I a getting so-so sports massage, gift certificate, and it doesn't help that much. Posture exercises help as well- seems I have thinning discs.

Playing bass still aggravates it a bit and I can only play for about 20-30 minutes right now. Once I strengthen my arm muscles again, I should be able to play for longer. I can bike, run, and swim all day long, but sitting down studying and playing bass is just so hard! Very odd thing to deal with.
 
#4
I am right handed. I have no idea why my left hand got it. As a bass player, it is no fun having it on the left hand- that is the one you have to hold up to play.

I used to run and bike with my chiropractor, before she moved to Colorado. She noticed I tend not to move my left arm when I walk and run, or not move it as much. That was causing some imbalance issues, which may have contributed. I broke my right collar bane and shortened it, which may have something to do with it. Since I have not made it go away in a year, I may be fighting it for the rest of my life. It comes and goes right now.

Use doesn't seem to make it worse. Stretching does make it better.
 
#5
I'm using a quite strong medicine now to reduce the pain in the pinched nerves. Those nerves cause cramps in the upper arm muscles, which may result in damage. I tried the muscle stretching. This makes my right elbow hurt. This proves that the problem sits in the neck area. Anyway, I did try to play some bass this morning. I hung it as low as possible, in order to keep the right arm almost straight. The fingers didn't really 'listen' to my brains, so I picked up a pick. This works fine.
 
#6
Wow - I've got the same thing going on, but with my left arm/shoulder/neck/upper back. I've never had pain this bad for two months straight. My left arm/hand seems to have lost some mobility. Even with the Vicoden; I'm not able to play very well. I'll know more after I've seen the doctors where I got the MRI.

I hope you can find some relief soon; I do know how much it hurts.
 
#7
I've got quite strong medication to keep the muscles down. So as soon as I hit the sack I'm out for at least 9 hours. Tomorrow I'm going to my work, after a week of absence. Just to delegate some work and to handle some paperwork. The pain is a little less now, so let's see how this evolves over the weekend.
 
#8
When mine really inflamed- and I could not sleep for a week, was in horrible shape, and my head stayed tilted to the left- I had pain killers and muscle relaxers. That was just a temporary fix. What really got everything back to normal was sports massage. It was agony, and we had to stop every 2 minutes or so to rest, but that is what got my muscles in my neck to finally relax and stretch out. Massage has been the most help of anything. I still get it every 2 or 3 weeks and it is not a joyous experience with a happy ending. I am back to cycling, running and swimming, but it still bothers me when playing. Sometimes my arm and side will just cramp out of the blue. It does keep getting better, however.

Google "scalene muscle stretching." This is actually not uncommon.
 
#11
ErebusBass said:
I've had chronic pain in my neck for over four years. It sucks. I feel you.
Click to expand...

That's bad. Has it gone now, or is it still going on? Mine didn't really heal over the weekend. :hmm: As soon as I try to reach out wit my right arm, I'm being punished with an awful pain somewhere inside my right arm and shoulder. :eek: I'm still on medication, so it might improve... :rolleyes:
 
#12
If you're not already taking high doses of anti-inflammatories, start now. Ibuprophin 800mg three times a day is the most you should take. That can be harsh on your stomach, tthough. Nabumetone is an alternative that's easier on the stomach, and only requires 1000-1500mg per day. Valium is also an effective muscle relaxer. Ice for 10min at a time (no longer or your body starts to reheat, reversing the icing). Do this every other hour.

Best advice: get an MRI if you have insurance or can afford it out of pocket. Ask for an MRI with contrast (they inject a dye into your veins that helps diagnose scar versus healthy tissue). If it's something worse, that'll tell you, and I would get on that ASAP. MRI's typically schedule a week or two out, but a doctor can get you a rush/priority scheduling if he judges it to be urgent.

I would hate for a chiropractor to tweak something if it turns out to be more serious than what you think it is.

FWIW I have a lot of experience with nerve pain and MRI's. In fact, I'm getting another one this Saturday (my 5th or 6th). See your primary care physician or go to urgent care (it should be the same co-pay, and isn't super expensive like an ER visit like some people assume).

Until you get imaging done, do what I mentioned above and only use that arm if you absolutely have to. That shoulder surgery may not have healed properly, either, so get some imaging done, and have a neurologiest or orthopedic specialist take a look at it.
 
#13
Definitely have it checked out thoroughly by a specialist (or two). I also suggest an experienced acupuncturist. The results can be miraculous and may help reduce the amount of drugs you have to take. Anti-inflammatories are effective, but there are long-term health concerns with them and they won't solve whatever the problem is. My chiropractor is also a very good acupuncturist and his treatments have helped my sciatica and lower back pain immensely. Hope you find solutions that work for you!
 
#15
A lot of appreciated support and advice, thanks. :) I visit an arthritis specialist regularly, as I have been suffering from a mild form of arthritis over the past five years. It comes and goes and is more or less under control. The inflammation may be arthritis related, but doesn't have to be. Whilst writing this, I'm feeling a bit better. I'm using Naproxen to cure the inflammation and Lyrica to relax the nerves and muscles. Both are on prescription. I only play bass for ten minutes a day now, but I'll be back! :ninja:
 
#16
Stay with the lyrica. If someone tells you to switch to neurontin, don't do it. I've tried both and neurontin is garbage, and requires a higher dose than lyrica.

As for he acupuncture mentioned above, it's worth a shot. I had six sessions done by a physiatrist/spine specialist, and there were some initial benefits, but nothing drastic. I have seen it help many people first hand though, so I'm not saying it's bunk; it just may have been my particular injury. Cortisone injections only really helped me one or twice for no more than a week or two after they were done, but some people have amazing results with those.

My friend's wife just had a procedure done where they go in and burn the nerve endings. They grow back eventually, but it seems to have helped her. I've also read about doctors injecting (basically) sugar water into the nerves, but haven't had that done yet, nor do I know anyone who has. Anything's worth a shot at least once, right?
 
#18
P. Aaron said:
Take your time & heal up. Play when you can but come back easy...good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm taking my time. Addiction to making music urges me to play a few minutes a day. There's also a keyboard I like to play. The best moment is just before I hit the sack. Then my head is full of rhythm and boom... :)
Trust me, nobody wants to hear me sing... :hiding:
 
#20
Many years ago, my wife(then GF, IIRC)tried to push my head through the ceiling w/her girl-parts, resulting in a very painful hyperextension of several neck vertebrae. After a night of rolling around trying to find a position in which I could actually sleep- to no avail, we went to the Chiropractor. It was kinda fun the next morning, having to tell the female receptionist, massage therapist & chiro(individually)how it happened. Memories... :)
 

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