In which my fingertips are numb

I’ve somehow managed to do it again! I’ve spent since last Saturday with pain radiating through my right arm all the way to my fingertips, and the fingertips are numb. It seems that while I was focussing on my left shoulder-blade last weekend, I should have been paying attention to the tension that was building in my neck, probably due to poor form and the absence of practice. It seems to have pinched a nerve.

So I’ve not been doing any archery or golf since — even postponing the final group golf lesson I was supposed to have yesterday — and have been sleeping poorly as I wake up whenever I lay in the wrong position.

On the bright side: this time it’s abating quicker and I’m almost certain that the injury last time was due to my neck, not the shoulder or arm. Doesn’t make it hurt any less, but I’m better able to direct my attention to it. Stretching my neck in just the right direction has euphoric results.

Currently taking it easy and waiting it out. I’m determined to get this sorted and get back into archery.

Back… well, yes it is!

It’s been 4 days since I hurt my back and, while it has been painful (and worrying, if I’m honest) at points, I can tell it is definitely improving. I woke this morning in that post-chronic-pain fluffy cloud feeling of no awareness of pain at all, at least until I moved. It was a similar feeling to what I had with my shoulder & arm recently (and still do, albeit very mildly) and my duodenal stomach issues a year or so before that. I’m sitting here at my computer on my new — and remarkably comfortable — Markus chair from IKEA, and am able to do so without pain if I sit right

Back injuries suck, as statistics show most of you already know. Still, not much longer now and I’ll be right as rain. The body certainly has excellent healing properties, and I’ve just been resting it whenever I can and only taking paracetamol and NSAIDs whenever it becomes too much, whether due to the occasional spasm or work requirements. My manager kindly let me work from home on Monday and Tuesday, but I’ve been making the (grimacing) effort for the rest of the week — seems only fair, especially as I did this injury on the last day of almost 2 weeks holidays!

Very much looking forward to even being able to go for walks again. They’re not really feasible at the moment, but I know they will be soon enough.

I’ve also taken the opportunity and used the New Year as an excuse to change the layout of the blog. I hope you like it!

Shoulder: second physio visit

Saw the physio again this morning, this time it was at 8am at the doctor’s surgery up the road from home. She was extremely pleased with the progress the shoulder has been making, particularly at the reduction in pain, increase in strength and improved mobility.

Tammy gave me another exercise – that looks similar to a badly-executed ab-crunch – to do along with the other two I’m already doing. Coupled with the “spinal massage” (not sure what to call it), that’s it until next week.

Unfortunately arm-related activities are still a no go, but she’s confident it will be business as usual fairly soon. And she was careful to stress that the longer I wait before resuming normal life, the better my chances of permanent recovery.

First physio visit

Visited the physiotherapist, Tammy, at her home this afternoon to see if we can determine what’s causing my shoulder pain and what can be done to fix it. Being the first visit, I went through my background – mostly a litany of injuries to my back, shoulder, arm, wrist, etc, along with the current problems – what I do both for work and pleasure/fitness, what the doctor had advised/suspected, and so on.

Following that was an exploration of my range of motion, then some specific movements that Tammy said were to examine the median nerve (twisting and push/pull motions of wrist and elbow, and a check of the strength of my arm, wrist and fingers), after which she agreed with the doctor’s assessment: damaged or trapped median nerve. The majority of the pain is on the inside of the left scapula (feels like a jagged stone is wedged between the blade and ribs) with secondary pain in the back-upper arm, and then there’s all sorts of tertiary stuff: light forearm skin numbness, pain radiating down to my elbow joint, occasional shooting pains to my fingertips, and when I’m driving it makes my fingers feel arthritic.

The immediate prognosis was for Tammy to give me some exercises to do, continue as I have been, and to come back next Friday. The exercises are similar to muscle stretches – designed to take me to where the pain starts and then to gently push slightly beyond it. There are two types she’s given me:

• The first is a group of exercises that should be done every hour or so and involve me seated upright with crossed arms. I twist my shoulders and torso to the right as far as I can, then point my head down as far as is comfortable, and return to normal. Then do the same to the left. Then arch my back slightly and left my head back until I’m looking at the ceiling, and return to normal. Then dip my chin forward and roll my head and spine forwards. The head back is instant sharp pain.
• The second exercise should be done maybe three times a day, and also has me starting seated upright. From there I lay my palm flat on the chair/bench/bed next to me and twist the hand outwards until the fingers are pointing as far backwards as is comfortable (while keeping the palm flat), then lean my head over to the right onto my shoulder. This causes instant sharp pain, too.

That’s it, really. And my pain management, sleeping reclined, etc, is to continue as normal. Then we’ll address it again in a week. In the meantime I’m to do nothing that uses my arms to much extent, so that means no archery, weight-lifting, motorcycling, shooting, etc. She did say that I could continue with the cardio part of my gym programme (perhaps substituting the run with a walk on the treadmilll) and even ride my pushbike if I want.

Shame there’s no magic pill or manipulation, really. Still, Tammy was confident this is permanently repairable, so it’s not like I’m going to have to live with constant pain or permanently-reduced mobility/activity.