Could a Banana Help My Painful Shoulder Cramp?

[Math Is Hard]

owwwiie wowwwiie! I woke up with the most painful muscle cramp in my left shoulder blade this morning. Just turning my head right or left is excruciating. Driving to work was pure agony.

One of my co-workers suggested eating a banana. He thought maybe my potassium was low. Do you think that will help? I took ibuprofen, too. Any other ideas? I have to go hook up computers in about 1/2 an hour and it's going to hurt like the devil if this doesn't stop.

 

[arildno]

Get a massage.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Get a massage.

Damn! Why did I have to give my masseuse the day off today?!

 

[hypnagogue]

Are you sure it's a muscle cramp? If so, you could try applying a heat pack to it and/or getting a massage. Or, perhaps stretching it slowly and deliberately.

It might something more like a tear or some kind of ligament damage though, in which case the stretching/massaging might not be a good idea... I don't think it can hurt to try applying some heat though.

 

[arildno]

You certainly should see some health professional if it persists tomorrow¨.

 

[Orefa]

A banana is harmless so try it. You can also try a muscular relaxant like Robax[something] which also has a pain killer.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Are you sure it's a muscle cramp? If so, you could try applying a heat pack to it and/or getting a massage. Or, perhaps stretching it slowly and deliberately.

It might something more like a tear or some kind of ligament damage though, in which case the stretching/massaging might not be a good idea... I don't think it can hurt to try applying some heat though.

nah..nothing is damaged. I just slept in a weird position last night. It will be gone by tonight but I was hoping there was something I could do to ease it now. Maybe I'll try lying flat on the floor.

 

[Math Is Hard]

A banana is harmless so try it. You can also try a muscular relaxant like Robax[something] which also has a pain killer.

hmmm.. maybe I could take a Doan's pill. good idea.

 

[Math Is Hard]

You certainly should see some health professional if it persists tomorrow¨.

Yes, mother.

 

[JasonRox]

I agree with applying heat to it.

Sounds like it might be very tense.

 

[Jeff Ford]

Where is the cramp exactly? Is is under the shoulder blade, or is it more in the trap?

 

[Astronuc]

Sounds like the trapezius - http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-potter/Musculature/img010.jpg - although it could be the levator scapulae or rhomboid minor. In addition to pain medication, heat will help as well as massage. Once in a while, I've had a stiff neck, and heat and massage help.

And don't forget masseur is a male massage therapist and masseuse is female - there is a difference.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I agree with applying heat to it.

Sounds like it might be very tense.

You always have good advice. Though it might be a little impractical right now since I'm at the office. Maybe I'll split early today.

Where is the cramp exactly? Is is under the shoulder blade, or is it more in the trap?

It is definitely in the trapezius area. It starts at the base of my neck and goes down.

 

[wolram]

Aww, poor MIH, i have had similar pains and the good news is they disapear
almost without notice, anyway hope you are ok tomorow.

 

[BobG]

You're lucky you don't work with some of the guys I worked with years ago. The day I came in with a stiff neck, they threw nurf balls or paper wads at me unexpectedly just to see the expression on my face when I would reflexively duck.

 

[Jeff Ford]

Stick with some Advil for now. Stretch the area with slow shoulder shrugs and neck rotation to the extent the pain allows. When you get home, jump in the shower and let water run on the area as hot as you can stand. Then turn it as cold as you can stand. 15-20 seconds on each setting, repeat 8-10 times. It sounds weird, but it does wonders for inflamation.

 

[Orefa]

Follow this with acupuncture, an evening at the spa and a Hawaiian vacation. That should do it.

 

[munky99999]

man i know how that feels. and I am also pretty sure it is the trapezius.

I usually get this when i sleep with my head at a bad angle a lot at night.

stretching and such usually fixes it up. but I've had a couple times where stretching won't even help. and a good sleep with no pillows fixes me up great.

 

[honestrosewater]

I would check for swelling before I decided between ice or heat. If there's swelling, put ice on it (or at least do not put heat on it) and rest it (do not use it or stretch it or rub it). I can think of at least two things: tight muscle or inflamed or strained tendon, and you don't treat them the same way. The tendon that connects your trapezius at the end around your shoulder blade is a flat one, so the pain might not feel as concentrated as it does with tendonitis or strains in other areas.

