Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Share your favorite approaches to stay active, fit and healthy.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Postby amgmmg » Sat Aug 30, 2014 9:27 am

Hi Lani

I am experiencing pain in my neck, shoulder and arm. Terrible pain in my arm when driving.
I think is all because of posture and stiff neck. I can feel the pain when sitting in my arm.

Chiropractic says I got a very stiff neck, and I should not exercise till I get rid of teh stiffness.

But surely exercise can help me to get rid of teh stiffness.
Is there any exercise I can do for my neck and my arm?
I cannot explain the pain in my arm, but it is all linked.

Thank you
Andrea
amgmmg
 
Posts: 319
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:55 am

Re: Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Postby NewRoman » Fri Sep 05, 2014 12:19 pm

Hi Andrea, I am not Lani but may be i can help a little:)

You can take hot baths or if you have a hot tub even better i think that will make a difference helps me when i have any stiffness, also i think the bed where you sleep is super important make sure your mattress is good! and the pillow like mentioned below not to big but keeps you level, i had a bad mattress before and caused stiffness all over, back pain too, hope it helps.

I did a quick search regarding stiff neck pain and found this:

Try holding a hot water bottle or heat pack to your neck – this can help reduce the pain and any muscle spasms.
Sleep on a low, firm pillow at night – avoid using two pillows because it may force your neck to bend unnaturally.
Check your posture – bad posture can aggravate the pain and it may have caused it in the first place. Find out how to sit correctly.
Avoid wearing a neck collar – there is no evidence to suggest that wearing a neck collar will help to heal your neck, and it is better to keep your neck mobile.
Avoid driving until the pain and stiffness have gone – it may prevent you turning your head to view traffic.
If your neck is stiff or twisted, try some simple neck exercises – gently tense your neck muscles as you tilt your head up and down and from side to side, and as you carefully twist your neck from left to right. These exercises will help strengthen your neck muscles and improve your range of movement.

Good Luck!
Healthy and Pain Free, No Matter the Cost!
Roman
User avatar
NewRoman
 
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:17 pm
Location: West Palm Beach, FL

Re: Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Postby Latgerda » Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:07 am

Hi,

I am not a specialist so I can only speculate but if I was in that situation, I would probably stay away from vigorous exercise and instead ask the chiro whether I can do some yoga, stretches, maybe gentle swimming or so.

Also, maybe this can be of use: http://www.painotopia.com/pain-between- ... lades.html

I hope you will feel better soon :)

Latgerda
User avatar
Latgerda
 
Posts: 177
Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:36 pm

Re: Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Postby amgmmg » Mon Oct 13, 2014 6:26 am

Thank you everybody for your replies. I felt better after the chiro sessions, but I Can feel that the pulling is coming back.
So yes I need to pay attention to my postures.

Thanks
Andrea
amgmmg
 
Posts: 319
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:55 am

Re: Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Postby Lani Muelrath » Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:12 am

amgmmg wrote:Hi Lani

I am experiencing pain in my neck, shoulder and arm. Terrible pain in my arm when driving.
I think is all because of posture and stiff neck. I can feel the pain when sitting in my arm.

Chiropractic says I got a very stiff neck, and I should not exercise till I get rid of teh stiffness.

But surely exercise can help me to get rid of teh stiffness.
Is there any exercise I can do for my neck and my arm?
I cannot explain the pain in my arm, but it is all linked.

Thank you
Andrea


Hi Andrea,

So sorry to hear of your discomfort. The truth is, we all develop ergonomically challenging habits - that means compromises to spinal integrity and general good alignment - through habits of sitting, standing, and moving. For example, simply the regular practice of stepping into the car with one foot and twisting our way into the drivers seat is a good way to build muscle imbalance and throw things out of alignment. The proper way to enter the car is turn your back to the seat, sit, and swivel in . But who takes time to develop that habit? (guilty as charged).

This is why good postural habits, flexibility and strength training, and addressing tension and imbalance as it show sup are important. It's easy for old infirmities to immediately reappear as we practice habits of movement that are compromising.

A balanced program of flexibility training and strength challenge is the best preventative - and if you'd had an acute injury, then getting specific corrective PT important!

Lani
User avatar
Lani Muelrath
 
Posts: 1447
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 1:39 pm
Location: California

Re: Neck, shoulder and arm pain - Exercises

Postby molly25 » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:02 am

Have you been checked by an ortho to see if you have a herniated disc in your C spine? I would avoid chiropractors, especially for neck "adjustments."

Until you have a definitive diagnosis, I would avoid any strenuous exercise. It could just be muscle spasms, in which case a good muscle relaxant could take care of it. But the radiating pain down the arm could also indicate a herniated disc. I'd see an ortho. The recommendations for hot baths sound great. Any massage should await further diagnosis by a qualified M.D. Sorry, I put chiros about a notch above snake oil salespeople.
I stand with the people of Ferguson against white supremacy and cop violence.
molly25
 
Posts: 256
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2014 9:49 am
Location: San Francisco


Return to Exercise and Fitness

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.