Wasting triceps & pectoral, loss of strength

[SPPAWA]

sorry to hear bout your situation buddy im insomething similar ive uploaded a video of me trying to walk

what about blood cirulation to the muscles, i think thts the 2 main reasons for muscle attrophy nerves or blood flow

is that another avenue worth looking at, it could help narrow it down

Nerve is more likely, as with blood flow changes you would likely experience a non dermatomal/myotomal/peripheral nerve distribution of symtoms in addition to one extremity being cooler or cyanotic when compared to its counter part. The majority of the symptoms on the board appear to be involving neurological structures, particular when there is neck pain involved. Some of these cases are due to lower cervical radiculopathies.

SPPAWA

[Keal99]

hey everyone.
this tread is very interesting. ive been battling with loss off control and atrophy in my right pec for over a year now. i have the same symptoms that many off you have described, atrophy of and loss of control of rigt pec, but i also have lost shoulder stabilization and my right side, and have a winging scapula on my right side. i know that the serratus anterior muscle holds the scapula in place, this musche is innervated at c5-c7 as are many of the shoulder stabilizing muscles, and i think the pec is innervated from c6-c8. i thought there must be impingement sumwhere there, cervical mri showed up nothing. i have seen neuros, orthos,chiros and no one seems to know what is going on. 1 neuro told me that i have brachial neuritis but couldnt be sure as i did not have any severe pain 1-2 weeks proior to the atrophy. i have been out off the gym for 1 yr now to see if it would help things, but things have gotten worse. does anyon else have these syptoms with a winging scapula?
has anyone fully recovered?

i have had cervical spine mris which show no im

[lthspine]

Hi all,

So glad I found this site. Has anyone out there been cured of their atrophy & weakness?

Here's my story: I have almost this exact problem on the left side--four months ago I went to a chiropractor & felt a twinge in my upper back & pec, but I didn't have any pain. I soon discovered I had zero strength in my left pectoral and left tricep & thought he had pulled some muscles during the adjustmenet (a neck twist--I had gone to him before with success in relieving neck/thoracic pain).

Two months later I first noticed severe atrophy in the middle of my left pec & went to a doc who ordered a neck MRI & nerve tests (EMG). Nerve tests showed moderate acute & chronic left C7 radiculopathy and significant denervation of the left pec & pronator, milder denervation of the triceps. Multiple docs said nerve damage takes ~6 weeks to show up on EMG, so it's not surprising a first nerve study doesn't show anything. So in my case (and in many of yours) it seems nerve damage is quite clear, and it's at C7 and more. The neurosurgeon I just saw this morning told me what several have said--the pec wouldn't be affected by C7 impingement--but the nerve doc said everyone's wired a little differently. It's clear to me that there *is* damage at C7 for some of us--it shows up in MRI & EMG. It's only the textbooks that say the pec wouldn't be compromised; the real evidence says otherwise.

I also have chronic degenerative disc disease (DDD) at C4-C5, C5-C6, and C6-C7 (MRI & x-ray). My other symptoms are hand tiredness/weakness (unable to write with a pen for more than a few words before hand cramps) that started around 11 years ago (after a wicked concussion) and a rapidly declining bench press since 5 years ago (possibly after a hard face-plant skiing)--from about 275 to 200 lbs. The bad chiro visit made my bench go from 200 to 65 overnight. I'm now back up to 115 for 10 reps...very weak.

I've seen two surgeons in the past week: one recommended a 3-level ACDF, the other said no way because I'm too young & not in debilitating pain. Dr. #2 suggested a cervical laminectomy/foraminatomy, which is much less invasive and has far fewer long-term consequences. He said he's done thousands. The doctors (5) have all told me that pain & numbness means go with conservative treatment (PT, exercise, traction, ESI), but atrophy & weakness are clear indications of nerve damage that can only be surely addressed with surgery, and it must be done reasonably soon to prevent the nerve damage from becoming permanent (if it isn't already too late). This matches my research too.

However, they all tell me I could just live with it too, if I can deal with permanent damage and the weakness that comes with it. The condition probably won't get any worse, at least in the short term.

So I'm leaning toward surgery with the doc who's done thousands of foraminotomies. However, he tells me he's NEVER seen chest atrophy like mine. Hmm. It's comforting to know there are others that do have atrophy & cervical symptoms, so I think (and hope) he's wrong. I'll come back & post if it works or not (if I do it).

[J.Looney]

Yeah! I got a name and an idea of my condition.

My story is about the exact same.

Got a flew shot in left arm.
A week later I wake up with severe pain behind the left shoulder blade area. Numbness in left arm, mainly around elbow, numbness in fingers. mainly my pinky finger, and ring finger. I also loss coordination of pinky and ring finger. Could close fingers, but had a hard time opening. Could not type with them.

Pain lasted about 3 weeks. Doctor put me on anti inflamatory and pain meds. thinking that an inflamed muscle was pinching a nerve in my back/shoulder.

I have extreme loss of strength in tricep and pec. muscles. Muscles wasting away. Can barely do push ups, dips, tricep kick backs, etc.

Went to Orthapedic Surgeon. Got an MRI and X-Rays which were inconclusive. Surgeon thinks I have brachial plexus nerve damage. Sent me to get nerve study.

Went to nerve study. Test shows there is nerve damage.

Dr. says nerves heal at a rate of at best 1mm a day. Dr. thinks that I will recover in about 2 years based on the amount of damage that I have.

He said to not drink alcohol, because nerves do not grow well when you drink alcohol.

It has been 8 months since initial pain. I am recovering very slowly.

I have been working out regularly and am up to about 20 push ups, and I can bench about 150 lbs.

I use to bench about 275 and could do 60 push ups pretty easily.

So in about another year or so I am hoping to be near 90%.