QuestionHi ORLANDO, about 5 months back I was benchpressing,without a propor warmup,and I felt something give in my left shoulder,it did'nt lose strength or anything ,but since then my left arm tends to tingle,and the spot between my left tricept and shoulder tends to cramp.It all seems to go ON and OFF throughout the day,when I most feel it is when I stoop over,or am at a desk with my elbows on the desk. My chyropractor says it's a nerve in the neck,and after adjustments and traction,it still remains.don't know where to go next.And yes I've had massages.They all seem to help but temporarily.Should I try PT?Tell me whatever you wish,I'm pretty openminded,the bottom line is your opion is better than some others. thanks Pat
AnswerGreetings Pat. This is one of those problems which is going to make a fool out of the best of us. If it does not respond to chiropractics, at least you gave it a try. If it does not respond to massage, then at least you gave it a try. Good on you for being so open minded. I assume that both of the practitioner's knew what they were doing. If they did, they also would have told you the limitations of their treatment. The question I always ask is: why is it on one side only and not the other? (One shoulder and not the other shoulder).I note that you did not mention if you have been professionally assessed by a medical practitioner. I know doctors divide the world into two. Those that love them and those that hate them. However, if you choose a good doctor, they can order x-rays and similar treatments which an alternative practitioner cannot order or advise. You may have been hosting a condition for a long time without realising it. The training simply brought it to your attention. Do not buy or use hot ointments, (Tiger Balm) and that sort of preparation. It is always understood that they simply create a sensation of well-being, but they do nothing towards actually fixing the condition. Your chiropractor might be right with the idea of the condition being a nerve problem in the neck. If it is tingling in the arm, it might be a circulation problem too. I am no expert on this type of condition-so treat my remarks as nothing more than a glorifed guess-which could well be wrong. I could prattle on for hours about this-but I think you should be getting the message by now. Also, I don't know how old you are. The younger you are-the more serious the condition could be. Young people don't usually have anything seriously wrong with themselves for a long time. Most of their injuries are short term. As for your question about a PT. I would not recommend a PT until you find out what is actually wrong with your shoulder from a professional practitioner-Doctor or Surgeon. You might spend a lot of money with a PT only to discover that you have a condition requiring time off training. Remember always, that if pain is felt in your left shoulder, remember that your left shoulder balances your right hip. You might need to pay attention to that region of your body as well as your shoulder.
I wish I could do more than give you some simple ideas. I am in New Zealand-I don't know where you are-otherwise I might be able to suggest somebody to help you.
Please let me know the out-come of any treatments you try. I am always interested in knowing how people solve problems. If I can be of any further help-please let me know.
Cheers for now and wishing you all the best
