Help! Weird arm pain...

Hello everyone, I've got some weird stuff going on right now and I'm hoping someone can help. A handful of times over the last several weeks I have woken up at night with severe arm pain. I'm writing this now because it's happened the past two nights in a row. The pain is an intense amorphous ache that spans from below my shoulder down to my wrist and usually only occurs in my left arm. It feels similar to pain experienced when blood flow returns to your hands after being in the cold for a long time, but much more severe. It's bad enough that I usually start feeling nauseous and end up pacing the house for a while. The pain lasts between 30 minutes and two hours and during that time nothing I can do seems to have any effect (moving, massaging, Ibuprofen, etc). For context, I'm an 18 year old guy that's been bouldering for about two and a half months (v5/v6 range if that makes any difference). I've had some mild tendonitis in my elbows but it usually doesn't bother me and climbing though it is no problem. Has anyone else experienced something like this before? I'll be headed to a chiropractor soon but it would be super helpful if some of you could share any experience. Thanks a bunch!

sounds bad enough to go to a doctor.

Nick Sheldon wrote:

Hello everyone, I've got some weird stuff going on right now and I'm hoping someone can help. A handful of times over the last several weeks I have woken up at night with severe arm pain. I'm writing this now because it's happened the past two nights in a row. The pain is an intense amorphous ache that spans from below my shoulder down to my wrist and usually only occurs in my left arm. It feels similar to pain experienced when blood flow returns to your hands after being in the cold for a long time, but much more severe. It's bad enough that I usually start feeling nauseous and end up pacing the house for a while. The pain lasts between 30 minutes and two hours and during that time nothing I can do seems to have any effect (moving, massaging, Ibuprofen, etc). For context, I'm an 18 year old guy that's been bouldering for about two and a half months (v5/v6 range if that makes any difference). I've had some mild tendonitis in my elbows but it usually doesn't bother me and climbing though it is no problem. Has anyone else experienced something like this before? I'll be headed to a chiropractor soon but it would be super helpful if some of you could share any experience. Thanks a bunch!

I suggest you see a real doctor instead.

Could be a nerve impingement or rotator cuff issues. In any case you need a diagnosis, not internet guessing. 

Nick Sheldon wrote:

Hello everyone, I've got some weird stuff going on right now and I'm hoping someone can help. A handful of times over the last several weeks I have woken up at night with severe arm pain. I'm writing this now because it's happened the past two nights in a row. The pain is an intense amorphous ache that spans from below my shoulder down to my wrist and usually only occurs in my left arm. It feels similar to pain experienced when blood flow returns to your hands after being in the cold for a long time, but much more severe. It's bad enough that I usually start feeling nauseous and end up pacing the house for a while. The pain lasts between 30 minutes and two hours and during that time nothing I can do seems to have any effect (moving, massaging, Ibuprofen, etc). For context, I'm an 18 year old guy that's been bouldering for about two and a half months (v5/v6 range if that makes any difference). I've had some mild tendonitis in my elbows but it usually doesn't bother me and climbing though it is no problem. Has anyone else experienced something like this before? I'll be headed to a chiropractor soon but it would be super helpful if some of you could share any experience. Thanks a bunch!

Some advice from my 63 year old brain (and body):

1) I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV

2) Sounds like rotator cuff tendonitis.  SEE A DOCTOR, not us medical posers on the inter webs.

3) You CANNOT climb through (elbow, or any) tendonitis.  It will only get worse, until you wake up in the middle of night nauseous (oh, wait...).

4) Not sure if you really climb V4/V5 after 2.5 months, but it's pretty clear you are overtraining.  It took me years to develop a good case of tendonitis, but you seem to have developed tendonitis in your elbow and shoulder in 2.5 months.  Well done !

Seriously, to summarize:  Whatever inflammations and issues you have, they will not get better by "climbing through them". You need to see a doc for intervention and preventative practices.  And climb a little less man.  You're overdoing it.

Marc801 C wrote:

I suggest you see a real doctor instead.

Could be a nerve impingement or rotator cuff issues. In any case you need a diagnosis, not internet guessing. 

I appreciate the feedback. Just to be clear, my chiropractor is a family friend and a professional sports doctor so I think it should be a good starting point. The intent wasn't to find a cure over the internet. I figured if others have had a similar experience I might share it to help the diagnosis. 

