Any suggestions for making my arm feel better?

[Tap]

I was restraining dd9 tonight and my elbow was pushed a bit to far. I have had to restrain her 3 times today for 20-40 minutes each time, so I have also used my shoulders/arm muscles a lot. Since this afternoon I have a feeling like when someone is laying on your arm and it starts to ache.  I'm guessing something is pressing on the nerve and it is really starting to bother me.

 

If I hold my arm out straight in front of me and my palm is down, the muscle on my upper arm, that connects from the outside shoulder  and runs the top of my arm to the elbow hurts with a sharp pain.  It is sharpest the shoulder and not too bad in the middle of the arm, but then hurts at the upper connection to the elbow again.  Then from there, the muscle on the outside of my elbow down to my wrist, up the outside edge of my palm and along my pinky finger feels achy/numb like the nerve is pinched. 

 

I can't to to my PT until next week, but I thought I would see if anyone here has any ideas for tonight.  I took a couple anti-imflamatories but they haven't touched the achiness (make sense since it is nerve pain). 

 

I am going to ice it for now unless some says something different. I know I am going to struggle to sleep tonight, and I will have another full day with restraints tomorrow too.  

 

ETA. I just realized I have a headache also, I probably goofed up my back and it is radiating down my arm and up my neck.  Ugh.  It figures.  I think I will go the chiro tomorrow if I can't get into the PT on a cancellation list. 

If anyone has any suggestions for tonight though, I will still take them.  :0)

Edited February 11, 2016 by Tap

[Barb_]

I love my trigger point back roller. You have to be flexible enough to easily get down on the floor and back up again in order to use it. At first it hurts, but as your muscles warm up it loosens the knots and lubricates the joints.

 

This is the one I have:

 

http://www.amazon.com/TriggerPoint-GRID-Foam-Roller-Instructional-Original-13-inch/dp/B0040EGNIU

 

It won't help you right now, obviously, but if this is a recurring problem you may want to buy one and have it on hand

[fraidycat]

Great trick I learned @ PhysioTherapy. If you've got a stiff ball of some sort in the house, you can use that to get at any knots or tight spots. Using a long sport sock or nylon, place ball in toe of sock, hang it gently over your shoulder, hanging on to open end with the opposite arm of the side you want to work on and lean up against a wall to work out the knot. Do not push too hard.

 

Lacrosse ball works great, but in a pinch a tennis ball, or a golf ball would do - be careful with a golf ball though, smaller and harder so you can do more harm than good if you use too much pressure.

[Tap]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I forgot about using a ball on my back, I may try that.

 

I ended up using my exercise ball, wrapping my arms and my torso around it, to stretch out my back and allow the nerve to move back in to place.  I was laying on our giant ball, with my head upside down, to use the weight of it as a bit of traction on my back. LOL 

 

My shoulder popped a few times and while the muscle still hurts a bit, it isn't nearly as bad as it was.

 

I ace wrapped an ice pack on my forearm/elbow.  It has moved onto being tingly and numb, so it is still pinched. 

 

I am going to hope I can get into the PT today.  I don't want this to become a long term problem.

[Tap]

The ball trick helped a lot.  I worked at it of and on for about an hour and now just have a tiny bit of tingling in my pinky.  

 

Yeah! I may be able to get it completely loose on my own and not have to make time in my day for the doctor.  Since I already have 3 appointments today, that would make me very happy!