TP's in the triceps....

[Pompal 09.]

I have a client who has complained recently of her left hand going numb. It was a sudden onset thing, not like carpal tunnel, and she said it is her whole hand, but the wrist feels "dead" too. I have worked the scalenes, etc., but today realized that she travels quite a lot, so asked which arm she takes her luggage in, and if she pulls it behind her. Yes, and that is the arm. So I checked her triceps, and they are FULL of trigger points! As I worked them, her fingers started tingling, which excited her because it felt like some life in them! It would take forever to work them all out doing TPT, but I couldn't figure out how to stretch the triceps. All I can come up with is to have her contract the biceps, and that does a decent tricep stretch. Any other ideas? I just have an hour at a time with her, every 1 to 3 weeks, depending on her schedule - she travels a lot.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Here is a good visual...

http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/19488.htm

also work on her pecs, and stretch those out as well... look at her shoulder position when she is imitating pulling the bag, she may be rounding her shoulder to the point that it is cutting into the brachial plexus from that position.

 

[Val]

Thank you, those are good visuals! For some reason I didn't think to pull on the elbow with the other hand - I was trying the stretch and feeling the stretch only in my teres minor & major & subscapularis. The over the head one is really effective!

She does have somewhat rounded shoulders, so I had been working with the pecs but finding nothing extraordinary, and having no results. It just dawned on me today as I was working the extensors and finding no TP's that I was missing the suitcase situation! The fact that there was some definite effect in the wrist and hand was as exciting to me as to her!!

 

[Captain Nerezza]

That is ok, sometimes you just have that mental block! You need to think about the whole origin, insertion, fiber direction, action, and how to isolate that muscle or muscle groups. I was actually trying to figure out how you were trying to stretch it otherwise! Flexors are easier to stretch then extensors in some cases... so don't worry, that is what we are here for!

 

[spiderking88]

Thanks, it was a definite mental block!! That, and I'm watching the older cat guard the Christmas tree and not letting the little guy climb it, LOL! I'm distracted! :shock: lol.

I did some muscle stripping, too, but I'm not sure if that will help. Do you have any other ideas? I like your ideas......

 

[Aerohead]

This is the triceps stretch I do and show clients.
I usually give clients a yoga strap for assisted stretches.

Robyn

http://www.niapublications.org/exercisebook/chapter4_stretch_triceps.htm

 

[regular american]

Thanks, Robyn, that looks like a good one, too!

 

[Cross]

Back in November when you posted the Tricep TP - Hand Numbness connection, I hadn't encountered that in my practice. But this past month, I did. A client was experiencing numbness in her thumb & wrist, and I focused on the most likely muscle contenders (scalenes, pecs, brachialis, supinator) and although there was some improvement, some numbness remained. One day, I decided to simply do thorough massage of all the arm, neck & shoulder muscles, and when we got to the triceps, they were very tender, with one strong TP in particular. So after the appointment, I pulled out my TP manual. Although triceps aren't listed on the charts for thumb numbness, in the detail description on the triceps, it says that a trigger point in the lateral head of the tricep can keep the muscle tight enough to compress the radial nerve, causing numbness on the thumb side of the forearm and hand.

My client had just started some light weight training, and that caused the new tension.