Should pains

twilight

twilight

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anyone have pain from playing pool? I've played for years but I just started having problems with my bridge arm shoulder. This started about 4 months back. Every time I went to shoot pool my shoulder would hurt after an hour of play. This worries me because I've played in several multi day tourneys 12 + hours a day and can't even do a fraction of that now. I took a month off from playing but when I started playing again the same thing happens.

I work out with weights 4 days a week and do not have any shoulder pains on days I work out my shoulders. I am fairly athletic. I do juijitsu, and muay thai on two other days. I have no shoulder problems from any joint locks in jiujitsu and have no problems after throwing multiple punches and blocking kicks in Muay Thai. (check out my flying knee in my avatar :) ) Once a month, I shoot my AR-15 riffle. My support hand is stretched out similar to a bridge hand but shooting my riffle does not hurt my shoulders. Heck, I even do yoga twice a month and don't have any real issues with flexibility.

I don't have any problems with weights or sports. I don't lack any range of motion or have any major flexibility problems either. The problem seems to be only related to shooting pool. I'm not trying to brag about what I do, I'm in good health and very active. I haven't got a clue other than I'm doing something wrong with my bridge arm. Again no problems for years until now. Any advice and opinions are appreciated. The pain hurts so much I may have to quit pool.
 
All I can think of is that maybe your stace is off balance, any that maybe you are using more muscle than necessary. Maybe you are working too hard to isloate certain muscle groups as well.

BTW...good stuff with your Jujitsu and Muay Thai. I'm testing for my green belt in a few weeks after three years of taking a three hour class on Sundays. I also started helping guys out on Wed. preparing for MMA style fighting, called New Breed here in NJ.
 
A few years back,literally out of the blue, I lift my arm to set my bridge and my shoulder "tweaks" for lack of a better term. I couldn't lift my arm more than a few inches. I had to forfiet the match and go home. It took a week for it to go away. It happened again a while later at the table but only took a day to "heal up". It also started happening when I got out of my truck and closed the door with my left hand. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and I just figured it was part of the "aging " process. What finally stopped it might be a clue for you. I was taking coral calcium supplements along with my regular vitamins. It hasn't happened since I quit the stuff. Now I don't know if thats your problem but you might look into your vitamin regimen if you have one. Good Luck
 
twilight said:
Anyone have pain from playing pool? I've played for years but I just started having problems with my bridge arm shoulder. This started about 4 months back. Every time I went to shoot pool my shoulder would hurt after an hour of play. This worries me because I've played in several multi day tourneys 12 + hours a day and can't even do a fraction of that now. I took a month off from playing but when I started playing again the same thing happens.

I work out with weights 4 days a week and do not have any shoulder pains on days I work out my shoulders. I am fairly athletic. I do juijitsu, and muay thai on two other days. I have no shoulder problems from any joint locks in jiujitsu and have no problems after throwing multiple punches and blocking kicks in Muay Thai. (check out my flying knee in my avatar :) ) Once a month, I shoot my AR-15 riffle. My support hand is stretched out similar to a bridge hand but shooting my riffle does not hurt my shoulders. Heck, I even do yoga twice a month and don't have any real issues with flexibility.

I don't have any problems with weights or sports. I don't lack any range of motion or have any major flexibility problems either. The problem seems to be only related to shooting pool. I'm not trying to brag about what I do, I'm in good health and very active. I haven't got a clue other than I'm doing something wrong with my bridge arm. Again no problems for years until now. Any advice and opinions are appreciated. The pain hurts so much I may have to quit pool.
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I have same in my bridge hand shoulder as well, after playing for and hour or 2. I also work out and I'm starting to wonder what the deal is. Sometimes I feel it after I do bench also. I have took about 8 days off and am hoping it will fix itself. It is rather annoying. Seems like it makes you not want to stay down on the shot as long as needed some times.
 
I have the same muay thai shorts as you do :D

Where are your hand wraps?

Anyhow, what I've found to be helpful is to stretch out my shoulders and delts every week to keep the pains away.

Military Press with low weight usually does a good job of that. Pair it up with lat pulls and then use a hot towel compress on your shoulders. :thumbup:
 
Ive had the same problem in the past. For me it came from putting too much weight on my bridge shoulder. And like you I would take a week off thinking it would heal itself but then an hour in, it would start hurting again. For me it was imflamation of the joint. So now I pop a few ibuprofen (anti inflamatory) when it starts to hurt. And then ice it right after im done playing. Try that for a few weeks it should go away.
 
