Pinched Nerve in Neck

[UncleAl]

Don't know if I slept wrong or my poor posture caught up with me, but I woke up with a pinched nerve in my neck about ten days ago. I have stopped training and have been rehabbing, but relief is minimal. Before I go for an MRI to determine whether or not I have a bulging or herniated disc, I thought I'd reach out to you guys for possible solutions. Here's what I have tried:

1. Chiropractic adjustments, including traction. Traction did not provide relief, so I'm thinking it might be inflammation instead of compression.
2. Ice, heat, and NSAIDS. Minimal relief.
3. Stretching (dynamic) and isometric holds both work temporarily, as does trigger point therapy (usually with a ball) and massaging my trap. At best, I get a couple of hours relief.

I have been told to stay away from upper body lifting, but I wonder if rhomboid work might, in fact, help, since pulling my shoulder blades together stops the pain for a bit.

Any suggestions?

 

[PillarofBalance]

I wonder if the nerve pain is coming from the shoulder. Try squeezing one shoulder blade at a time and see if one side is better than the other.

Some pull aparts and face pulls could be good.

You should massage the pec thoroughly especially the pec minor.

Get a lacrosse ball into the areas around the shoulder blades as well.

How is your external and internal shoulder rotation? If you lay on the floor arms straight out to sides and then bend 90 degrees at the elbow you should be almost able to touch the ground with the back of your hand by your head (external) and almost be touching the ground when you rotate down (internal).

 

[UncleAl]

I wonder if the nerve pain is coming from the shoulder. Try squeezing one shoulder blade at a time and see if one side is better than the other.

Both are equally mobile. There is shoulder pain ( especially if I cough!), but I believe it's referred from my neck. Pain pattern appears to be neck to shoulder then down the arm. Upper back between the scapula and spine also has a major trigger point (infraspinatus?). Also a little numbness in my arm.

Some pull aparts and face pulls could be good.

Doing pull aparts. Adding face pulls is a good idea. Thanks.

You should massage the pec thoroughly especially the pec minor.

Yea, I should start branching out. Will do that immediately.

Get a lacrosse ball into the areas around the shoulder blades as well.

Been nailing the shit outta those areas.

How is your external and internal shoulder rotation? If you lay on the floor arms straight out to sides and then bend 90 degrees at the elbow you should be almost able to touch the ground with the back of your hand by your head (external) and almost be touching the ground when you rotate down (internal).

Mobility there is excellent.

Really appreciate your input, buddy.

 

[uphillclimb]

Inversion table 5x/day for 3-10 min shifts for a couple of days...it feels weird at first but well worth it. No need to go 90 degrees....75 degrees is ideal and don't tense up.

I've dealt with a myriad of back/neck issues. Sometimes the spine needs to re-align itself in order to reset. See if you can pick one up for cheap on CL for 50-60 bucks for now.

It's what has helped me through a bunch of adversity with my back. Pinched nerves, subluxations, herniations and I have scoliosis at my T6.

Hope you feel better.

 

[Wallyd]

If your fingers start tingling or going numb don't play around with it. I lost a lot of use in my left hand because a herniated disc was pinching a nerve. The operation was pretty successful but I only have control of my index finger on my left hand. The thumb & other fingers are pretty much licked half closed position. I can't open my hand (extend my fingers).

 

[UncleAl]

Inversion table 5x/day for 3-10 min shifts for a couple of days...it feels weird at first but well worth it. No need to go 90 degrees....75 degrees is ideal and don't tense up.

I've dealt with a myriad of back/neck issues. Sometimes the spine needs to re-align itself in order to reset. See if you can pick one up for cheap on CL for 50-60 bucks for now.

It's what has helped me through a bunch of adversity with my back. Pinched nerves, subluxations, herniations and I have scoliosis at my T6.

Hope you feel better.

Those things are great, but we've downsized and I no longer have room for one. After reading your post, I tried hanging my trunk from my hyperextension bench for a few minutes. Not as good as the table, of course, but not bad either. I'll try that for a couple of days. Thanks.

