Occam's razor

[pegkerr]

I have been having increasing pain in my left shoulder for the past couple of months, and I have been wondering how on earth I strained it. It has gotten so bad that I have been reluctant to do my upper body weight-lifting. I have been racking my brains, wondering how and where I injured it, and wondering why it isn't getting any better.

This morning, I was lying in bed and shifted and felt pain again, and then it hit me:

I always sleep on my left side.

Due to a strange change in my body when I became pregnant, I can only sleep on my left. If I lie on my right, I get heartburn within two minutes. If I lie on my back, my hands and feet fall asleep. I have squishy obstacles to sleeping on my stomach.

So, could my shoulder be having trouble because I'm resting my body weight on it every single night? Could it be as simple as that?

Comments

[slrose.livejournal.com]

Yes it could.

When I did Alexander Technique, one of the things I learned is how to loosen up my shoulder -- it's the first thing I do every morning.

I do flip sides, but I'm a semi-fetal sleeper.

[thedaytheystop.livejournal.com]

Yup. I got bursitis in my shoulder last year by always sleeping on the same side. (the inflammation of the cushioning of the ball-rolly part of the shoulder bone, if I remember correctly).

I hope yours gets better! What they had me do was vary my sleeping positions, which was really really hard at first. My shoulder still isn't completely better because sometimes I roll over onto that side at night.

[carnotite.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is possible. I suffered from calcium deposits in my shoulder joint that triggered episodes of severe pain. Fortunately I had an orthopedist who located the correct space in the joint to inject cortisone on the two occasions the shoulder became frozen and unbearably painful. I went from pain to comfort within two hours of the injections. Sleeping with my arm over my head definitely contributed to the attacks. Several times before it became severe I had been awakened by pain due to the position of my arm.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Yes, but you might also consider, as a contributing factor, whether your mattress needs replacement.

Or...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

A flip and revolution...

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

I've not had anything like you mention (but I'm wondering if the reason why I'm so achy is 'cuz I'm sleeping on a much harder mattress since leaving Bristol (futon on floor).

Ten or twelve years back, when I was studying ASL, my hands would really hurt, and then I realized I was sleeping with them clenched, and tucked under the side of my head.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's very possible that is the cause - you might need a new mattress, or a different way of distributing your body weight when you sleep.

Alternately, you might have a problem with a nerve due to other causes.

Since it's been months, I would think talking to a doctor or a therapist would be a good idea.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Yep--been there. Right side. (Also, a new mattress pad helped, since we can't afford a new mattress.)

[chamisa.livejournal.com]

::empathy::

I think it's a very real possibility. I'm also a left side only sleeper, and feel the effects of that sometimes.

Mostly in my hip, but I do also feel it in my shoulder. If I sleep on my back, my right leg falls asleep, if I sleep on my right side, my hip hurts a lot and I'm really not comfortable (but this is a new development, this ride side thing--I'm hoping I can work past that), and I also have squishy obstacles for stomach sleeping.

I agree with above suggestions about a new mattress or mattress pad and extra exercise to that side of your body. I hope it helps!

[naomikritzer]

Dangit, I had a whole long comment typed out when Firefox crashed.

You might try out a memory foam mattress pad. If you'd just won the lottery, I would suggest considering a memory foam mattress, but (a) they're very expensive, (b) they're kind of warm (which may be lovely now, but will probably be very much NOT what you want at night in a few years), and (c) Rob might really hate that sort of bed. I tried out some Tempur-pedic beds while shopping for a new mattress last spring. They're probably the perfect bed for someone who sleeps in one particular position all night. But, it's kind of like sleeping in gum -- it's hard to roll over. Ed would not have wanted that sort of bed, even if I'd loved it.

Memory foam mattress pads are not really like memory foam beds, but do provide some additional support. You can buy them from Target for about $200 for the thick ones -- much cheaper than the name-brand kind. Memory foam loses its spring over time, and I've heard that the Tempur-pedic name brand kind holds up longer. But for a mattress pad, I don't really see a benefit there -- given that you can't launder it, I would rather re-buy more frequently and have a new one.

If you decide you need a new mattress, I'll note that I bought my new mattress & spring at the Original Mattress Factory and they were waaaaaaaaaay less expensive than the alternatives I found, while also being extremely comfortable (and a much less involved negotiation process than at Mattress Giant, where it's kind of like buying a car.)

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

do you carry a shoulderbag over that shoulder, or a purse on that arm? That could ALSO be the problem. But sleeping on that side...that makes sense as well.

Those foam memory mattresses are flippin' HOT.

[sternel.livejournal.com]

I was just about to say that. I've also found that as my bras wear out (TMI, sorry) my shoulders will ache, because the weight is distributed differently. Combination of all of the above, perhaps?

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Aren't the memory foam thingies stinky though? (Chemical smell to them) Does that go away?

[trinker.livejournal.com]

Mine hasn't, and it's been 5 months. I think we're going to get rid of it.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I have had weird shoulder pain a couple of times in my life, and it was most recently fixed right up by a visit to Sue Magee, who does shiatsu massage. You don't even have to take your cothes off. I did make sure I didn't have a torn rotator cuff by checking with a medical doctor.

The people who mentioned a new mattress or even just turning the old one had a good idea. If you are shopping, the mattress place that's opposite the NE corner of Southdale is quite good, it's on York and 66th, and the beds from there get rave reviews.

I have suggested to many people over the years that chewable DGL tablets can help with heartburn by allowing your esophagus to create more mucosa to better protect itself from acid, but so far I think exactly no one has tried it. Google it yourself, if you are interested in that. (A note: the swallow-whole capsules are not as good as the chewable tabs; digestion begins in the mouth.)

K.

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. That's what jacked up my left shoulder. I'm waiting impatiently for low-G bedrooms.