Wasting triceps & pectoral, loss of strength

[geordiejonna]

Hi All,

This is my first post, so hello to all. I've recently joined this forum having found this thread, and wish to

contribute.

I'll start by thanking each of the posters for sharing their experiences, as it's comforting to know that I'm not alone in suffering with these symptoms.

I'm 35, live near Newcastle in the north east of England and enjoy a fairly active lifestyle including regular gym visits for resistance training, some ballistic training (using kettlebells) and a lot of cycling. Around two weeks ago I noticed in the gym that my strength was significantly diminished in my right shoulder when performing a shoulder press. Initially I put this down to a slight strain as I felt no pain as such, but over the last week or so I've noticed a significant loss in strength in my right arm and chest. Whilst discussing this with my girlfriend this morning she observed that my upper body did not appear symetrical; the difference from one side to the other isn't huge, but is definately noticeable and it appears I've lost muscle mass. I tried a few exercises to see what was affected and my right pectoral muscle is significantly weaker than normal; my bench pressing capacity has dropped from around 90kg(200lbs) to around 60kgs, though this is somewhat uncomfortable as I find my left side is over compensating for weakness in the right. My right bicep appears to be slightly weaker but nowhere near the drop in strength observed in my chest (perhaps 85%). My shoulder seems fairly stable and I'm able to do a front/side raise using dumbells but I'm somewhat alarmed at the weakness in my tricep. I tried a few tricep extensions this morning using a dumbell, whilst lying on my back and found that I could barely lift 6/7kgs with my right arm compared with 25+ (without any bother) on my left.

I recall having a Flu jab/shot around four weeks ago (21st October), and wondered whether this could be linked with my problem, so called into my local hospital for advice. I saw a nurse/doctor this morning who advised that I'd need to consult my GP as there was nothing they could do in the way of emergency treatment, but they did comment.. "the flu shot could not be responsible for my condition".

Having returned home, I did a bit of googling, only to stumble upon this site/thread, and so now I'm wondering whether the flu jab was in fact the cause of the issue?

I've no choice but to wait until Monday now before I can contact my GP, but hopefully they can refer me in the near future to someone who can help...

Despite the lack of strength, my muscle 'mass' doesn't seem too bad, and in the case of my arms, I'd say the size/volume remains comparible between left and right. I'm thinking (as experienced by some of you) that the issue could stem from nerve damage as I feel as though I'm simply unable to activate/utilise my right pec/tricep, but unlike some of the members on this thread, I haven't suffered significant pain to date.

I'd realy appreciate any advice you could offer...

Can I expect further muscle atrophy? How long after noticing the loss in strength did your strength begin to return?

Is there anything I can do in the meantime to speed the recovery process, and should I continue with resistance training (in the hope of limiting the atrophy).

I guess advice will really depend on a future diagnosis, but nevertheless I'd still appreciate your thoughts.

I'm feeling pretty low right now, as I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that my body has sustained damage that will take a long time to get over.

Thanks in advance,
Simon.

[alophysio]

Hi Simon

Thx for the info. Perhaps you should copy your post and start a new one and put a link to it here?

In any case, my quick thoughts are:

1. Not from flu jab. I don't have any evidence but they would have to stick it to u in a strange position to get both of those nerves.
2. Probably nerve. Muscle damage usually hurts. So does a fracture.
3. Get GP referral to see a physio and go from there. Either that or a neurologist.

Cheers

[geordiejonna]

Hi Simon

Thx for the info. Perhaps you should copy your post and start a new one and put a link to it here?

In any case, my quick thoughts are:

1. Not from flu jab. I don't have any evidence but they would have to stick it to u in a strange position to get both of those nerves.
2. Probably nerve. Muscle damage usually hurts. So does a fracture.
3. Get GP referral to see a physio and go from there. Either that or a neurologist.

Cheers

Thanks for the advice - will do as you suggest and start another thread.