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Posted 2/23/2007 7:45 AM (GMT 0)
Okay.. this one is really, really weird. I wasn't sure where to put it, but since it's a "bone" question.. figured it should go here!!

To sum up physical problems in a few sentences: always had back issues.. herniated two disks in car accident when I was 17.. developed fibro and DDD. There, that does that.

Over the past two years, I've had this drawing up of my upper body muscles. My shoulders pulled forward and dropped, and I could not pull them back into position. I had MRI's, xrays, chiro visits..etc. No one could ever tell me anything but "fibro". Lately I've been feeling like I couldn't breathe, like a band was around my entire ribcage.. which I guess it was.. my muscles. And the pain.. oh my god.. incredible.

 I've tried everything to stretch these muscles out. And they draw right back up no matter what I, or my old physical therapist would do. They felt like rubber bands...get them stretched good.. then POP, right back they went.

Tonight.. I decided to sit up in bed and stretch. I was sitting up, with my legs out in front of me.. slightly bent at the knees... I leaned forward as much as I could, then leaned back.. and heard (and felt) this huge crack/pop type thing. My first thought was OH MY GOD..what did I just DO???? I took a deep breath and waited for the agony to hit.. wait.. I took a DEEP breath!!! Suddenly I noticed my back was arched like it was supposed to be.. and hadn't for two years.. and my shoulders were back where they should be and I could breathe.. my entire rib cage felt FREE. I have this pain.. mid back.. kind of an ache.. like a bruised feeling in my spine. But not the agony all over upper body.

Could I have had some weird out of alignment spinal issue that a zillion back xrays couldn't find? Or doctors? Or chiros? After two years of stretching all of a sudden it just "lets go" with one movement???

Posted 2/23/2007 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
wow sarah~ sounds like u realigned something? hopefully w/e snapped was suppose to and it is back in place. how do u feel today? do u have a pcp apt in the near future that u can share this info with them? good luck with the mystery and hopefully it will be solved completely soon.
Posted 2/23/2007 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
How are you feeling now? still good I hope... like you said, maybe you straightened your own back out, but for some reason it didn't pick up on X-Rays.. have you called your doc at all to tell them what happened.. Either way.. WOO-HOO! :)
Posted 2/24/2007 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
Well.. now I am SORE!!!!!! Guess it's from moving muscles in ways that they haven't moved in a while. But my shoulders are still back, and I'm standing up straight... so far, so good.
Haven't called my doc yet.. my new insurance doesn't start until April 1st.. and this is not something I want to pay for.
My mom said it was funny that this happened after two days on antibiotics.. which I haven't taken in years. Don't think I took enough antibiotics for it to have that much effect tho..LOL.
Still think it's the weirdest thing tho. Just kapow and it's loose. Still shaking my head over this one.
Posted 2/27/2007 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
Just a shot in the dark...but perhaps this was some sort of contracture????
Sometimes best to just be HAPPY THAT'S OVER! lol. Let's hope it doesn't come back!

Hmmm???? I was almost bent over for a few years from AS & RA...from 2001 to 2003. After a while on the TNF meds...the lung & breathing problems eased a bit & I stood more upright again.
WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 2/27/2007 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Erin, what exactly is a contracture? Is it like a huge muscle spasm that just locks in place?

I'm very happy that I have more movement in my upper body.. at least I can back my car up now without turning my entire body..lol.

I had one physical therapist tell me never to stretch the area of my back that I did.. that my muscles were soooo tight that I could tear them. Maybe I should have tried that a long, long time ago.
Posted 2/28/2007 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
Sometimes its scary to hear something crack that shouldnt crack...LOL however I remembered a time when i was at the computer and i just simply breathe in & out and sat up for a moment to just get comfortable, and my whole back just Cracked, it felt like the pressure just realease and becuase I wasnt trying to crack my back, it kinda scare that sh$t out of me....and then after a moment or so, I realized wow I feel better....soo I didnt argue with fate that Day....LOL

So I hope you continue to feel better...My Massage THerapist tells me to streched all the time, he says that when we dont streched enough, the muscles & joints can contract, compressed and spasm out depending on a person's condidtion...soo defitnetyly keep doing what your doing...beucase it seems like its working for ya...