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Bursitis

My bridge hand shoulder was bothering me really bad, doc said bursitis; I have been stretching and apply ice if it starts to bother me even a little bit. So far so good. I did lay off of pool for a couple of weeks, and no longer sleep on that side.
 
I get the pain too...stretching before/ during helps a bit, but I am so stretched out there sometimes it hurts the joint. sometimes it hurts the joint.
 
Shoulder pain

Go to a chiropractor that does Graston Technique, which is soft tissue mobilization with a stainless steel instrument. It is like a deep tissue massage but much more effective. It will stimulate healing and should decrease your pain and usually only requires 1-3 treatments.
 
I have pretty much the exact same thing, but I think it's unrelated to pool. When I sneeze I get shooting pains up and down that arm, and apparently this is a sign of a pinched nerve. I look up some of the causes of pinched nerves and sleeping on that shoulder is a biggie. It's pretty much the only position I'm comfy sleeping in so it really sucks. Pool can aggravate it and I need to give it a minute, and sleeping sucks now, I toss and turn when really all I want to do is sleep on that shoulder. I may try icing/heat/advil.
 
Gregg, I'm going to get back to BASIC basics starting with stance. Hopefully this helps. Good luck on your belt, I've been doing it for about 2.5 years now.

pulzcul, I actually have a good vitamin regimen. I work out 1.5 hours a day on average and know that we can't get all the vitamins and minerals we need from a normal diet. I take Glucosamine and condroitin for joints as well as Calcium with vitamin D (helps with absorbtion).

1on1pooltournys, OMG not kidding! I don't feel like staying down on my shoots at all. Funny you mention that, a buddy of mine started noticing that I started recently jumping up too soon.

jcommie, yeah the shorts were cheap! No wraps that day, just pad drills with bag gloves.

TXsouthpaw, I'm starting to think it may be related to stance and how much weight I put on my shoulders. I will try the Ibuprofen next time. Icing the shoulder doesn't seem to be enough. I might even take some Ibuprofen once I start shooting just in case.

Maxx, I looked up Bursitis on the web, looks like ice and anti inflammatory medication is the way to go. I might go see a doctor as this seems very likely to be my problem.

terryerdman, Thanks for the information about the Graston Technique. I'll also take a look into it if the basic anti inflamatory and ice doesn't help.

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll look into it some more... I'll be off to the pool hall again to work on some stance stuff.
 
I've had this problem on several occasions. The only thing that has helped is learning not to lift my body from a completed shot with my bridge arm.

It wasn't the weight I had placed on those joints, it was knowing that I had been using that arm (mostly) to lift my weight to standing position. I never noticed it until hours later, and my shoulder kept doing this popping tendon/achy thing.
 
terryerdman said:
Go to a chiropractor that does Graston Technique, which is soft tissue mobilization with a stainless steel instrument. It is like a deep tissue massage but much more effective. It will stimulate healing and should decrease your pain and usually only requires 1-3 treatments.
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The Graston Technique, while effective for things like achilles tendinitis, upper trap tightness, and other tendinitis based injuries, likely will not work here, as the muscle and structure being injured is under another muscle, and a bone (explained in a post to follow).
 
CreeDo said:
I have pretty much the exact same thing, but I think it's unrelated to pool. When I sneeze I get shooting pains up and down that arm, and apparently this is a sign of a pinched nerve. I look up some of the causes of pinched nerves and sleeping on that shoulder is a biggie. It's pretty much the only position I'm comfy sleeping in so it really sucks. Pool can aggravate it and I need to give it a minute, and sleeping sucks now, I toss and turn when really all I want to do is sleep on that shoulder. I may try icing/heat/advil.
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I doubt your problem is the same as his. While I can't be certain, I would guess that your problem is a bulging/herniated disk in your neck. Coughing and sneezing increase interdiscal pressure, which can cause the bulge to push back onto the nerve, sending pain down your arm. His problem is probably more related to his shoulder. If I were you, I would seek medical attention for this, as it can get much worse, eventually leading to a rather involved surgery. I would try to nip it in the bud now!!!
 
