Bicep weakness, aches, and shaking

by Sam
(Oh)

Hi,

I've been diagnosed with tos neurogalgia and have been rehabing with a chiro for 3 months and off work for the moment.
While it's been helping resolve numbness and tingling in the hands and some of the forearm aches, I am most concerned about my right bicep has only slightly improved. How is the biceps tendon reflex? Is there wasting of the biceps? Are there fasciculations?



The symptoms went from extreme shaking on eccentric motion with out any weight, like it was catching, about 3 months ago. Then I noticed pain and numbness especially near the elbow on both sides. I stopped trying to rehab with 5 lbs curls at this point. A denervated muscle will only complain if you put it under too much load; this should have been entirely predictable.

Now it seems less numb (not that I'm testing it much) but I get aches with movement of any weight, weakness(even hanging clothes or putting my arm out and back to grab something) and over all fatigue with too much movement.


Is this normal? Fixable? I have not seen this online and my doc and chiro do not say much about it. I'm 28 female and in shape; it only moves normally if my arm is held out at shoulder height; then I don't have the shaking at least. I'm concerned that tos won't go away with out surgery, I'm losing hope I can return to my life of lifting, art let alone my job without constant issues.

Hello Sam,
I always remind folk that the purpose of the gym is make you more healthy, not give you serious issues like these. Clearly there's something about your gymming that's entirely wrong. Only you and an experienced biokineticist can work that out.

If the gym makes you sick, if banging your head on the wall gives you pain, find another way to get fit. A skipping rope takes a lot of beating and is a lot cheaper, considering your medical costs; maybe not what you want to hear. I could make a good living out of gym injuries!

TOS is diagnosed in my book by a positive Adson's test, more pain when working above your head, a first rib fixation and extreme anterior and medical scalene muscle tenderness. Does that fit?

You have no cervical rib?

You make no mention of neck pain; if you turn your head to the right and then look up, what happens?

Is the upper arm tension test negative? (Use the Site search function in the navigation bar on your left at chiropractic help to find it?

Sam, this difficult and without examining you there's no likelihood that I can make a diagnosis or serious recommendations. Reading between the lines, and perhaps I'm entirely wrong for which I apologise, my gut feeling is that your eagerness to rush back into the very lifestyle that caused the problem in the first place is not being helpful.

There are 10,000 ways to stay fit and healthy; find one of the other 9,999 at least for a few months until this has entirely healed; otherwise you may find yourself saddled with a lifetime problem and believe you me, TOS surgery through the armpit is not nice.

Go and talk to Tiger about it; we watch with interest how long he continues to play the circuit.

I'm not sure this ramble really contributes; take what seems relevant from it.

Let me know in a couple months how you are getting on?

Dr B


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Jul 02, 2018
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by: Anonymous

Actually it wasn't from weight training, and I haven't lifted seriously since January. It was from playing metal guitar and my regular job made it from an elbow issue to a problem from hand to forearm, and bicep to chest.

My neck is only a tad stiff and sore, it's more my pec area which is irritated. I don't have cervical ribs and a negative emg. I'm not diagnosising myself with it.

I do need to be able to lift 50 lbs and repetitive motion for my job so staying fit muscular wise is important, esp for my hyper flexible elbow joints.

I'd like to be able to lift again to prevent atrophy and so I don't get hurt because I'm prone to golfers' elbow and from repetitive work which is why I stopped guitar. I've been training since 12 and I have excellent form and never hurt myself in the gym except on trying to dl which I know I can't do so I don't.

It sounds like the days of that heavy lifting are over; otherwise you'll be saddled with this for the rest of your life.

Further, I'm afraid I have nothing else to offer.

Dr B

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