ttyl
BabZ
Posted 2/28/2007 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Babz, I am trying to remember to STRETCH frequently each day. Even when I don't feel the "need". I think maybe this physical therapist gave me some faulty information. I mean, if someone who was a professional told you "don't stretch or you'll tear it".. how many people are going to stretch? LOL I guess maybe I was babying those muscles and they just drew up.. (is that a real technical term?) and pulled my back out of whack. And somehow, I yanked and cranked on my spine until something gave, thank God it was in the right direction.
Posted 2/28/2007 12:35 PM (GMT 0)
hi sarah as an OT i worked with many pts with contractures. a contracture is usually a permanent shortening of the muscles and tendons adjacent to a joint, which can result from severe, untreated spasticity and interferes with normal movement around the affected joint. If left untreated, the affected joint can become frozen in a flexed (bent) position. erin is right maybe something ocurred to reverse this? u still sore?
Posted 2/28/2007 8:04 PM (GMT 0)
thanx yalin! it would be odd for the back to be in a contracture wouldn't it? usually i only see elbows, hands, knees...stuff lke that.
but...never say never! it might have been Sarah?...this is one of those things that leaves you with a big "what the ????"
Posted 2/28/2007 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Sarah.. are you still breathing better? Soreness?
Posted 3/1/2007 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
I'm definately breathing better. I can really, really feel it when I lay down at night. My chest used to be so tight it felt like a band around my diaphragm. Now it's really loose. My ribs are starting to move around and "pop" too, which doesn't feel necessarily good... but probably good in the long run.

Today, I pitched softball to my teen girls. And dove for a couple of tosses. I kept it up for an hour. Still had pain, but had much more ability. I can take the pain, pain is something you can take a pill for... but the inability to DO IT in the first place is something you can't.

And, as par for my life, my oldest nailed a line drive back and me... and I took it in the fleshy part of my leg, right below my hip. And YES I feel that..LOL. White mark with a red halo around it.. this one's gonna bruise. But I can't complain too much, I got this injury by being outside, spending time with my girls. Better than inside wishing I felt like doing it, right?
Posted 3/1/2007 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hhmm.. do you by chance have costochondritis? Is the popping in the center of your chest?

Isn't it wonderful being able to do stuff with your kids again? I jumped on the trampoline with my kids the other day... uhm.. my knees/hips weren't very happy with me the next day, but we had a good time doing it! I'm sure your girls were excited that you were doing stuff with them too.. good for you!
Posted 3/1/2007 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
Yep, the popping is in the center, and Yep I have costo. Lovely, fun thing to have. Blech.
Posted 3/1/2007 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
LOL LOL..
Posted 3/4/2007 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
please take this for what it's worth, but yes you probably did just basically adjust your rib joints. I am a new member of the forum, because I am a new RA patient, but my real job is a chiropractor. I had to sell my practice because I am in too much pain to treat patients, but what you have experienced really is okay. I have joked before that sometimes I feel like I really did not treat patients at all, many times it was not at all what I did, but what their own body did that made the difference, even to your degree. At any rate, thank God and let us not underestimate the pain of a single joint. Your body does "remember" so maintain motion so as to not return.
Posted 3/4/2007 12:38 PM (GMT 0)
sarah ~ i am so happy u r feeling sooo good!  great news and go get em tiger! lol  hey wait a minute playing baseball? u one of the lucky ones with sun and green grass!!!!!!!!!!!! scool ugh we still have hot cocoa and snowmen going on here! lol  sad  

 i gotta get out of this place  ... if its the last thing i'll ever do.... sing with me everyone.....

 

sorry sarah i do that alot , break out in song lol

what i really want to say is i hate all u peps in the sun  scool   lol!
ok maybe not hate but am severly green with grass envy! lol 
take care lol  ~yalinda smurf

Posted 3/4/2007 3:03 PM (GMT 0)

Hi,

I would have guessed maybe a severe spasm as I have had the same thing happen to me, except it was only my left shoulder, neck & upper back. I also felt like something was pushing forward with lots of force into my upper left side/shoulder. I had some problems lifting my arm in certain directions and when I layed down, my left shoulder would not lay flat at all, no matter what I did. It hurt to lay on that side but it felt better than laying on my right side. This was because while laying on my right, my left shoulder area then felt like it was hanging forward too much and was painful in pretty much any position. I couldnt even do my crunches correctly because it would spasm more. LOL, i even had someone I know pull on my left arm because it felt like it was out of place or something (however that did not help any).

At the the time, though...I also had severe lumbar stenosis where I couldnt realy walk anymore & the little I could, I had to hunch over in almost a 90 degree angle. SO I just figured all my upper neck/shoulder/arm pain and spasms were because I walked funny for so long. After I had surgery it pretty much went away for me (though I am noticing I'm still getting lots of lighter, less severe cramps & spasms all over).

I am happy though, that whatever it was for you has finally resolved itself!

Posted 3/6/2007 10:19 AM (GMT 0)
yeah  Alright!!!!! We scored a chiropractor!!!  LOL.  yeah  

hee hee hee...there's a lot of peeps here on the forum in the medical professions mom, but I don't think we have a bone cracker.  COOL BEANS! 

:-)  

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