DEAR DR. GOTT:
Recently I began experiencing a burning sensation on my skin in a line that runs from my lower shoulder blade out to the midpoint of the back of my upper arm. That sensation has now turned into an intermittent throbbing pain. I am wondering if I have stretched a nerve that would cause the pain, as I have recently added stretching to my exercise routine. The new exercise involves sitting on a seat while holding onto handlebars and rolling backwards to stretch my arms and back. I’ve also been hanging from a bar, allowing my 120 pounds of body weight to stretch me. If this is a nerve stretch, is there anything that can be done for the pain?

DEAR READER:
My initial response to your question is that you are overstretching during exercise. Now there are numerous unanswered questions that should be addressed. What precedes the pain? Are you lifting your arms over your shoulders, reaching backwards during exercise, or eating dinner with repeated arm movement? Does the pain occur when you roll over in bed, shower, or reach behind your back to scratch?

You indicate your throbbing pain is intermittent. How long does it last? Does it only follow exercise workouts or does a stressful drive across town in your automobile trigger the pain? Could the pain actually be from your rotator cuff and travel to your arm? Do you play tennis or another racquet sport that would contribute to rotator cuff aggravation? If this is the case, I would recommend you alter your exercise routine, whatever it may be, to allow the muscles time to heal.

Consider taking an anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen for pain relief. Once the pain disappears, you can reintroduce the activity on a limited basis, gently stretching muscles little by little until you reach a level of activity with which you are comfortable.