Nagging Shoulder/Neck Issues

Triathlon Forum
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I thought I would pose this scenario to this forum and get some advice and or suggestions…

I have been dealing with an issue in my upper shoulder(s) or neck since the middle of January… On my right side there are times when I feel some sensations in my right hand (near the index finger and thumb – this is most prevalent when I place my hand in cold or hot water) – my right hand is definitely worse than the left… In my left upper shoulder I have an and “on and off” tingling sensation that is most prevalent when pressure is placed on that area – like when I am in a chair and lean back on that area or when I am sitting down and rest my left forearm on a chair arm or table… I first noticed these sensations after long swims or longer rides on my bike… I could never tell exactly which was causing it or making it worse… I have not lost any strength in either hand or arm…

I initially thought these symptoms were from something in the cervical spine area due to the fact I had a double fusion in 2010 (C5-C6 and C6-C7)… However, I have been through a battery of tests (X-Rays, MRI, and an Electromyography Neve Study) and all indicate my cervical spine and thoracic spine are good to go… I have no symptoms which indicate any nerve impingement in my hands or elbows (so no carpel tunnel or epicondylitis)… I have seen three (3) doctors for my cervical spine (Neurosurgeon, Sports and Exercise Doctor, and General Practitioner) who all say absolutely nothing is wrong with my neck… I have been prescribed anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers to try and calm down the region but they really have not made too much of a difference… In addition, I have had two (2) steroid shots in the upper back area (where the tingling is) on my left side and again no real positive effects… The doctor who administered the steroid shot indicated he could feel some knots in that region… So, I am wondering is there is some inflammation in my brachial plexus region that is compressing a nerve(s) in that area…

I decided to take a month off of training to ascertain if it would heal and calm the symptoms down. The symptoms still persist…

I have resumed biking and running for the last two (2) weeks and definitely notice that the biking aggravates my symptoms… The symptoms will persist for 1-2 days after a ride…

So, my next thought is that something needs to be adjusted on my bike since I have not resumed swimming yet and concluded the biking aggravated the symptoms… I have been back to my bike fitter twice since I obtained my BMC TM02 last November… He had set up my previous Cervelo P2 and it was perfect – I never had any issues with that bike or it’s setup… I have another fitting scheduled for this coming Tuesday… My fitter utilizes the Retul method and is widely revered in my area (Central Texas)… I am wondering if anyone has ever had an issue similar to this and how they overcame it? Could there be something in my cockpit that is setup incorrectly or different from my Cervelo that could cause this?

I guess the good news is that I was able to resume running and biking after the month off and have not really lost much endurance… I am a little apprehensive to resume swimming but I will get back in the pool this week…

This has been very frustrating for me as I have been training for my first Ironman (IMFL)…

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated…

Thanks in advance!

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???

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You sound like a pretty tough case, which is probably why others are hesitant to chime in.

Without having you in the fit studio, based on the info you provided, I think that you are right to believe that your fit is suspect. It sounds like the fit on the P2 worked for you, but the fit on the TM02 is a bit different. The geometry on those two bikes are certainly different. From a bike fit perspective, I have a couple of ideas that could help, but it’s hard to say without being able to see and measure you. It could be something as simple as a seat angle adjustment to unweight the shoulders a bit. I had a customer the other night who had some upper back pain and numbness, which was quickly alleviated when I noticed that her aerobars were pointed slightly left. Sometimes, it’s the weirdest little things.

With all that said, I hope your Retul fit goes well tomorrow and your fitter finds some things like that. At the same time, with your medical history, I hope they know when they hit the limits of their expertise and perhaps can work with some of the medical folks you’ve aligned with to find a more comprehensive strategy. Sometimes, it takes a team to get us to the finish line!

Good luck!
Travis

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In 2007 I returned from an 11-month USAF tour in AFG during which I could not swim at all. I got back in the pool with great enthusiasm and started right out with 5000-6000 yds/day and, after about 3 weeks, my left trapezius was so sore I could barely swim and it even hurt to ride my bike, because no matter what hand position I tried, it was always putting too much pressure on my shoulder. Also, my left hand was tingling in the fingers; a chiropractor friend of mine who has watched me swim for years noticed I was swimming much less one day and asked me about it. After I explained my situation, he said prob my sore trapeziius was impinging the nerve running from my neck down to my hand, and advised me to take at least 3 weeks off from swim and bike, but running was OK since it did not cause any pain. This is the only injury I’ve ever had where I could only run but not swim and bike, as usually the reverse is true. Anyway, I took 3 weeks off and started back swimming much more gradually, and the pain had gone away and did not return. The only residual is that, even right this minute, my left index finger still has a slight tingling but it does not impact my use of the hand or finger at all.

I don’t know if the above is of any use to you since you’ve already tried the month off, but thought I’d throw this out for whatever it’s worth:)

1 Like
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Thanks Travis and Ericmulk… I appreciate you two taking the time to respond… I hope the re-fit tomorrow reveals something that could be aggravating the situation… I will keep you’ll posted…