I am a 41 year old female. I have been following Starting Strength and am still in LP.
I did something to my neck (near my shoulder) a few weeks ago. I have a memory of a pinching feeling in my upper back when I was squatting and assumed it was the bar digging into my bra strap funny. The next day I had weird lower arm pain and weakness and thought I had an elbow strain.
Upon further investigation it seems to all be related to my neck/shoulder. with referred pain in my arm along the radial nerve. I went to a really well-regarded sports injury chiropractor who worked on me and I had a lot of relief straight away. I also confirmed it is in my neck and when I ice the part of my neck that I tweaked, the pain goes away in my arm?!
I asked the chiropractor about training with an injury and he said to be extra careful with form, so maybe deload a bit, but otherwise I could train as usual. All good, right?
Well, on the weekend I went to the gym, did my usual program and 1) it was one of the hardest workouts I have ever had, even though my weights were lower and 2) I had immense pain in my arm all weekend following that session (I have to keep applying ice to my neck and taking ibuprofen to get relief).
I am heading back to the chiropractor today, but wanted to ask some advice on what to do about training. Do I totally stop until this is resolved? Do I deload further? Do I do something else? I am 99% sure the issue is exacerbated during squatting (possibly related to the bar placement, though I am not sure), but has a major impact on my press and bench press (strangely deadlifting makes it feel better).
Also, is there anything you can suggest to avoid this injury and/or what I need to work on form-wise?
Hey @calgal22002 , sorry to hear about the recent issue. How are you feeling lately?
Rarely, do we recommend to not be active. In this instance, without having a consult, it will be difficult to give individualistic advice. However, we do have this video on how to modify training while dealing with issues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0
I’m curious, what narrative has the chiropractor given you regarding this issue?