I kind of have a lot going on right now. It’s a stressful time, and I’ve had quite a few roadblocks. Physically at least, I think I’m on the mend, and I think I’ve learned a little about pain and healing. Please read what follows in case it could help you or somebody you care about.
I recently had some excruciating pain coming at me and pretty much no way to guess where it was coming from or what to do about it. I was experiencing sudden, sharp pain in my upper right arm. It was on the outside of my arm, maybe 3 inches down from my shoulder, and very, very pointed. The tiniest dot of tremendous pain. It would come on so suddenly I’d scream, and then it was just gone. Then I’d maybe experience it again 30 seconds or 30 minutes later. It seemed totally random, and I couldn’t figure out which movements were causing it, but the pain was debilitating. I couldn’t turn on a faucet or drive a car; I certainly couldn’t play viola.
I went to a few websites to research my symptoms, and came up with unclear and terrifying results. The most likely culprit was supposedly a muscle cramping (but it didn’t feel like that at all) and the treatment was a heating pad (which didn’t work.) Next was a broken bone which made no sense. There were at least 7 options… but nothing rang true.
I called my closest doctor-friend and described my symptoms with precise detail and she immediately and kind of involuntarily answered “you might have a pinched nerve in your neck.” Now we’ve hit upon the reason I needed to write this: who would know that severe pain in the bow arm meant a neck problem? Thank you my dear doctor friend!!! I love you KJM! The sudden pain in my upper right arm might have been caused by some sort of problem in my neck, and it turns out on the left side.
After that, long story short: she gave me advice and I did more research, and all of it pointed to: REST. Rest as much as possible, take some ibuprofen, and ice the neck. The arm and shoulder are in huge-pain, but the cure is in the neck.
So here is what I’ve learned about pinched nerves: REST. Then, ICE. Ice, not heat, is advised. And it might be difficult to figure out what to ice…it’s often not where the pain is. And even weirder: it may not be a “playing injury.” I don’t have exact answers just yet, but here’s what I figure happened to me: I was practicing a moderate amount, and I was playing with good relaxation. However, I have a chronic habit of sitting in fixed positions for too long, and then realizing I was causing myself numbness/cramping/pain because I was distracted by something else. Turns out that is a leading cause of pinched nerves.
Let’s all remember to move. Let’s remember to adjust our positions. Particularly folks who work at desks: remember to stand up regularly. (I recently heard once per 20 minutes is ideal). And if you experience any severe pain, obviously seek help as immediately as possible. I know that professional, medical help isn’t freely and readily available to many people, and I continue to encourage that we all seek whatever help we can manage.
When we have nothing else, rest is free. Ice is readily available. For the folks more supported, it’s still really hard. For everybody, I recommend action as early as possible. I’m not an expert on this stuff, but it seems logical.
I’m feeling much better, but I’m certainly not taking it for granted.
one note at a time 