Upper chest/neck pain and tightness

[Soda]

I've been having a bunch of pain up around the sternum and collarbone on my left side and I'm not sure what to make of it. A few weeks ago I believe I strained my left pectoral muscle. After a workset of five it kind of "seized up" and was causing pain for a few days. The pain was mostly towards the top, not really near the upper arm attachment. I ran through a quick Starr rehab as it gradually went away.

Then last week I had this new pain appear higher up the chest and at the base of the neck, which was bugging me after bench, chin-ups, or push-ups. I'm not sure if it's related, but I also have some kind of knot in my left trap between the shoulder blades which started around the same time. I've tried getting in there with a lacrosse ball, which helps somewhat. On Friday I decided to ditch all upper body work. Since my knee was feeling pretty good I thought I'd try some squats. Afterwards the whole left side of my upper body became very stiff and painful. That was a rough night trying to sleep. It seems to be gradually improving but I'm wondering what the heck happened. Anyone experience something similar? Reaching up high with my left hand often causes discomfort.

[hollismb]

Can you draw it for us on a map?

[Soda]

I've put it on the mirror-image (right) side, but X is where I originally felt pain. Now it's in the green areas, depending on how I move.

[hollismb]

I mucked up something similar, if I remember correctly, doing a particularly grindy press rep. It was like an intense ache (like a toothache) in my neck while I was trying to sleep for a few days. A heating pad at night, hot showers, and ibuprofen really helped, and it went away in about a week or so. You don't bench with your head off the bench, do you?

[Soda]

I do, actually. Isn't that what the SS book recommends (from what I recall)?

[vanslix]

I'd wager it's the SCM which is notorious for the kind of pain you're describing. Aside from the usual postural corrections if you're a desk jockey, just try some run of the mill neck stretching (Google it and also include SCM stretches, and no I'm not spelling out SCM, even if it is fun to say) and it should loosen up with time. It'll likely loosen with time if you do nothing, too, but the stretching can provide some immediate relief. It's a pecker of a pain. Hard to ignore.

[hollismb]

I do, actually. Isn't that what the SS book recommends (from what I recall)?

Indeed, it does. Specifically, it says:

You need to learn how to tighten up you neck without pushing on the bench with the back of your head. As a practical matter, this involves holding your head about a quarter-inch off the bench during the rep; think about touching the bench with your hair instead of with your head.

So, put another way, we want your head touching the bench, but not pressing into it. The only reason I asked, is because if you head is coming up further off the bench than that during the rep, it may have helped contribute to the injury.

Assuming you have a copy of the book, take a look at figure 5-23, which shows this head position, and the muscles that support it (the sternocleidomastoid, aka SCM); this is what vanslix and I think is hurting you. Now compare that image with the area you drew on the image above and with this image of the pain referral pattern:



I also agree on the stretching. Tilt your chin up and away from the affected side, maybe applying gentle pressure to the top of your head with your fingers for a slight stretch. Some massaging of the area might help as well. Just take the ends of two or three fingers, and apply them to the area with the X's in the image and rub gently. Just don't cut off your blood supply while you do it.

[Soda]

By golly I think you're right.

It's quite possible I've been lifting my head up too high during the bench press.

[hollismb]

By golly I think you're right.

It's quite possible I've been lifting my head up too high during the bench press.

I'm guessing (and hoping) you're feeling mostly better by now, right? In the future, try resting your head on the bench, and just make sure not to push into it. Think of your shoulder blades, your glutes, and your feet as your six points of contact; that should strike a good balance between not hurting yourself by pressing into the bench, and not straining your neck by lifting up too much.

Interesting side fact: the head lifting off the bench in a USAPL meet is grounds for disqualification:

Any change in the elected lifting position during the lift proper, i.e. any raising movement of the head, shoulders, or buttocks from their original points of contact with the bench, or lateral movement of the hands on the bar.

[Soda]

It's improving but I do still have some pain. Yesterday I attempted some bench pressing but I could feel that part of my neck tighten up during warmups so I backed off to 135 and did 5x10.

I can do chin-ups again which is good.

Was not aware that was a DQ. I guess I took the "don't press your head into the bench" cue too far.