UKC

Hi.

I'm after advice fellow rock pals. I'm unable to climb once again due to some kind of pulled muscle in my neck or shoulder which is causing pain to base of neck, top of shoulder and also at points higher up the neck (at base of skull). This is day 5 of using tiger balm and voltarol and its getting better but way too slowly. This occurs maybe every 5/6 months ish and isnt following a particularly hard climb (no pain whilst climbing so no indication anything is wrong). I just wondered is this a common problem amongst climbers, any suggestions for healing quicker (ive steered well clear of any exercise) and top tips for warming up in future to prevent it.

its getting really irritating so id welcome any advice

TTFN

Em

In reply to will9118:

I get this too, almost exactly as you describe. For me it isn't related to climbing at all, it is related to sleeping. A couple of years back I bought a funky-shaped memory foam pillow. Before that I was having this trouble about once every two months, whereas now it generally only occurs if I am sleeping away from home or fall asleep on the sofa.

The other thing that helped was making an effort to sleep on my back rather than my side.

In reply to will9118:
I got something similar sounding recently after not climbing for a month then sleeping on a long flight. It came on next day. Really painful to lie on that side. Three sessions with an osteopath plus stretching seem to have largely sorted it. He said it originated in a muscle near my shoulder blade in my back. Best see someone about it rather than hope it goes away with pain killers!

In reply to will9118:
I have same regularly, though the root of the problem with mine is OA. Hopefully not with you but it can be essentially caused by muscle tightness of the deep muscles otherwise. Not directly caused by climbing though looking steeply up for too long esp when really concentrating belaying can over tighten the muscles in the neck which with me causes pain under the skull and base of neck.

I have to daily stretch the neck and shoulder muscle groups - walk and sit tall sensation, pull shoulders down and back slightly, massaging muscles, etc., as necessary.

Could it be postural with you? Do your trapezius muscles seem tight? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapezius_muscle
Best get it checked out professionally, but if it is "just" muscle tightness it is quite easy to get into the habit of releasing/relaxing them and with changes to posture (sitting/lying), minimise flair ups and the duration of them. I had to alter pillow height and density to increase support in bed, change my driving position, adjust to sitting tall, wear belay glasses, etc.

The initial muscle release may take some time - took me months to have it identified - and without consciously remembering to maintain a more relaxed posture it is easy over tighten the muscles therefore prolonging the matter and also to cause a flair up.

In reply to Robert Durran:


To OP; I'm constantly managing these kinds of shoulder/neck pains, relating to the playing and carrying of a double bass. In my experience it's to do with trigger points under the shoulder blade, which are not amenable to stretching.

Protract the shoulder blade by raising the relevant arm across the chest; it's probable that you can now find some exceptionally tender spots in the back muscles next to the inside edge of the shoulder blade. If this is the cause of your trouble, pressing on it may well mildly activate the other symptoms, in neck and shoulder.

You can self-massage these points using a lacrosse ball (or other fairly hard ball) against a wall. You need to find the spot which hurts the most! Press into it hard for 20 or 30 seconds, and do your best to relax (belly breaths help).

In reply to tim.fairhall:

This is precisely what my osteopath said.


And precisely what he said to do whenever it is troublesome (forgot to say earlier...... )

Thanks guys its nice knowing im not alone! loads of useful tips there which i will try out this weekend.

cheers

em