I wanted to write about this earlier in the week, but I literally found it agonizing to try and type for an extended period of time. Last Friday I awoke at 4 a.m. to a sharp pain in my upper back on the left side. I thought I just needed to get up and stretch a little and take a couple acetametophin for the pain. By 6 a.m. the pain was so intense I had a hard time even lifting my arm above parallel with my elbow. Attempting to lift my arm to shoulder level was excrutiating. I had to get my girls ready for school though. They helped as much as they could, but pulling up their hair was not fun. By the time they were ready to get on the bus at 6:50 I was in tears because the spasms were so intense. It send a wave of pain down my arm and up the back of my neck on the right side. It hurt to sit down, it was impossible to lie down and the frustration was turning to desperation.
Conventional wisdom says to ice the area which I tried. This was the worst idea ever for me. It made the spasms more intense. Finally, I ran a hot bath and dissolved some Epsom salts. Since I could float my upper back and arm in the water without touching anything I was able to relax and soaked for about an hour. When I got out I was at least able to move without cringing, but I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet. I applied a SalonPas pain relieving patch to the area between my shoulder blade and spine (upper & middle trapezius) and went to lie down. It was nice to get a few hours sleep even if I had to stay perfectly still and flat on my back.
I was alternating acetametophin and ibuprofen every three hours to try and keep the inflammation under control. It was evident when I’d waited too long to take my next dose. You have to be careful not to overdo it with the OTC pain killers because their side effets can be pretty ugly. By Saturday afternoon I felt like I had the flu and scratchy sore throat and had terrible stomach discomfort. All are side effects of ibuprofen. So I decided to switch to Naproxen. It did give me a tummy ache but it allowed me to get through an entire day without needing to take any other pain medication. It’s been a few days since I’ve taken anything for the stiffness and pain but the muscles are moving more readily yet still sore. Most of the rest of the week has been alternating between menthol pain patches and heat treatment wraps. Both work really well, but I must advise against getting the generic brand. They don’t stay put and end up being more of a hassle than a help. The best are Thermacare and SalonPas for effectiveness and staying put.
This episode was brought on by an intense core workout which involved a lot of lifting my upper body off the ground followed by plank work. All of this not only works the core muscles, but requires back strength and stability. Apparently, I don’t have that right now. I wanted to know exactly what muscles were bothering me and how I can strengthen and stretch them.
My research landed me on an article by Shape Magazine about commonly overlooked muscles by women. The first was the muscle group that I know gets most stressed being a blogger and work-at-home mom – the trapezius. This is a set of three muscles which run from the neck to the shoulder. Typing, folding clothes, doing dishes pickup up stuff around the house ALL require use of this muscle. Needless to say it gets stressed overmuch. This is one of the groups of muscles which is overlooked and needs to be strengthened to prevent and alleviate repetitive use injury. For the exercises of the trapezius and other neglected muscle groups in women (and in men I’m sure) visit the link below.
Click here to view original web page at www.shape.com
Want some more stretches, exercises and treatments to ease sore muscles? Check out these links –
The Best Ways to Ease Sore Muscles
Exercises to Treat Shoulder and Neck Pain from Cycling – Works for everyone, not just cyclists. I can say this from first hand experience.
My coach tells us if we lead ab work with our neck we are doing it wrong. You can use your arms to rest your head/neck but do not PULL. Tuck in your chin while you execute and that should help prevent neck pain. Also do you sleep with pillows? #wowlinkup
What if the pain is in your back and it radiates up your neck and down your arm? I’m very conscious about my form because the last thing I want to do is pull on my neck. Really I think I just over did things. When I did the plank I felt something not quite right and instead of stopping I kept going – really bad move.
I have a lot of neck pain from sleeping wrong, or working out and moving incorrectly.. I just do not like that it lasts for a few days.
It’s been over a week and though it’s not as bad I still get soreness between my shoulders. The pain is starting to migrate to the right side, but still more concentrated on the left :(.
I had that same pain and I think it was due to my new blogging career. The way I was sitting at the computer added to the pain in that area. I had therapy for that and now I’m conscience on how I sit when blogging. #wowlinkup
Oh boy 🙁 I can empathize. I had a severe case of “mommy shoulder” aka a sprain in the shoulder. I had to go to the emergency room. I couldn’t move my left arm or rotate it. I feel it every now and again during yoga. A physical therapist gave me exercises to do so that I don’t have an acute episode again. You are very right. Certain muscle groups need to be worked in order to prevent injury.
I was in such pain that morning I thought I might have to go to urgent care, but I had no idea how I was going to get there. I’m glad that things worked out that I didn’t have to drive anywhere that day like I typically do.
ohhh this is great! I’m just starting to work on my core. and I must be careful!
Whoa, this is great info! Pinning this!
i sometimes will wake up in the morning with a sore neck or shoulder. I try to remember what I did the day before, but nothing ever jumps out. This is great info!
That is the worst feeling isn’t it, Maggie, when you hurt and you don’t know why. Hope this information helps alleviate your pain.
This is a good lesson for the rest of us. I’m going to remember to add some exercises into my routine that work that area.
I’m totally wanting a massage now!
I’m currently experiencing muscle pains, all because I am not used to having massages.
Are you saying that you had a massage and it made your muscles hurt? That would be too bad.
These are very cute ideas thanks.