[Fultonius]

While bouldering at Dumby today, doing a shouldery drop down move on Consolidate Traverse, something between the upper part of my shoulder blades went CRUNCH and hurt.

It didn't feel like a pulled muscle, more like a gristly, joint-associated impingement type thing. It now hurts right in the centre of my spine when I bend my head forward, look left or right, or look up. It's a gradual, dull pain that builds with increasing flexion until it is quite unpleasant.

I vaguely remember having a few neck issues in the last couple of months, once after a boozy night I woke up in the morning with a "cricked neck" - felt like I'd maybe slept in a weird position.Took a few days of rest and gentle exercise to get right, but this is the first time it's happened suddenly like this.

Any thoughts?

[tomtom]

I've had a cricked neck a couple of times when bouldering. Usually when straining too hard if that makes sense. It usually eases after a couple of days - worst time stopped me climbing for 4or5...

[Fultonius]

Good to know. Hope I can sleep tonight, it's always a nightmare with a sore neck.

Is there anything worth doing to prevent it in future (once I'm healed). I probably don't have very good posture. I'm sure belaying doesn't help.

[tomtom]

I wondered if it was linked to excessive gurning :D

[duncan]

Something like this used to happen to me fairly regularly - twice a year? - in my 30s. Typically couldn't move my head, usually in one particular direction, for two or three days. First time was the worst, subsequent episodes gradually got less severe, then after a few years it just stopped happening. I consciously learned to sleep on my back rather than face down, this might have helped.

Episodes mainly got better with time; pain-killers and gently keeping it moving seemed to help. Finding a comfortable sleeping position and pillow arrangement could be tricky, you just have to experiment.

[Fultonius]

I'm wondering if it's related to muscle imbalance / poor muscle function in my shoulder blades and that area. I often get tights spots and knots in my traps.

I'm inspired by Stu doing rainshadow as, at 32, it seems a lot harder to stay generally fit and injury free than 10 years ago. But not all is lost yet...

[Oldmanmatt]

I have had similar.
I saw the Physio last Tuesday and he spent some time bemoaning the developmental imbalances around my scapula and things "firing too hard and often".
Various shrugs and antagonist exercises prescribed.
Massage between the upper scapula gave instant relief (if temporary).

There was also mention of me "having the posture of an irate Silver Back".

Only went in for a follow up on my elbow tendinitis.


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[chris j]

Is there anything worth doing to prevent it in future (once I'm healed). I probably don't have very good posture. I'm sure belaying doesn't help.

Work on your posture, work on your shoulder imbalances, semi-regular deep back/shoulder massages may help keep things more relaxed/not so tight.

After I fell and landed on my head and set off al sorts of muscle tightness and imbalances I used to get this quite often if I overcooked the weight on overhead barbell lifts. I took a lot more interest in all the above after that and over the next year or so it got better. It may just have been time healing it but I like to believe the work I did has helped...

Matt's broomstick shoulder exercises have also become a regular part of my routine for opening my shoulders and the other thing that helps my back is lying on a lacrosse ball 'peanut' - take two lacrosse balls and duct tape them together, then lie on them one each side of your spine and gradually work it up and down the length of your back, stopping between each vertebra. Leave it in each position long enough for the muscles to relax, it will hurt at first so take it gently!

[tomtom]

I have had similar.
I saw the Physio last Tuesday and he spent some time bemoaning the developmental imbalances around my scapula and things "firing too hard and often".
Various shrugs and antagonist exercises prescribed.
Massage between the upper scapula gave instant relief (if temporary).

There was also mention of me "having the posture of an irate Silver Back".

Only went in for a follow up on my elbow tendinitis.


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Irate Silver Back made me laugh... 3T once said his hips have the flexibility of an Alsatians..

[SA Chris]

Matt's broomstick shoulder exercises have also become a regular part of my routine for opening my shoulders

Tell me more? I may have missed this nugget of information.

[Fultonius]

I saw the Physio last Tuesday and he spent some time bemoaning the developmental imbalances around my scapula and things "firing too hard and

There was also mention of me "having the posture of an irate Silver Back".

