Tendonitis pain in fingers, wrist, arm and neck with a 6 months old baby

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Tendonitis pain in fingers, wrist, arm and neck with a 6 months old baby

by carmen
(brampton, canada)

I have a six month old baby and 5 months ago started to feel light painful sensations in my left shoulder, near the armpit.

Didn't pay much attention. Some time after started to feel some pain in my left wrist when bending it, with a little lump... still ignored it.

Soon after another symptom developed, numbness and pain in my middle and index finger. Kept doing my chores around the house the same way and taking care of the baby who is breastfed and still waking in the middle of the night so I was doing a lot of lifting with my left arm.

The pain spread to the arm, shoulder and neck so I went to my physician who prescribed celebrex and a full massage therapy. Needless to say that I got worse from the massage. I have excruciating pain that not even the anti-inflammatory can relieve now...

Could this be tendonitis from constant lifting and holding the baby? What treatments could work? I feel I am not able to take care of myself and the baby...

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Joshua Answers:

Hi Carman.

1. It could be Tendonitis, but at this point I think it's more the irritation kind than the damage kind. There Are Two Types Of Tendonitis.

2. Say more about the lump.

3. What did you do with your hands/arms pre-pregnancy, job and/or activity wise?

4. Pregnancy take a lot out of you nutritionally.

Vitamin D deficiency could be playing a role. Get your levels checked ASAP. (Pretty much everybody is deficient, especially with you being in Canada. And sufficient Vit D is VITAL for babies and lifetime health. I can't tell you to take Vit D legally, but please do go get your levels checked!)

Were I you I would supplement with Vit B6 and B12 (mehtylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin).
Inflammation Causes Vitamin B6 Deficiency.

Were I you I would supplement with Magnesium. Magnesium is a huge player in chronic and acute muscle pain, spasm, etc. This Magnesium Dosage page has important info you will want to know on what kind and how much.

If you have pain from nutrient deficiency, massage nor painkillers won't help much if at all.
You may want to cover your bases with the above nutrition

4. Describe the massage. What did they do? Did it hurt at the time? Etc.

All of a sudden starting to carry around a bowling ball in your left arm could certainly irritate any number of dynamics that were just waiting to happen.

You'll want to do some strength training to support your body's abillity to heft weight around all day long. But first things first, first we need to calm down the acute pain dynamic.

Nutrition. Carry the baby around in the other arm. Answer the above questions. And we'll go from there.

Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com

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Jan 15, 2010
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PART 2 - Tendonitis pain in fingers, wrist, arm and neck with a 6 months old baby NEW
by: Carmen

Hi Joshua,

I am still suffering from pain in my fingers, hand arm, shoulder and neck (neck and shoulder blade area), left side. I have pain when I move my arm although the range is still intact. I still can put my arm up.

The massage was directed to the trapezius and the neck as indicated by the doctor. It hurt but it was bearable. The problem was I felt terrible at night... a lot of pain near the cervical area radiating to the shoulder, the arm and the fingers (middle and index).

Went to the doctor again, a different one, who told me to stop Celebrex (I am still breastfeedng and unable to make the baby feed from a botttle)...

I am now taking Advil extra strength once or twice a day but I noticed that moving around a lot or sitting down in the same position will make the pain worse. I am also taking Materna, a multivitamin suplement...

The doctor ordered blood work to get the B12 and B6 levels checked, as you suggested.

I am a french tutor, working from home, sitting a lot and doing a lot in the house as well (cooking, taking care of the kids and working in the computer).

I am not very sporty though... I don't do any sport and I stay home most of the times. I have a normal weight for my body and do not have any health condition, as far as I know.

I am feeling extremely anxious and seeing any worsening in my condition as cathastrophic... feeling depressed and unable to take care of my baby...

Thank you in advance for any thoughts,

----

Joshua Comments:

Hi Carmen.

1. Get tested for Vitamin D too!

IMHO, one of the best things you can do for your baby is to have a good/high Vit D level and breastfeed. It's crazy important/good for the health and lifetime health of children. Vital (and totally cheap, no reason not to).

2. You may want to consider getting a different multivitamin! I just looked up Materna. The only thing is has a significant amount of is Folate. B6, B12, D, Magnesium, insignificant, just token amounts so they can say it contains them.

Here is a link to a good multi. You don't have to get it of course, but at least use the label as a guide. Multivitamin and Multimineral from Mercola. It's not perfect, but it's one of the best out there.

3. Your muscles are stuck in spasm. This uses up lots of Magnesium. If you are/have become magnesium deficient, your body will have a hard time getting out of spasm, thus a hard time getting out of pain.

Read this Magnesium for Tendonitis page and this Magnesium Dosage page and find your tolerance level ASAP.

Just this may decrease pain a little, or a lot.

(CONTINUED IN PART #3)

Jan 15, 2010
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PART 3 - Tendonitis pain in fingers, wrist, arm and neck with a 6 months old baby NEW
by: The Tendonitis Expert

(CONTINUED FROM PART #2)

4. I bet your scalene muscles are in acute spasm. Meaning, they're stuck firing, sending pain signals, and VERY UHNAPPY!

Months of heavy in the front posture, then all of a sudden lugging a baby around. Shock to the muscles. The body does not like shock.

The scalenes are on the front and front'side of the neck, connecting to the vertebrae and top ribs and collar bone.

If they are out of whack, they can hurt behind the shoulder blade, shoudler, neck, arm. They can also step on the hose of the nerve that feeds the arm causing tingling, numbness, and pain in the arm/hands/fingers.

* find a way to breastfeed where you're laying down/supported, and the baby is resting on something other than being held up in your arm.

Movement is good. Static holding a weight not so good right now.

* Massage from a pro that knows what they're doing is good.

* Explore the front of your neck, dig in there and see what hurts. Put static pressure on varoius spots, and anywhere that hurts.

* Gently stretch the front of your neck. Arms out at your sides like a 'T', slowly look up and over one shoulder, then the other, at various angles. You'll feel it at the front of the neck. Avoid any sensation of pain, just get some length to the structures on the front of the neck.

*Lay back over a chair/exercise ball. Careful, this may strain those terrified muscles and make them clamp even tighter. Maybe start with laying on a rolled up towel the length of your spin, letting your neck/head fall off and rest on the floor, lengthening the front of the neck just a little.

This pain could also involve your your subscapularis muscle. You know that doorway stretch, arms out against the doorframe and lean forward? Do that with your palms agains the doorframe.

All of the above carefully, slowly, paying attention, telling it all to relax/let go.

In short, pregnancy and life took a lot of nutrition from you. Didn't exercise, so your muscles and system weren't happy about nor ready for all the sudden extra work and strain on the body.

The nutrition is easy to take care of. D and Magnesium primarily for you, the B's are easy and could be playing a big role.

And I suspect it's primarly that your nervous system is PISSED about all the extra work the front of the neck/shoulder girdle has had to do the last 12 months, and it's just had as much as it can take and now it's complaining.

(also, please use the 'comment' link below to respond, makes it MUCH easier for me to find and respond.)

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Tendonitis pain in fingers, wrist, arm and neck with a 6 months old baby

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Tendonitis pain in fingers, wrist, arm and neck with a 6 months old baby