Need advise- shoulder/arm pain

[52 bow]

Shot in a new riser 3 weeks ago.100 arrows later my neck/high shoulder area ached.Next day shoulder throbbed then 2 days later pain moved to elbow/ upper arm, then 2days later moved to lower arm??? Couldn't sleep as arm hurt worse when not being used- not using it.After 3 weeks it still hurts a little but I've lost 75% or more strength.What did I do???What can I do??

[reddogge]

Rest and ice packs.  Don't shoot until it heals.  You overworked or injured something.

[kbaknife]

Go see your chiropractor Man!
You've got some impingement.

[razorback]

Rest, ice, then chiropractor, more rest and ice and if that don't work, go see an orthopedist. If you don't already see a chiropractor, get referals and interview a bunch of different ones. I have been to quite a few and while non were awful and all helped various problems, some were much better than others. If not a good one, they can mess your back up fairly easily, but if good they can do amazing things.

[Mike Bolin]

John, same thing happened to me this summer. I started with the "it will go away" treatment and eventually went to a doctor. Some disc degeneration in my neck, pinched nerves and loss of strength. Went to therapy for awhile and finally went to the chiropractor. Chiropractor had me shooting within a couple of weeks, at a lighter weight than usual. I still have to do some exercises or I start to lose strength, especially with the weather and work not allowing me much time to shoot. I went to a chiro in Clinton. Mike

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

John I woke up in January 3 years ago with a pinched nerve that robbed me of my strength in my left arm and numbness all the way to my fingers. Through chiropractor and time I have most of my strength back but my pinky finger is still numb. Take your time and get it back in shape and lower that poundage.

Jack

[jmc334]

Go see your doctor ASAP. Nerve damage has lasting effects if untreated. Don't wait.

[dragon rider]

Don't know how old you are but it sounds to me like you managed to give yourself a major case of tendonitis. Ice and rest will cure it over time.  That said, jmc334 is absolutely right - go get a diagnosis from a doctor who might actually know what they're talking about.  Chiropractor could be OK, but see a Dr. first to make sure you know what you have.  Ice, rest and PT may solve the problem, but don't screw around with it.

[Mike Bolin]

dragon rider.....John is really old!  

[LKH]

Beware pinched nerves.  A nerve that dies takes the muscle along with it.

[Frenchymanny]

Go to the doctor asap!

Good luck
F-Manny

[dragon rider]

Thanks, Mike.

Taking really old as seriously as your post suggests, that still tends to confirm my theory.  Muscles stay strong a lot longer than tendons and tendon connections do, and unfortunately that divergence begins somewhere between 40 and 50 for most of us. The good news about that is that ice, rest and not doing silly things like shooting 100 arrows on one day will cure tendonitis.

[Mike Bolin]

Actually, I beleive John is in his late 50's (I am sure he will tell me if I am wrong). He has made his living in masonry and concrete work and his joints have taken more of a beating than even he probably realizes. I've been a pipefitter for 32 + years and my shoulders and neck are begining to pay the price. I am at about 75% now, mainly through the therapy that was prescribed for me....stretching coupled with light weight/multiple rep workouts. Mike

[Sam McMichael]

As unpleasant as it may be, you might need to rest it, as in don't shoot at all for a while. Several years ago, I had severe issues with tendonitis in both elbows and tried ice, heat, cortisone shots and therapy. It was a total layoff that ultimately solved the problem.

[pdk25]

Not telling you what to do, only relaying some information.  I personally know of two people who had strokes within a few hours of having chiropractic manipulation of their cervical spine.  I can promise you, that before I considered going to a chiropracter I would have an evaluation by a physician.  And actually not just any physician, I would probably start with a neurologist.  Good luck with your problem.

[Night Wing]

Might be a bone spur in the AC shoulder joint. I had that.

[Bill Carlsen]

I've wrestled with similar problems and yours sounds just like mine. I spent two years going to  various docs. Finally my Primary Care Doc. referred me to a group of docs called Physiatrists ( fizz-i-a-trists). They are a fairly new branch of medicine and to describe everything they are capable of doing would take too much time on here. But, they  are first concerned with correct diagnosis and work as a team so that you don't get just one specialty's input. They found I had bursitis (an easy fix) and some trigger points in my neck and back. After addressing those problems (no surgery involved) all the pain in my neck, shoulder, bicep, elbow and forearm are gone. Ask your doc to refer you to a Physiatrist.

[pdk25]

Agree with Bill, insofar as getting the correct diagnosis is key.  Treatment comes after.