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Left shoulder pain, numbness/tingling/loss of strength in hand and fingers???

Currently having left shoulder pain, numbness and tingling in the hands/fingers as well as loss of strength in gripping. A little history, I broke my left thumb when 17. I started studying massage therapy in late 2001 while also serving in the military. I performed massage on soldiers that were having issues/complaints up until I left the military in 2010. In 2005 I blew out my left thumb from performing too many massage in a row. I kept on massaging but improvised so I would not have to use my left thumb. I was doing massage at a hospital in Iraq, so I kept massaging. In 2006, I won't go into details, but I was running at full speed (which was probably slow by some standards) with 70lbs worth of gear on, tripped and landed full force on my left hand to break my fall. I started practicing massage as a civilian in 2009. After a few months my left wrist started hurting all the way across, front and back. The thumb was also an issue. I have continued to practice up until a month or so ago, but had to stop due to the pain in the hand/wrist as well as my shoulder which has been giving trouble for 6 months or so. Having muscle spasms in my tricep and loss of strength in forearm while giving massages. I have had repeated massages from people I work with as well as other therapists in my area that I do trades with. I also go to Chiropractic regularly. I have had MRI's etc done thru the Veterans Hospital, but nothing has worked. The closest I have come to being pain free was from a MT in SC that did trigger point therapy and I was fairly pain free for the rest of the day but that was it.

If you have read all this, Thank you! Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.

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The MRI didnt show anything? (Like a bulged disc?)

www.myokinesthetic.com     go to that site and contact him...  its brilliant... different.. highly effective... 


Thanks for the website. I had actually been wanting to take these classes! Guess now would be a good time


Gordon J. Wallis said:

www.myokinesthetic.com     go to that site and contact him...  its brilliant... different.. highly effective... 


There is a mild compression on the C5 but that has been there for probably 15 years. Didn't see any significant change in the compression when comparing images from then and now.
Jimswife said:

The MRI didnt show anything? (Like a bulged disc?)

go for MRI or CT scan

I've already had MRI/CT scan/and X-Rays. Only thing that showed up on any of them was a mild compression of the C5, but has been like that with no change for probably 15 years.



Jane Quinn said:

go for MRI or CT scan

Hi Chris sorry to hear of your suffering. I think its possible you have thoracic outlet syndrome . Somtimes the muscles that attach to the first rib tighten up so much it elevates the rib head enough to interfere with the route of the brachial plexus . Just a thought.
Regards Stephen

Hi Chris, I admire your service in the military, and your dedication to your fellow servicemen.

You might get a lot of benefit from finding a talented CranioSacral therapist in your area.  They can help your body unwind from the traumas it has received over the years.  If it is TOS as Stephen suggested (an excellent suggestion!), CST can help that as well.  Bulging disks are extremely common; most people over 18 have at least one and don't know it.  But even so, CST can help with that, and the mild compression at C5.  It's not a cure for everything, but it might be an excellent modality for what you've got going.  If you are interested, I'll be happy to post directions (not intuitive!) on how to find a practitioner in your area.

Thank you! I will definitely look into that!

Stephen Jeffrey said:

Hi Chris sorry to hear of your suffering. I think its possible you have thoracic outlet syndrome . Somtimes the muscles that attach to the first rib tighten up so much it elevates the rib head enough to interfere with the route of the brachial plexus . Just a thought.
Regards Stephen

Thanks Therese,

I actually do have a friend that does CST. Have actually used her before. I will reconnect with her to see what she can do.

Therese Schwartz said:

Hi Chris, I admire your service in the military, and your dedication to your fellow servicemen.

You might get a lot of benefit from finding a talented CranioSacral therapist in your area.  They can help your body unwind from the traumas it has received over the years.  If it is TOS as Stephen suggested (an excellent suggestion!), CST can help that as well.  Bulging disks are extremely common; most people over 18 have at least one and don't know it.  But even so, CST can help with that, and the mild compression at C5.  It's not a cure for everything, but it might be an excellent modality for what you've got going.  If you are interested, I'll be happy to post directions (not intuitive!) on how to find a practitioner in your area.

Try a Chiropractic office that uses Ultrasound in their office. Good luck!

Obviously some neurological compression or entrapment has occurred.  The reason the trigger point worked is that the muscles have reacted to the problem and are developing myofascial trigger points.  Find a qualified Orthopedic Massage Therapist and have them assess the situation.  Use of the Upper Limb Neurodynamic Test will give the therapist some idea of the particular bias the nerve compression may be.  Correct assessment in this case is absolutely vital.  Treatment after correct assessment could include orthopedic work, myofascial work, trigger point then proper stretching and strengthening.

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