Pinched nerve?

[stevezie]

During periods of heavy skiing I start getting sharp pain in my back during certain movements afterward. Particularly titling my head down. I feels like it's behind my shoulder blade toward the middle of my back. Feels almost like a pinched nerve but it could just be a tight muscle? If I take a little time off it goes away. Never get it during the winter. This year it seems particularly bad so I'm looking for answers. Some days it can be agonizing to sit at my desk. I would rather not pay a doctor to look at it just to have him/her tell me to stop skiing. Stretching helps but doesn't stop it or prevent it.

 

Anybody else have any experience with this or know what it is. Better yet, how to make it go away or prevent it. Thanks for any help or input.

[TDET]

Join the club.

[jipster43]

I've had some pretty profound back pain at various times this summer and have found exceptional relief through my physical therapist who incorporates deep tissue massage as well as minor manipulation - not spinal adjustment. This fella' is not your average PT though. I'd say he's more of a witch doctor.

[justcuz]

I get a pain very similar to that that is muscle related. It's in between my shoulder blades, but down just a little bit. When it's painful, I ice the crap out of it every night and morning. If it's a bad one, I've been known to wear one of those Ben Gay patches around the house in the evening. I literally lay on an ice pack before I go to bed for 30 minutes or so. I also do a Ibuprofen rigimen until it goes away, which it always does. I always take a day or two off of skiing, but I've always been under the thought that skiing is actually OK for it...getting up is a nice stretch. If it hurts I don't ski hard, I just stretch it out behind the boat and go for a leisure ski. Never lasts for more than a week.

 

For the record, I have a pinched nerve in my lower back and the two are totally different pains. Pinched nerve is a shooting pain down my back and into my legs...I feel it in my calves, hamstrings, etc.

 

I'm no doc, but I'd try the ice/ibuprofen/stretch thing if I were you. Like....lots of ice.

[Waternut]

I've had my fair share of lower back issues and I agree with @justcuz that a pinched nerve and pulled muscles are massively different. If I have a pinched nerve, breathing hard usually hurts me. I will say that I've found two things that help me out considerably with muscle pulls. If it's something I know will pull back muscles or overwork my back, I will ice it immediately afterwards or within 30 minutes and the pain later that evening will be mild and it'll be gone by morning.

 

If I start having chronic problems that linger for days/weeks, I'll do some time on an inversion table. I lock my table so I can't go past about 45° and do a few crunches for up to a minute. Anything past 60° actually hurts my back even more so don't think hanging by your feet is the same thing. Make sure you come up and stop at horizontal to let the blood flow out of your head slowly. It's like traction with an on/off spinal decompression. It won't fix the problem immediately but if the pain doesn't go away this is the best thing I've found that helps me. The other alternative is to lay on the floor on your back with a rolled up towel or small pillow. This helps stretch out my back but it's one of those painful stretches that kinda feels good.

[schroed]

@stevezie I have the same pain you describe near my right shoulder blade. It usually comes on if I don't strech properly before skiing. I don't think it's a pinched nerver but rather some strained muscles. I also get some tendonitis in my right arm and I think if that tightens up too much I start feeling the pain in my shoulder blade. I'm now icing my arm, elbow, and shoulder blade every night. Massage and rest also makes it go away.

[Klundell]

Every skier needs a Chiropractor... Keep in mind this is coming from a Chiropractor. There is really no way to know what is going on without doing an exam but my guess is a series of spinal adjustments, possibly a couple of rib adjustments, and you would be feeling a lot better.

[6balls]

I've had good luck with certain chiropractors and also one really good osteopath (D.O. degree). I tend to be a difficult adjust probably due to bulk so I do better with a practitioner who has technique but also some power/weight behind it. A couple of more slight practitioners seem to just bounce off of me. Saw one of those last week and no better. Pretty sure upper thoracic rib articulation...pain radiates under right scap to dull ache right shoulder. Need to see the slight dude's partner who seems to get it first time every time.