Sounds about right. Time to go and register with a new doctor today I think.

[chris j]

Matt's broomstick shoulder exercises have also become a regular part of my routine for opening my shoulders

Tell me more? I may have missed this nugget of information.

He put a video up a month or two back, I'll have a look see if I can find the post.

[ashtond6]

how high up your shoulder blade? I had a serious neck injury that had a crunch- ruptured/bulging disc in my neck. Could be similar?

[chris j]

Matt's broomstick shoulder exercises have also become a regular part of my routine for opening my shoulders

Tell me more? I may have missed this nugget of information.

He put a video up a month or two back, I'll have a look see if I can find the post.

Having trawled through 6 pages of Matt's post history to find the video it seems I'm actually only doing the first two gentle warm up exercises. Must try some of the other things as well, though if I use a pole that long I will take out the light in the garage...

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25814.msg487350.html#msg487350

[Fultonius]

how high up your shoulder blade? I had a serious neck injury that had a crunch- ruptured/bulging disc in my neck. Could be similar?

Around C4/C5 I think, about an inch below the top of the blades.

[SA Chris]

Matt's broomstick shoulder exercises have also become a regular part of my routine for opening my shoulders

Tell me more? I may have missed this nugget of information.

He put a video up a month or two back, I'll have a look see if I can find the post.

Having trawled through 6 pages of Matt's post history to find the video it seems I'm actually only doing the first two gentle warm up exercises. Must try some of the other things as well, though if I use a pole that long I will take out the light in the garage...

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25814.msg487350.html#msg487350

Thanks for digging, looks good.

[Oldmanmatt]

I just read this and couldn't find it myself and the original refused to download from the cloud....


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[Fultonius]

4 nights of shit sleeps and limited ROM, then 3 a bit better, now I'm almost pain free and full rom. Been climbing twice and *I think* it's going to be ok.


Now, I should probably do some maintenance exercises to keep it good. Any thoughts?

[tomtom]

I do neck rolls (roll the head about) and some shoulder stuff. I suspect mine was due to over gurning - so always climb with people who take the piss out of you to stop that..

[petejh]

4 nights of shit sleeps and limited ROM, then 3 a bit better, now I'm almost pain free and full rom. Been climbing twice and *I think* it's going to be ok.


Now, I should probably do some maintenance exercises to keep it good. Any thoughts?

I go through periods of neck pain and a dose of neck flexor exercises (chin tucks) always seems to sort it out without fail. If you're like most other climbers and people who sit in front of a screen then your neck extensor muscles will be over-developed - head forward posture. Do the 'chin tucks' and 'head nods': http://www.livestrong.com/article/145040-deep-neck-flexor-exercises/

(when you do them it feels a bit 'crampy' under the chin/jaw after about 10 reps).

[erm, sam]

A really usefull thing for you to do would be to start using a lacrosse ball peanut to loosen up the spinal erectors and traps and everythign else betwen your spine and shoulder blades. If you don't have them already, buy 2 lacrosse balls, and tape them together something like this:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52b212dae4b0bc9a77d93bcd/t/55b0b248e4b068ed2bbbf169/1437643336695/
You then lie on them and roll them up and down your back. It is amazingly painfull but doing it every few days for a couple of weeks can make a big difference to how tight those muscles are.

Can you touch your chin to your chest? I did not used to be able to and this was in part due to very tight muscles as above. The chin tuck and head nod excersises in petes post above can also be done when standing up to focus on ROM rather than strengthening, and it would probably be good to start standing. They key thing with both is to keep the chin tucked.

Also good for this area is the "turning the head to the side but keeping chin tucked and head upright" stretch. If you look in a mirror when turning your head to look over your shoulder you might find that you don't get very far round before you start tilting your head to keep the turn going. THis is due to a lack of flexibility in the traps, levator scapulae and sundry muscles I don't know about. Turning the head keeping the chin tucked and head straight is really good. You are basically aiming to get your chin on your collar bone.

I have been doing all the above and get much less spasaming back pain like you describe than I used to. In fact I dont' really get it any more.

Sorry for the stream of conciousness but the toast has popped and the coffee is ready.