Arm hurts: Guitar related?

[Beakybird]

My upper arm hurts really bad from when I woke up this morning. I'm not sure if it's from playing the guitar, piano, or both. If I fold my arm, and try to raise it laterally, like a chicken, I can't do it.

It doesn't hurt when I play the guitar, but it does when I play the upper keys of the piano. I was writing a song on the guitar that had some very fast, funky strumming, but it didn't hurt at the time.

Has anyone had upper arm pain from the guitar, or is it just a middle age issue or possibly sleeping in a bad position?

[Misifus]

Where on your arm is the pain? If high, near your shoulder, that may be something I’ve experience with.

[zmf]

Are you saying upper arm, but not your shoulder?

[Beakybird]

Originally Posted by zmf

Are you saying upper arm, but not your shoulder?

About 3-4 finger widths below the shoulder.

[zmf]

First of all, I'm not an MD.

But I recently had a similar pain close to the base of the triceps. Painful to raise my arm above shoulder level. I thought it might be referred pain from rotator cuff damage, and a specialist concurred. Nerves running near the rotator cuff to arm muscles were irritated.

Ended up getting a cortisone shot at the rotator cuff, and it helped a lot.

But take this as just a possibility to consider.

[boombox]

Oddly enough, I had exactly the same thing last Friday. It came out of nowhere: couldn't raise my right arm and impossible to reach right across my body. I was able to narrow down the most painful area to the soft tissue between my collar bone and upper arm, though at times, the pain reached almost to my wrist. I've been playing a lot on my jumbos of late, so wondered if it was that. However, I've not stopped playing, even though getting a strap over my head was murder, but Monday it started to get better on its own and, although still stiff when reaching right across my body, I have about 90% movement back. I think I must have just lain awkwardly and trapped/pinched a nerve. Hope yours resolves itself too - the last place anyone want to be visiting at the moment is a medical facility.

[Beakybird]

Originally Posted by zmf

First of all, I'm not an MD.

But I recently had a similar pain close to the base of the triceps. Painful to raise my arm above shoulder level. I thought it might be referred pain from rotator cuff damage, and a specialist concurred. Nerves running near the rotator cuff to arm muscles were irritated.

Ended up getting a cortisone shot at the rotator cuff, and it helped a lot.

But take this as just a possibility to consider.

I did just start to have some rotator cuff issues before this occurred, so I will consider this if it doesn't go away on its own.

Several years ago I had rotator cuff issues, and I joined a gym and started doing all the machines. At first, I could only raise 20 lbs. above my head with both arms. The arm problem went away after a month. But I lost interest in the gym after a year.

[Misifus]

Rotator cuff is what I was thinking, too. These injuries occur more often when we’re older (77 for me). I guess I was about 62 when it happened to me. The only way you can be sure is see your doctor. Not right now, this is not an emergency, but when the dust has settled, if it’s no better, you probably need an orthopedist.

[DenverSteve]

Only your doctor can tell you for sure.

[aknow]

Almost always a subluxated vertebra at C-5 C-6 level, and another at the T-1/T-2 level. Probably from your chronic bad posture/playing position. See a chiropractor and get it fixed w/o drugs.