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Mysterious reduction in strength in my left tricep

D

Dsly

Member
Dec 5, 2012
44
2
About 3 weeks ago I started my week with a chest workout. I started with flat bench, warmed up with a couple light sets and put on 275 lbs. The week before I had done a max of 330 lbs and I can usually put 315 up twice. I was expecting to do about 6 reps with the 275 but I couldn't do one. My left arm could barely lift it once. My right arm felt normal. The strangest part was that the left arm did not feel painful, it was just weak. I stopped my work out and started experimenting with each arm to see what happened. I found that my biceps were still pretty even in strength, my shoulders also, but when I did tricep cable pull downs I found that the right arm could push 130 and the left arm could only do 90. That is a 30% reduction in strength in the left arm.

There was no injury. There is no pain. Just some strange weakness that happened over the weekend.
I've been told that muscles don't change strength that quickly without injury so I'm suspecting it must be a problem in the signal that the muscle is receiving. Like a nerve issue. I don't feel any tingling in my fingertips. I'm stumped. One thing that may or may not be related is that I do sleep on that side sometimes and wake up with my arm asleep.

Any suggestions? How can I get my left arm back?
 
shortz

shortz

Beard of Knowledge VIP
May 6, 2013
3,107
897
So the week before you didn't have this issue? With no other signs and symptoms, taking guess would just be complete shots in the dark. First thought it nervous issue, but there is literally no other indication. I highly recommend if the problem persists or get worse, you get your butt to a doc. Could be something serious.
 
D

Dsly

Member
Dec 5, 2012
44
2
No symptoms the week before. Strong as ever. Then, this happened. No other symptoms, no pain, no tingling, just weaker all of a sudden. Checked it today and its still weak. His sucks.
I would go to a doctor if I knew one that knows my body any better than I do. I'm sure they would be stumped too and charge me a $40 copay for nothing.
 
Joliver

Joliver

MuscleHead
Jan 19, 2014
303
169
I felt like that when I had rotator cuff issues. I took a week or so off and took some anti-inflammatory drugs, and I was back in the game.
 
D

Dsly

Member
Dec 5, 2012
44
2
Joliver,

Did you feel pain when you had rotator cuff issues?

It's been 4 weeks now and it's only getting weaker. I am convinced that it happened from sleeping very deeply on that shoulder. Some kind of nerve damage or muscle damage.

I'm out of the game. I can do legs, abs, curls, and flys. Pretty much everything else is screwed up. So bummed.
 
kjetil1234

kjetil1234

Senior Member
Jul 6, 2014
114
9
Could be a minor nerve impingement (radial nerve most likely). Could also be a joint damage in one arm, but you'd probably feel the pain.

I've had some clients with this symptom and it was nerve entrapment. Fix was to strengthen rotator cuff (all four, but especially the subscapularis), and secondarily deep tissue massage the teres major, lats and tricep long head.

Explanation. When the subscapularis isn't working, the lats, pecs and teres major will substitute as internal rotators. Result is chronic tightness, sometimes nerve impingement, poor glenohumeral centration, and usually pain.

The stretches should yield immediate symptom relief. Read: symptom, not cause.
 
Last edited:
parttimer

parttimer

VIP Member
Oct 11, 2011
874
178
I agree with a nerve issue, try the stretches and chiro care. If that doesn't work see a doc and try to get an EMG.
 
D

Dsly

Member
Dec 5, 2012
44
2
Thanks. I'll try the chiro and massage.
I asked a surgeon I know and he said he knows a great orthopedic who specializes in shoulders and he would ask him too.
 
Joliver

Joliver

MuscleHead
Jan 19, 2014
303
169
Joliver,

Did you feel pain when you had rotator cuff issues?

It's been 4 weeks now and it's only getting weaker. I am convinced that it happened from sleeping very deeply on that shoulder. Some kind of nerve damage or muscle damage.

I'm out of the game. I can do legs, abs, curls, and flys. Pretty much everything else is screwed up. So bummed.

Yes, I felt a great deal of discomfort when I had rotator cuff issues. It felt like a burning sensation if I slept on it wrong. When I was lifting, there was a lot of referred pain in my elbows. It makes it difficult to press. I felt weak during my 50-80% lifts, but after I crossed that threshold, I could move up to a training max, but it seemed like I had a light switch for a tricep. It was either maximum exertion or weakness.
 
kjetil1234

kjetil1234

Senior Member
Jul 6, 2014
114
9
Yes, I felt a great deal of discomfort when I had rotator cuff issues. It felt like a burning sensation if I slept on it wrong. When I was lifting, there was a lot of referred pain in my elbows. It makes it difficult to press. I felt weak during my 50-80% lifts, but after I crossed that threshold, I could move up to a training max, but it seemed like I had a light switch for a tricep. It was either maximum exertion or weakness.

This is definitely the nerve impingement I was talking about. Stretch lats/teres major/tricep long head and strengthen subscapularis

What happens is that when the subscapularis isn't functioning properly, the synergists (above mentioned) will compensate, and result in chronic tightness.
 
D

Dsly

Member
Dec 5, 2012
44
2
You are correct. My MRI showed and impingement.

Initially it was only weakness. The C5/C6 disk was compressing the motor portion of the nerve. Eventually it worsened and began to cause pain as it compressed the pain portion of the nerve.

I started PT today with cervical traction, etc.

I'm hoping that will work and I will be able to avoid surgery.
 
parttimer

parttimer

VIP Member
Oct 11, 2011
874
178
Best of luck to you, that was where mine was hosed and I had surgery as I lost so much use of the tri/delt and bi. I had axon nerve damage which still hasn't fully repaired itself.
 
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