I have an extremely dull and aching pain in my left shoulder/arm that radiates down to my forearm, wrist and hand. When I let my arm hang or reach to grab something I can feel almost like a pulling pain in my arm, but it is not a muscle type of pain. It comes and goes throughout the day but is most aggravating in the morning when I wake up or basically when I am sitting still. I exercise everyday and have a really good diet. I drink on the weekends, I do not smoke, I take pretty good care of myself. I am 23 year old male, weighing 175 pounds at 5'10. If someone could please give me an idea of what it might be I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks
Optional Information: Gender: Male Age: 23 Already Tried: Nothing as of yet.
Hello,Welcome to JustAnswer, It will be a pleasure to try and help with your concerns.Since when do you have this ?Any history of an injury to the arm / neck / shoulder ?Regards,
Its been a couple weeks now maybe 3 weeks at the most. No, no injury that I can remember at all. I used to play college basketball but I havent played in over 2 years, all I do is weight train at the gym and occasional running.
Hello,This is likely to be a nerve related pain, caused by pinching of a nerve either at the shoulder or neck.This can be caused by doing strenuous weight training exercises.I would advise you to rest your shoulder, and avoid weight training for a few days.If this still persists, you should consider seeing a doctor for an examination, and an x-ray of your shoulder and neck, to look for any bony abnormality. An MRI might be required to look for a soft tissue nerve compression if the pain still persists after resting for a few days.I hope this answer helps you.
Thanks so much. About how long would you say I should stay out of the gym? Is there anything I can take or do to help speed up the recovery process? Is there any particular reason why it is so much more aggravating in the morning or for example right now at work it is aching pretty bad however, when I go to the gym it is barely noticeable.
This pain can be positional,being aggravated in the lying down position, and certain positions can worsen the nerve pinching.That might be the reason why it is worse in the morning.Try taking an over-the-counter pain medicine like Tylenol or Advil to relieve the pain.I would advise rest for at least 7 days and also for any reduction in the intensity of pain.I hope this helps.
Experience: Physician,Neuro and Vascular Interventional Radiologist
Would putting my arm in a sling help during the rest time? The reason I ask is because the pain pretty much stops when I have my arm completely still and rested on my leg/lap while sitting down.
Yes, a sling would help relax your arm, if you have it, it would be advisable to wear it.Regards,