Was experiencing similar symptoms and was diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy. I guess it is a pinched nerve in my neck, causing similar pain to radiate from my shoulder to wrist in left arm only. Currently taking Rx anti-inflammatory and doing 2x/week PT. The anti-inflammatory is helping a lot, hopeful the PT will resolve it. I was personally going to a chiro thinking it would help, and sometimes it did temporarily, but after 3 months of diminishing returns from that I finally went to the doctor. I wish I would have done so earlier on. 

Definitely agree that the sooner you see a medical doctor, the better. Wishing you a quick recovery, whatever the issue is. 

Tim Schafstall wrote:

Some advice from my 63 year old brain (and body):

1) I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV

2) Sounds like rotator cuff tendonitis.  SEE A DOCTOR, not us medical posers on the inter webs.

3) You CANNOT climb through (elbow, or any) tendonitis.  It will only get worse, until you wake up in the middle of night nauseous (oh, wait...).

4) Not sure if you really climb V4/V5 after 2.5 months, but it's pretty clear you are overtraining.  It took me years to develop a good case of tendonitis, but you seem to have developed tendonitis in your elbow and shoulder in 2.5 months.  Well done !

Seriously, to summarize:  Whatever inflammations and issues you have, they will not get better by "climbing through them". You need to see a doc for intervention and preventative practices.  And climb a little less man.  You're overdoing it.

Huh...it genuinely doesn't feel like I'm pushing too hard. When I say I've been climbing with some tendonitis I mean that I had some mild pain for a two weeks or so and for the past several weeks I've been pretty much entirely pain free. It definitely helps to have a young body.

In your experience can tendonitis cause pain throughout the entire limb? Thanks for the feedback! I'm seeing a doctor later today.

Nick Sheldon wrote:

Huh...it genuinely doesn't feel like I'm pushing too hard. When I say I've been climbing with some tendonitis I mean that I had some mild pain for a two weeks or so and for the past several weeks I've been pretty much entirely pain free. It definitely helps to have a young body.

In your experience can tendonitis cause pain throughout the entire limb? Thanks for the feedback! I'm seeing a doctor later today.

I had elbow tendonitis within my first 6 months of climbing from waaaaaay overdoing slopey bouldering. A college schedule and new-climber stoke can be dangerous together. It radiated up and down my arm and was bad enough that I had trouble holding a pencil and typing without pain and I had to take several weeks off. 

This happened to me within my first 6-8 months of climbing. I had 2 pinched nerves in my neck. PT said it was probably from overuse. I backed way off until the pain went away completely. That pain is awful. Hopefully you find some relief soon. Good luck. 

It's a natural instinct of course to ask: "Has this happened to anyone else?" But how can anyone answer if you don't know what "this" is? The differential diagnosis process for these symptoms - assuming you are describing them correctly, and it could be that you aren't  - would be complicated. See a doctor ASAP.

I had a similar pain in my shoulder and I spent a weekend at a spiritual retreat in Sedona. The vortexes took care of all the pain.

Sounds like you've got the strength, power, and psych of youth that is perhaps overpowering knowing when to slow down and listen to your body. The fact that you are experiencing this at your age and having not climbed very long makes me think you haven't yet come to understand what "pushing too hard" is. If you've only been climbing for 2.5 months and are climbing fairly tough, maybe you really are pushing too hard. Your strength and natural ability advancing faster than your body knows how to deal with. Respectfully. See the chiropractor since it's a friend and available, see if it helps, and if not, see the doctor. Maybe just take some time off and/or pace yourself. Best wishes.

What LL2 said ^^^^^^^^.

You (the OP) wrote: "I'm an 18 year old guy that's been bouldering for about two and a half months (v5/v6 range..." 

Your youth, strength, and some degree of natural ability enabled you to reach that level in a relatively short time. It will take a lot longer to be able to climb at that level and above consistently without injury.

People are assuming it's an injury, and that it is climbing related. It could be, but it seems there's not enough information to make a conclusion about that. It would be best to obtain a complete health history, interview the patient, examine the patient, order and interpret tests (if needed), and to have the education and knowledge to do those those tasks and to make a diagnosis or a differential diagnosis list. That's the sensible approach.