P.S. I am not a doctor.

 

[Jeff Ford]

P.S. I am not a doctor.

But you plan one on the forum

 

[honestrosewater]

Hee hee. Too bad it doesn't pay well enough.

Does it hurt when you apply pressure to the area (e.g. pressing on it with your hand if you can reach)?

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks for the sympathy and the advice. Gee, Bob, talk about evil coworkers! That is so messed up!

I'm doing the stretches like Jeff said, and it seems to be easing up a little. I would really like to do what Orefa said (minus the acupuncture!).
munky, yeah, I woke up on my side for some reason, with my shoulder way forward and my weight on top of it. I was so stiff, it hurt just to pull myself out of position. So, no pillow tonight, huh? Not even a little one?

HRW, it's ok, I'm not injured. It's just like a bad stiff neck (some people call it a 'crick') except it's lower than usual.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Something like this happens to me once or twice a year, and it's a wicked annoyance. I haven't ever found a remedy I can offer, it just seems to go away by itself eventually.

Anyway, hope your's clears up soon.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Hee hee. Too bad it doesn't pay well enough.

Does it hurt when you apply pressure to the area (e.g. pressing on it with your hand if you can reach)?

I can reach it pretty well if I lay back in my chair, Doctor. I mean, HRW. It feels good when I press hard because the muscle relaxes a bit.

Something like this happens to me once or twice a year, and it's a wicked annoyance. I haven't ever found a remedy I can offer, it just seems to go away by itself eventually.

Anyway, hope your's clears up soon.

Thanks, zoob. I did not know zoobys got these things, too.

 

[honestrosewater]

I can reach it pretty well if I lay back in my chair, Doctor. I mean, HRW. It feels good when I press hard because the muscle relaxes a bit.

Okay, sorry, I just worry.

*passes MIH a bloody mary*

 

[Math Is Hard]

Okay, sorry, I just worry.

*passes MIH a bloody mary*

ahhh.. thank you so much.

*gulp*

That's just how I like 'em - half vodka, half tabasco!

 

[hypnagogue]

That's just how I like 'em - half vodka, half tabasco!

Spoken like a true http://youtube.com/w/SNL-Pirate-Convention?v=v2LVzT67M6A&search=snl%20pirates !

 

[Math Is Hard]

Spoken like a true http://youtube.com/w/SNL-Pirate-Convention?v=v2LVzT67M6A&search=snl%20pirates !

YARRRRHHH!
hehehehehehehe..ha ha.. hee hee.. ooh - ow.

 

[Evo]

Owww, poor MIH!

I woke up once not being able to turn my head, extreme pain. I had to go immediately to the doctor, I mean I seriously could not move my head.

I was placed in a neck brace and put on percodan. The brace was a great relief, it took the pressure off. I had to wear the brace for a few weeks. Pinched nerve or something.

Don't mees around MIH, if it is still bad tomorrow, go to the doctor.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Owww, poor MIH!

I woke up once not being able to turn my head, extreme pain. I had to go immediately to the doctor, I mean I seriously could not move my head.

I was placed in a neck brace and put on percodan. The brace was a great relief, it took the pressure off. I had to wear the brace for a few weeks. Pinched nerve or something.

Don't mees around MIH, if it is still bad tomorrow, go to the doctor.

Wow! That sounds horrible!

No worries - I am already 1000 times better than I was this morning. Having to get under desks to connect computers was keeeeeelling me. We didn't have any slaves- er - work-study students today, so I had to do it myself.

 

[tribdog]

one time I turned to look over my shoulder and got stuck. I couldn't turn my head because every time I tried I got an exploding, burning pain in my neck. I spent two days with my chin on my shoulder. unable to look forward. It sucked

 

[Mk]

You should have sex. You'll forget about your pains and woes. I'm sure some of us could help you with that too.

 

[hypnagogue]

You should have sex. You'll forget about your pains and woes. I'm sure some of us could help you with that too.

Wow. Rico Suave.

