Pinched nerves

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Thursday I was sitting at a desk all day and around noon I noticed my left shoulder was feeling like it had a bruise on top. There had been no physical injury to it. Kept getting worse and I couldn't sleep on it that night. The next day pain was throughout the shoulder and I could hardly close the car door with that arm. Saturday was just as bad, it took a minute or two just to pull a hoodie over my head.

By Sunday it was much better, fortunately cause I was flying. And today its normal as if nothing had ever happened. I only assume it was a pinched nerve.

I had a similar incident with my hip over a decade ago. What triggers this stuff and is there a quick remedy.

 

[bruceflinch]

Stress related.
Need to fap moar!

 

[Reli]

Too much sitting, combined with bad posture (hunching your shoulders forward, along with your head/neck to use a computer). Move your screen higher, and sit up straighter.

 

[Schnellbandit]

You found the remedy, it went away quickly. Time, sometimes. It happens to people with nearly perfect posture, great working environments and those who take very good care of themselves.

It can happen from something as simple as twisting while bending even slightly to open a reefer door. (not the smoking reefer).

You are getting older. For that there is no remedy, yet.

 

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Too much sitting, combined with bad posture (hunching your shoulders forward, along with your head/neck to use a computer). Move your screen higher, and sit up straighter.

I was using someone else's desk and it wasn't an ideal setup for me.

You found the remedy, it went away quickly. Time, sometimes. It happens to people with nearly perfect posture, great working environments and those who take very good care of themselves.

It can happen from something as simple as twisting while bending even slightly to open a reefer door. (not the smoking reefer).

You are getting older. For that there is no remedy, yet.

I actually tried some stretching suggestions I found on youtube. So I don't know if that gets any credit for the recovery or a few days is all it would have taken anyhow.
Not so sure if its age related though since the similar hip incident I mentioned actually happened around 2004 when I was a regular cyclist and likely fitter than average.

Likely Reli is correct on the cause but I was more wondering if maybe I had just popped some Tylenol could I simply ignored it or could I do actual damage.
I was out of town and finished work earlier than expected so I could have flown home Fri but wouldn't because of how uncomfortable my shoulder was. Didn't want lugging around suitcases and backpacks like that.

 

[Climber]

I don't believe that a pinched nerve would cause bruising.

The bruising would be a result of some other injury/strain, probably related to your issue.

 

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There was no bruising, it simply started out feeling like a bruise as if something had impacted the bone on top. Was sore to touch in one small area which had expanded over a day. There was no visible bruise and couldn't feel any swelling. So was a mystery when it was first noticed.

 

[Climber]

There was no bruising, it simply started out feeling like a bruise as if something had impacted the bone on top. Was sore to touch in one small area which had expanded over a day. There was no visible bruise and couldn't feel any swelling. So was a mystery when it was first noticed.

Ah, sorry I misread your OP.

Glad your shoulder recovered.

 

[afm199]

My Orthopod told me my sciatica was related directly to cramping muscles pushing the nerve against bone. I do exercise to minimize cramping.

 

[dravnx]

Something is pinching the nerve, if in fact that's what it is. If its a muscle, non-steroidal anti inflammatories will alleviate the pain.

 

[Schnellbandit]

I was using someone else's desk and it wasn't an ideal setup for me.




I actually tried some stretching suggestions I found on youtube. So I don't know if that gets any credit for the recovery or a few days is all it would have taken anyhow.
Not so sure if its age related though since the similar hip incident I mentioned actually happened around 2004 when I was a regular cyclist and likely fitter than average.

Likely Reli is correct on the cause but I was more wondering if maybe I had just popped some Tylenol could I simply ignored it or could I do actual damage.
I was out of town and finished work earlier than expected so I could have flown home Fri but wouldn't because of how uncomfortable my shoulder was. Didn't want lugging around suitcases and backpacks like that.

Masking pain is bad if you then continue to do whatever caused the problem or you ignore the pain and let whatever is causing it manifest itself further.

Lugging backpacks, walking dogs on a leash that pull, reaching for milk in the reefer set lower than shoulder height and simple things like that can really mess with you.

Know what else? Putting heavy bikes on center stands after you remove your boots and then doing it wearing sneakers. How do I know? 2 years and counting. Still limp.

 

[ejv]

So you regularly sleep on your shoulder? I used to do that. My AC joints are trashed from lots of repetitive use and traumatic injuries, right worse than left and just laying on my side now will separate the joints. It takes only a few hours of sleeping on it for it to happen. Feels just like what you are describing but it takes more than 2 days to correct itself unless I go to my DO or chiro and have them put it back in place. If I don't have it manually pushed back into place it can be between 5 and 10 days depending on the severity to get it back to normal. Hurts quite a bit to load the joint while it is still separated.

 

[littlebeast]

Thursday I was sitting at a desk all day and around noon I noticed my left shoulder was feeling like it had a bruise on top. There had been no physical injury to it. Kept getting worse and I couldn't sleep on it that night. The next day pain was throughout the shoulder and I could hardly close the car door with that arm. Saturday was just as bad, it took a minute or two just to pull a hoodie over my head.

By Sunday it was much better, fortunately cause I was flying. And today its normal as if nothing had ever happened. I only assume it was a pinched nerve.

I had a similar incident with my hip over a decade ago. What triggers this stuff and is there a quick remedy.

there are many possible shoulder injuries / issues (have had major issues / surgeries on both of mine, so am unfortunately ‘painfully’ aware), but if the pain is on the top of your shoulder joint, it is possibly injury / damage to the bicipital tendon. i had similar pain, and the eventual diagnosis was that due to bone on bone friction / grinding in my shoulder joint, my bicipital tendon was almost completely severed (when i finally was in so much pain i couldn’t take it anymore and went to my ortho doctor, he asked me if i was waiting until i went to lift my arm and nothing happened before i came in).

in your case, due to the transient nature of it, it doesn’t sound like a nerve issue. would speculate that either there is enough lateral motion in the joint that the tendon is alternately compressed and released depending on physical stresses, or that it is due to inflammation that is coming and going. in any event - would recommend you go see a good doc. without intervention, these things are usually gwiob (get worse instead of better).

 

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I sleep on my side, back, or stomach, I have no preference. I might sleep solid in one position or roll into every side one or twice throughout the night and have even rolled off the bed a time or two. And never had a separated shoulder.

I think this was totally caused by sitting at someone else's desk for a few days. His chair had irritating armrests that wouldn't lock in place and kept moving around. I had one side lower than the other it order for the left to tuck under the desk to allow me to sit closer.

When I woke this morning I had full range of motion but if I touched the shoulder I could feel on top where the sore spot was. Tonight I don't feel a thing there anymore than if I touched the right shoulder.

I'm not expecting it to be a regular thing however it was kind of debilitating for the two days it lasted and would be a big inconvenience if it popped up again while traveling.