Health issues (back/ neck/ shoulder pain)

[wheelsONfire]

I would like to talking health issues and damages with you guys.

Anyone of you who have (or do suffer) suffered from lower back pains and shoulder pains due to wear from work etc?

Lately i have been suffering from a pain that sets in below the left shoulder and goes like a half moon, straight up the shoulder blade line, up the neck towards the ear. I have mostly suffered from problems in my left side over the years. It began in small doses 14 years ago but have increased last 5 years.
Not been biking for about 6-8 months and all last 4 rides, same pain creeps up and only gets worse.
It kind of sets in like a tension and it seems the muscles get inflamed.
This is a bit of headache for me since i normally have some problems with back. But this is just killing me.
I have a physical job, so if i get really bad after 2 hours in the saddle, i can hardly make an 8 hour day.

I have been home sick, so i thought i was getting better and decided to take a ride on the bike. I have been home 14 days from work.
So i took this ride and thought, that's ok, i need to get on getting my legs used to pedal and work up fit without any pressure.
But this pain, it's not anything i have been experiencing before when i was cycling.

I can feel it while biking, but the worst is that it really sets in just a one to a few hours after. It seems it just won't go away either.

I have lots of meds for pain and inflammations, but i really feel this scare me.

Any suggestions on what to do?

[Look565w]

Sent you a PM

[Fiery]

It could be a bad trigger point. It could be nerve impingement. Whatever it is, you should see a doctor first and foremost.

You can try some self-massage as first aid (see https://www.painscience.com/articles/self-massage.php, https://www.painscience.com/articles/sp ... inatus.php and https://www.painscience.com/articles/sp ... alenes.php), but definitely see a doctor as well.

[wheelsONfire]

Thanks guys. I currently am waiting for MRI. For me this has been pure hell. I am often home from work due to this and the only thing i try to keep on to is cycling.
Actually ordered a new bike late December 2015. It will arrive next week. At this pain rate and level, i am worried about my cycling.
I figured i might have been better off canceling the order. But it has been to long time + customized bikes has a rather high fee if you cancel order.
So, i rely on hope here. On top of this, i am also worried i will get sacked from work.
I work with welding, robot welding, press machines etc.
So it is not a job were you sit or work slow. It is cycles you work in. So it is a rather high speed.
Many position changes. You can't really decide or adjust work stations.
Some or much bending, some less but the rate you produce in in conjunction with a monotone i think makes things worse.

In the past, i have noted that the pain tend to wander about. Often moves from lower back up to neck (which also gives me severe headaches).
I have a slight scoliosis, but as mentioned. These problems has really increased in rate and pain.

Typically, i wake up each day in to a stiff body and always pain at left side. Just resting, does not seem to solve this either.

[RichTheRoadie]

Get your posture checked too - it sounds like your neck could be straining to support your head, which could be causing the tension in your neck and shoulders.

Nobody here can give you "the answer", though. You need to get checked out.

[KCookie]

I've been on strong pain killers and anti inflammatory tablets twice a day for my back now going on 4 years. I've been seeing a physio which has helped, but what I find best is stretching in the morning before work, then every hour for 5/10 mins untill bed, very tedious I know, but it really is helping. Best stretch, lay a rolled up towel on the floor under your waist line with a pillow under your head, move a few inches down every two minutes, until you reach your shoulder blades, it really has helped, before these I could hardly get out of bed, and my cycling was non existent. Now 3 hour rides and no pain.
Hope you feel better soon, and get back on your bike.
Cheers

[wheelsONfire]

Thanks Cookie!

[superdx]

Definitely get checked out. MRI isn't really going to tell you anything except which muscle/tendon/filament is damaged. Doctor 1st response maybe surgery. But that may not be the answer and you need to find the root cause.

Find a good physiotherapist. That means possibly visiting a couple to find one which you think is going to help you the most. Physio in the long term is infinitely more valuable than a good surgeon. I even ride with my physiotherapist now after I got him hooked on cycling. He was able to figure out things that I was doing wrong, like basic fit, pedaling mechanics and proper form.

Recovery is a bitch, takes months to solve it. Pain meds are a trap, only take them for pain relief but not for pain relief so you can cycle. It and can make you feel like nothing is wrong, but if you keep riding you are going to be in even worse condition.

If it is due to things like repetitive strain injury or bad posture at work, you may find yourself needing to do regular stretching to fix the problem. I sit at a desk all day and it's messed with my core and glutes so bad that only through daily stretching that I've begun to fix the problem.

[eric]

I agree about finding a therapist. I'm lucky that I know a good one who is also a bike racer. He diagnosed my shoulder problem that was causing my arm to go numb, and told me what muscles I needed to strenghten to fix it. It's taken a while and I still have to do the exercises but it's no longer a problem.

If you don't know anyone locally try asking your local racing club members.

[fitty4]

My advise is to find a good osteopath...is it called that? usually they also have physio therapist education, I broke my pelvis in 5 places amongst other things and went to see a physio therapist, she was good and she did some massage which was sort of ok, she also gave me acupuncture. I never met a physio therapist which gives good massage. There wasn´t a lot of treatment, mostly she gave me some exercises but I didn´t feel much improvement until 8 months later when I started to see a osteopath. I even felt improvement from pain in my jaw/facial bones, which had surgery 6 years ago and he never tried to treat me for that because I never mentioned that I had pain in the jaw.

Like eric said, a cycling club would be a good place to start to find a specialist

[kode54]

there are folks that can straighten you out. and like some say, the MRI may not reveal anything. i was just thinking myself a few days ago to get fitted again...maybe once every ten years to see how my body has changed. best to take a look at it in case its something else...your body is telling you. some of the guys i ride with have been doing needling...a form of accupunture, with good results. i've had accupunture before and that's helped a lot...not invasive.

[hanzo111]

I have some input but am not sure if it is relevant to your case. I have had a few surgeries recently to fix some
odd pains i have in my R shoulder and 2 knees. All operations were successful. My shoulders get numb on my bike
and also while at my computer.

Turns out i have arthritis at the ends of my clavicle and bone spurs to boot. I had the ends of the clavicle removed along
with the bone spurs. on the Right shoulder; I need to have the same done to the Left.

I had MRI done, but was surprised how much the high resolution X-ray showed.




get a good doctor and a great bike fitter and you will figure it out.

Regards,