 

[Math Is Hard]

one time I turned to look over my shoulder and got stuck. I couldn't turn my head because every time I tried I got an exploding, burning pain in my neck. I spent two days with my chin on my shoulder. unable to look forward. It sucked

Ouch! I sympathize! Must have been hell walking around like that. Did you have to walk sideways?

You should have sex. You'll forget about your pains and woes. I'm sure some of us could help you with that too.

I'm.. I'm.. at a loss for words.

 

[Math Is Hard]

p.s. Jeff, the hot/cold treatment seemed to give me some relief, although the treatment was almost worse than the ailment! I thought for a moment maybe you made that up just as a practical joke!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Wow. Rico Suave.

I thought the same thing. This guy's some kind of serious lady killer.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Math, I have some vicadin left over from when I had my tooth pulled. I just wish they'd get those star trek transporters invented so I could beam it to you.

 

[tribdog]

Ouch! I sympathize! Must have been hell walking around like that. Did you have to walk sideways?

I sort of do anyway.

 

[Moonbear]

Are you feeling better yet tonight? If it's not getting better, see a doctor tomorrow (sorry, I'm teaching med students this semester, so am prone to thinking of things like referred pain from more serious problems, which it probably isn't, but I can't help from coming to mind). I did wake up with some horrid crick in my neck once like that...I was a teen at the time, and just moving my head the slightest sent shooting pains through my neck, and raising my arm to brush my hair nearly brought me to tears. I don't know what I did, but it was excruciating (never before or since then have I experience something so painful), but then it was just gone again when I woke up the next day. Hopefully, whatever you've done to yourself goes away as quickly too.

Low potassium levels can cause muscle cramping, but usually you'll first experience that in the legs. Nothing wrong with eating a banana anyway, but if your potassium levels were so low as to be causing muscle cramping, a banana isn't going to be enough to correct it...and it would be good reason to see a doctor to check that out. Unless you are on some crazy diet that might be depriving you of nutrients, you'd want to know why your potassium was too low (it is a side effect of some high blood pressure medications, if you're on any...if so, it would be wise to get that checked; the doctor can give you potassium supplements or possibly change your prescription if that's the problem).

 

[zoobyshoe]

I sort of do anyway.

You should have been
a pair of ragged claws
scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

 

[tribdog]

don't be such a pain in the neck, Moonbear.
Actually I just had my blood pressure checked. I've always been down at the bottom of the scale. very low, but healthy low. I registered high this time. it was something like 130 over 80 or 90. Am I going to die?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Nothing wrong with eating a banana anyway...

Careful what you advise. We're talking about the woman who nearly took her eye out with a piece of paper. No telling what damage she could do with a banana.

 

[Mk]

Foreign rectal objects can be a problem.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Foreign rectal objects can be a problem.

Spoken like a true foreign rectal object.

 

[honestrosewater]

That reminds me... is Talk Like A Pirate Day only once a year? That doesn't seem nearly often enough. Maybe there should be a whole series of Talk Like A [...] days.

Talk Like A Carny Day
Talk Like A Leprechaun Day
Talk Like A Politician Day
Talk Like A Mime Day
Talk Like A Wino Day
Talk Like A Television Evangelist Day
Talk Like A British Guy Who Wears An Ascot With His Silk Robe While Smoking His Pipe Day

Just an idea.

 

[Moonbear]

Careful what you advise. We're talking about the woman who nearly took her eye out with a piece of paper. No telling what damage she could do with a banana.

I never thought of a banana as dangerous before...well, maybe if we let tribdog near it...and as long as she was eating it and not... Never mind.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here I was with pedestrian comic visions of her slipping on the peel...now I wish I hadn't said anything.

 

[tribdog]

I was thinking more along the lines of poking herself in the eye with it. does the p in pf stand for perversions?

 

[Math Is Hard]

I seem to be fine today. It only feel a little bit of soreness if I have to look waaayy over my shoulder. It's funny how sleeping in a weird position can cause that much of a problem.

 

[Moonbear]

I seem to be fine today. It only feel a little bit of soreness if I have to look waaayy over my shoulder. It's funny how sleeping in a weird position can cause that much of a problem.

Glad to hear that you're feeling better today.