re: Pinched nerve in my upper back

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Sounds like a bulging cervical disc. Get used to thinking about the concept of "referred pain" - whereby the actual point of injury is not necessarily where it hurts/numbs.

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Exactly what I experienced about 4 years ago. I felt it in my left hand usually, and sometimes it would travel up the arm. Got an MRI done, it was a slight bulge, not enough to warrant any surgery, but a round of PT took care of it.

When I first got to PT, the therapist asked me some simple questions. One of them was what are you doing when you notice it the most. It was usually loading the dishwasher after dinner, so he told me to mimic what I was doing then. Standing at the sink, and leaning down to my right. He said my head naturally rotated back when I did that, since I would be looking straight down at the rack, and also my torso was twisted. Just enough movement where the bulging disc was to pinch it a little. It all made sense, but nothing I had thought of on my own.

You can likely get rid of it altogether with therapy. You'll be doing funny neck and shoulder exercises to build up strength in that area, as well as come cervical traction and mobility work. I went twice a week for about 6 weeks, then once a week for another month, and did work at home every day. A lot of it is brought on by posture, desk jobs, and the lifting may not help things. Get used to dumbbell squats. Between the neck issue, and another disc issue in my back a few years later, I'll never hold a bar on my back again. But at 43, I'm not chasing any power lifting records. I can work the legs enough holding heavy dumbbells and not have to do barbell squats.