[Kitty]

I have been having what I believe to be nerve pain. My upper back/right shoulder area feels like it's being stabbed with a dull needle. In between these lovely attacks it itches like poison ivy.

It's the same spot that has the stabbing feeling. Almost like a bee sting but it's just a little more intense than that. Hard to describe. Plus it's on my back so it's even harder to reach.

Has anyone else dealt with nerve pain and what did you do for it? So far I've just been toughing it out but it's getting old.

[Jomar]

I wonder if it could be a trigger point or rhomboid stress/strain?

the rhomboids are located under the shoulder blade towards each side of the spine.

They can easily get strained if shoulders are forward a lot, like with computer use, knitting holding books etc. to fix it we need to be aware of head/shoulders posture, not being forward of the body..


triggerpoints can be checked with a tennis ball or other object like it.
press/roll it against a wall or on the floor looking for very tender spots in your back.

If you find any hold the pressure til pain fades away, then do some stretches to work it out fully
TrPs may come back or more may appear if they were latent.

HTH..

[Kitty]

I notice it more when I'm sitting at the computer so it might just be my posture. But, it bothers me a lot when I'm lying down, too.

Ughh......just one more thing to add to the list of aches and pains.

[Erika]

I try using the techniques that Jo*mar suggested if it is pain.

Other times when it is more of a sensory thing like a sliver in the skin or cobwebby itchiness, putting a camphor lotion or cream on the area works somewhat to reduce the annoyance because it changes the sensation (then it just feels cold).

Hope that you find something that works straight away. That sort of thing can drive us round the bend because it seems that there is no position of comfort for very long.

With love, Erika

[Kitty]

It does seem more sensory at times versus muscular. It feels like it's on the skin instead of beneath it - like a muscle pull would feel.

[ANNagain]

Kitty, can you use mirror(s) to see if it might be shingles?

Hope not,
ANN

[mrsD]

I do ICE when I have various "nerve" attacks. I find it works
better than most other things (except the magnesium lotion, that is )

Place an ice pack on the neck... as that is where it might originate from.

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by ANNagain

Kitty, can you use mirror(s) to see if it might be shingles?

Hope not,
ANN

Nope...no shingles. But I did think of that and held a mirror up to look!

[Debbie D]

I was wondering about shingles too...that darn disorder can present in many ways...
Put it on your list of symptoms...and take it easy Nerve pain stinks!

[mrsD]

You can have Shingles nerve pain with no rash. It comes when the virus cannot activate fully, but only does so partially.

Ice will make it dormant again...so will l-lysine. Sometimes the Shingles virus wakes up when arginine is too plentiful in the diet, and not balanced by lysine. Arginine is required for the virus to replicate.

Here is a Herpes food chart:
http://www.herpes.com/Nutrition.shtml

This gives arginine and lysine content in common foods.