Twilight,
Shoulder pain in your bridge arm while playing pool is quite common, and has been reported here often. I have answered questions regarding it in the past in some detail, so a search may help. While no one can be certain of what is causing your pain without a physical examination, what you describe is usually caused by rotator cuff (RTC) impingement syndrome. Please understand that this explanation can not replace a good exam by a trained professional, and that I can not accurately diagnose your shoulder without seeing you.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/bdwhite7/rtc.jpg
The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that have a few functions. Three of the muscles rotate your arm outwards (hence the name), and one helps to rotate your arm inwards. The RTC also helps to raise your arm to the side. Its main function, however, is to hold the humeral head into the socket, pulling it away from the acromion, and stabilizing it into the socket (glenoid fossa) while you move your arm. In the first picture above you will notice that their is a bone over the humeral head (the ball at the top of the humerus) called the acromion. In the second picture you can see that their is a rtc muscle (the supraspinatus; this muscle accounts for 90% of all RTC injuries due to its location under the acromion) that runs between those two bones. One of the heads of your biceps muscle is under the supraspinatus, and their also a bursa sack on top of the supraspinatus that acts as a pillow for the joint. When we elevate our arm, the RTC pulls the humeral head down as I stated above, and holds it from smashing the RTC, biceps, and bursa into the acromion.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm232/bdwhite7/shoulder_rotator_cuff_treatment03.jpg
When we bridge, the arm goes into a position similar to that of the picture above. If we apply too much pressure through our bridge arm, you can see where the humeral head and acromion will smash the supraspinatus and bursa, inflaming it, and causing pain. The problem becomes cyclical, as the more inflamed the structures get, the more it decreases the amount of open space between the 2 bones, making it easier to impinge them. Also, as I stated above, the RTC works to hold the humeral head away from the acromion. The more it is damaged, the more it is inhibited from doing its job, thus allowing the humeral head to rise into the acromion easier. If this is allowed to continue for too long, the RTC muscles can tear from abuse. Other factors to consider, are that if you have a bone spur under the acromion or an acromial hook (which is common), that can also make it easier to impinge those structures. Also, when the humeral head is pulled down by the RTC, it is pulled into the capsule. This has folds in the bottom that allow the humeral head to move downward. If the capsule gets too tight, it can stop the humeral head from going down, and force it up into the acromion when the arm is raised.
The approach to fixing this is generally 3 fold. First, you have to get the inflammation down. The more space between the 2 bones, the less chance for impingement to occur.
Second, is restoring the strength of your rtc, and stretching any capsular tightness that may be getting in the way.
Third, you need to try and make sure you do not continue to put so much pressure through your bridge arm while shooting, or anything you do to heal the problem will only be temporary. I find that putting your elbow down on the table helps with this.

If I can find some time later, I will post a link to good RTC ex's, however, my kids are climbing all over me to have lunch right now. There are a lot of reasons that this can occurr, so it is hard to give a one way fix. In general though, decreasing the inflammation, strengthening the RTC and shuolder blade muscles, and removing the irritant are a good place to start. I would also avoid ex's like the military press or incline bench press, as they will have a tendnecy to further impinge the RTC. Good Luck. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
 
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Mantis, that sounds like good advice and I will haul ass to the doctor. I came up with pinched nerve via google and it has the very specific symptom of shooting arm pains while sneezing, but if herniated disc does too then I want to be sure which I'm looking at. I don't have any other symptoms at the moment thankfully.
 
CreeDo said:
Mantis, that sounds like good advice and I will haul ass to the doctor. I came up with pinched nerve via google and it has the very specific symptom of shooting arm pains while sneezing, but if herniated disc does too then I want to be sure which I'm looking at. I don't have any other symptoms at the moment thankfully.
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It would still technically be a pinched nerve. It is just that it could be getting pinched by the disk. There are other things that could cause this, but a disk is commonly the cause with your stated symptoms. Either way, youdo want to get it checked out. Good Luck!
 
The first thing I do when I have a pain or injury is to come to this forum and ask for advise.

Much better than consulting a doctor.
 
Bridge arm shoulder

Irecently had to have my bridge arm shoulder operated on after trying chiropracters, physical therapy, acupuncture and many other things. The shoulder surgery was painful and the rehab took almost 6 months, Good luck with your problem, but I can almost assure you, it comes from pool.
 
Shortside K said:
The first thing I do when I have a pain or injury is to come to this forum and ask for advise.

Much better than consulting a doctor.
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I have to warn against this practice. I work as an orthopedic physical therapist, and see this type of injury, and many of the others discussed on here on a daily basis. I know that all the people giving advice mean well, however, I can also tell you that about 90% of the advice regarding medical issues given on this forum is incorrect, and at least 30-40% of it would be contra-indicated for the symptoms listed.

Would you go on a medical forum and ask about your pool stroke. Imagine the asnwers you would be given. People telling of their own experiences is great, but assuming that their injury is the same as yours, and that what helped them will help you, is not always correct.
 
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