Can this be muscular???

[Naominjw]

My neck has been increasingly painful over the last 4 weeks. When I turn my head to the left I have pain going to the base of the skull on that side. Just sitting, I have burning pain on that side, and tingling like something falling asleep, in the upper left shoulder.

Then there is the problem turning my head to the right. I get a line of severe pain behind my right shoulder blade, immediately... but also, I am having mild pain down my right arm, and even without turning me head numbness in the fingertip of my ring finger.

Can bunched up muscles be causing nerve sensation?

I also have... this is weird... a spot of pain to the touch (and wake up at night with it) on a boney spot on my right shoulder, which makes me think all the more this is muscular. However, I do get massage therapy.

Background... I have osteoarthritis and arthritic spurs on every single vertebra of my neck and spine from tailbone up to the base of my skull. My husband was taught to do manual traction on my neck, but nothing is getting rid of this - not even the chiropractor. I thought maybe it was too much time at the computer but being away from it for 4 days did not help.
My husband pulled (tractioned) my right arm and wow... the tingling in my right ring finger was intense!

Advice? I don't want to go back to an orthopedic surgeon because all they think is "operate" and I will not consider that yet. My next rheumatologist appointment is in about 4 months.

[tic chick]

naomi ,

sorry to hear you are in pain.

i'm going thru a lot at home and have had some bad neck ticcing the last 5 days. what i do is pull and stretch my neck in a type of dystonic tic...holding the stretch. i was moving one muscle yesterday and my left eardrum(!) was hurting when i did that. so, i'm pretty inclined to believe that muscular pain can cause pain anywhere close to where it hurts the most or where the muscle is bunched up.

i had a massage about 10 days ago, i'm going to get another one soon...i'm thinking saturday.

does the pain go away at all with massage therapy? i know spurs can bother a nerve and cause pain.

just some suggestions:

google "frozen shoulder" and see if that description fits anything you're experiencing.

when i hurt, i also tic the part that hurts me...part of my ocd. yesterday i gave in and took my tramadol and flexeril that my doctor prescribes for me and i keep on hand for times like this. i lived in tramadol/flexeril haze all day yesterday and i went to sleep on a heating pad that was underneath me on my upper back. it was set on low and i had a tee shirt on. this morning i woke up almost pain free. has your doctor ever prescribed meds for this? would you consider taking pain meds and/or a muscle relaxant for this until you get over the pain hump?

i truly empathize and i get that same pain down along the side of my shoulder blade, too. my massage therapist really works on that area...she is so good, she uses her thumbs and goes down my spine and feels where the knots are and presses on those. i always leave there feeling so good.

you know we have to suggest you call your doc and i would, especially about that numbness in the finger. i always try to hold off until i can't anymore to take those pain meds. i should take them about a day earlier, cause then it takes less time to recover.

so, i'm saying call the doc if you want pain meds. warm heat....they have heating pads where you can put a moistened cloth and get moist heat. during the day i sometimes use those "salon spa" patches for muscular pain in the lower back, but then you should wait awhile before you use a heating pad and never use patches that contain capsaicin together with a heating pad (at the same time). you could get burned. and maybe go get another massage.

i hope you feel better soon.

,
jeannie

[Naominjw]

Sigh. Thanks Jeannie. I have a prescription anti-inflammatory which I have been avoiding taking. I take it only when needed to break a vicious cycle with my hips and lower back... never for neck and shoulders. But... heavier sigh... you are right.

I can't handle the pads with capsaicin whatsoever, but yes - wet moist heat perhaps before hubby tractions me, and a massage (scheduled in another 10 days), AND TAKE MY ANTI-INFLAMMATORY.

I HAD frozen shoulder and I am over that, although I do exercises twice per day to keep it mobile. It is indeed that right shoulder, but this is different, and I am moving it fine.

I agree with the belief that bunched muscles can cause even nerve pain and tingling. That's what I think (and hope) this is.

And yes, of course you have to tell me to call my doctor, but of course, I won't... unless something disastrous happens. I have a regular check-up with my GP tomorrow, maybe I'll mention it to him. Usually, I don't, since I have a rheumatologist and chiropractor, and what's my GP going to do anyway? So why mention it?

[Mark N]

Naomi, your pain could be muscular but I have to think after 4 weeks you have inflamation causing the muscle tightness. I would definitely use an anti-inflamatory and see it it helps. Often I am amazed at how much anti-inflamatories can help my muscluar pain and joint pain. I hope you get some relief soon as 4 weeks is long enough to be dealing with this much discomfort and pain.

[tic chick]

naomi ,

hope you took the anti-inflammatories, had your massage and are now feeling much better!

now you can cook a 30 lb. turkey on thursday and make 10 side dishes .

jeannie