 

[UncleAl]

If your fingers start tingling or going numb don't play around with it. I lost a lot of use in my left hand because a herniated disc was pinching a nerve. The operation was pretty successful but I only have control of my index finger on my left hand. The thumb & other fingers are pretty much licked half closed position. I can't open my hand (extend my fingers).

Appreciate the heads up. It's not that bad, but I'll bring it to the attention of my chiro.

 

[parttimer]

I echo wally. Last year I got some crazy arm pain. Nothing made it go away, 9/10 in the pain scale. First doctor thought it was a clit, Neuro said pinched nerve, sent me out with pred. Finally third doctor ordered MRI and I had a collapsing disk. Hand numbed issues and all. Was on the table a few weeks later. Lost a significant amount of tricep size and still working on getting it back. Now I have weight lifter shoulder so that is up next.

 

[UncleAl]

I echo wally. Last year I got some crazy arm pain. Nothing made it go away, 9/10 in the pain scale. First doctor thought it was a clit, Neuro said pinched nerve, sent me out with pred. Finally third doctor ordered MRI and I had a collapsing disk. Hand numbed issues and all. Was on the table a few weeks later. Lost a significant amount of tricep size and still working on getting it back. Now I have weight lifter shoulder so that is up next.

thanks, pt. I'm taking it by the numbers. Last chiro appt tomorrow, then ART massage and, if that doesn't work, an MRI.

 

[baitslinger]

Uncle Al, I can also suggest static stretching of the neck. Chin tucks are great. I got an MRI and found out I had herniated disks in the cervical spine. I had a lot of pain down my right arm. I think the cause of this all was from my dead lift training for a powerlifting competition. I have stopped all heavy deadlifting completely for about 7 months now, and feelmuch better. I also dropped the neck training, specifically weighted neck raises and neck bridges.
Al, I see you pulling in your avatar, so maybe you got this like me! Apparently it happens over time, unlike muscle tears which are from single events.

 

[UncleAl]

Uncle Al, I can also suggest static stretching of the neck. Chin tucks are great. I got an MRI and found out I had herniated disks in the cervical spine. I had a lot of pain down my right arm. I think the cause of this all was from my dead lift training for a powerlifting competition. I have stopped all heavy deadlifting completely for about 7 months now, and feelmuch better. I also dropped the neck training, specifically weighted neck raises and neck bridges.
Al, I see you pulling in your avatar, so maybe you got this like me! Apparently it happens over time, unlike muscle tears which are from single events.

Thanks, bait. My condition has improved, thanks to stretching, flushing, TPT, chiro adjustments, Graston, laser, and massage. Nowhere near as much pain, but strength level on the injured side is only about fifty percent. When the nerve does act up, I find static holds provide almost immediate relief.

I have started light training again (40%), and the flushing appears to help. So far, nothing hurts, but I am babying the area by not doing things like digging my traps into the bench. Like you, my injury appeared during meet prep. I should know this week whether it's more prudent to continue moving slowly forward with the power lifts or stop where I'm at and continue to focus mainly on rehab.

 

[UncleAl]

Three weeks after incurring the injury, pain level and spasms have been reduced substantially. Although what has helped me may not be applicable in all cases, here is a list of the things that have accelerated my rehab:

· Chiropractic. Not so much the adjustments as laser therapy and Graston technique.
· Massage.
` Foam rolling and other trigger point therapy (neck, traps, scapula, upper lat, shoulder, pec), usually with a lacrosse ball. This included thoractic extension on a half foam roller.
· Stretches. Most neck stretches helped, but the best were those that included static holds. Pulling ear toward opposite shoulder with three or four 5 second holds along the way often provided relief for several hours. (Do NOT force the stretch!)
· Exercises: Scapula retractions (often provides immedate, tempoary relief), facepulls, batwings, Y & T raises (thumbs up), and reverse shrugs (done while at full arm extension on dip bars). I can't overemphasize the importance of hitting the lower traps. Reverse shrugs have done more to release the nerve than anything else.

Hope this helps some of you find relief.