# Twitch in my left upper back



## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

I can't remember specifically when or even how I injured myself, but for whatever reason, I have a twitch on the left side of my upper back.

What are these from?

Why is my muscle tweaking out, specifically at night, following a day in which I've trained?


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## Doublebase (Jan 28, 2010)

I have had issues in the same area.  My left trap muscle.  Right about the shoulder blade.  I have tried a chiropractor, physical therapy and massage therapy.  Physically therapy worked the best.  They teach you exercises you can do to work that muscle.  If it's been bothering you for a while then I would suggest seeing one of them.


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

Geared Jesus said:


> most likely an electrolyte imbalance.



It's funny you mention that, because that's what I originally thought.

I recently changed the way I train and though my water intake is roughly the same as it was before, I'm sitting in the sauna after every workout for a good 10-30 minutes.

Perhaps the sauna is dehydrating me, although I really don't see how that could be with all of the water I consume.  For instance yesterday, I had a liter of water in the morning before I went to the gym with breakfast while doing homework.  Then, I drank SizeOn in a Nalgene, refilled the Nalgene at the gym, drank that and took sips from the water fountain periodically when it ran out.  Went into the sauna, drank another whole Nalgene.  Came home, drank a shake, went to class from 2:30 to 6:45, drank three liters during that period and then came home and finished off with two more prior to going to bed.  That's a ton of freakin' water.

Hmm...


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

Doublebase said:


> I have had issues in the same area.  My left trap muscle.  Right about the shoulder blade.  I have tried a chiropractor, physical therapy and massage therapy.  Physically therapy worked the best.  They teach you exercises you can do to work that muscle.  If it's been bothering you for a while then I would suggest seeing one of them.



It doesn't hurt, it's the annoyance factor more than anything.  Right now, it isn't twitching but every night for the last couple weeks it begins to twitch, to the point where (according to my girlfriend) you can see it twitching when shirtless.

All are good options, but as a broke college student, spending money on a chiropractor, physical therapy or massage therapy isn't an option.

What exactly did yours feel like, DB?


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## Doublebase (Jan 28, 2010)

soxmuscle said:


> It doesn't hurt, it's the annoyance factor more than anything.  Right now, it isn't twitching but every night for the last couple weeks it begins to twitch, to the point where (according to my girlfriend) you can see it twitching when shirtless.
> 
> All are good options, but as a broke college student, spending money on a chiropractor, physical therapy or massage therapy isn't an option.
> 
> What exactly did yours feel like, DB?



The best way to explain it is that it felt like a hot coal was burning in my left trap muscle.  It wasn't all the time.  Only when I would drive for long periods of time, stand for a long time or sit at the computer for a while.  It still hurts me from time to time but its better since physical therapy.  The doctor thought it was from my heavy lifting.  For example, when I would do heavy military presses.  My delts would overcompensate for my smaller secondary muscles and they would not get worked properly.  So she had me do these isolation movements to target the small muscles where I was having the problem.


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## fufu (Jan 28, 2010)

How long has it lasted?

I get twitches now in my upper abdominal, once it stayed around for a good couple weeks.

No pain or anything, it went away eventually.

Maybe it will just go away for you, ho harm no foul.


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

Doublebase said:


> The best way to explain it is that it felt like a hot coal was burning in my left trap muscle.  It wasn't all the time.  Only when I would drive for long periods of time, stand for a long time or sit at the computer for a while.  It still hurts me from time to time but its better since physical therapy.  The doctor thought it was from my heavy lifting.  For example, when I would do heavy military presses.  My delts would overcompensate for my smaller secondary muscles and they would not get worked properly.  So she had me do these isolation movements to target the small muscles where I was having the problem.



Interesting.

That sounds different than what I'm going through, thankfully.


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

fufu said:


> How long has it lasted?
> 
> I get twitches now in my upper abdominal, once it stayed around for a good couple weeks.
> 
> ...



Since I changed my training around.  Like three weeks?

I wouldn't doubt that it goes away.


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## Doublebase (Jan 28, 2010)

I have had what your talking about also.  It usually lasts a couple weeks then goes away.


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

Alright cool.  Thanks, DB.


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## DOMS (Jan 28, 2010)

I like Geared Jesus' thoughts on electrolytes.

But I just had another thought.  Keep in mind that I'm about as far as one could get on being an expert on physiology, so take this with a grain of salt.

Isn't part of growth experienced in weight training the growth of nerves?  I'm not sure if it's strengthening what's there or growing new tracts, but some sort of adaptation happens in the nerves.  

Nothing in the body goes right 100% of the time.  You get heart palpations, low or high blood sugar, variations in body temperature, and so on.  Wouldn't it make sense that the adaptation of the nervous system also have the occasional glitch?  Might that be what causes _long-term_ (e.g. weeks) muscle twitches?  I figure that they stop after a while because the body corrects the issue.

Anyway, that's my rambling...


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

Certainly a valid point.

I can't even say its been every single day for the last three weeks, but its been pretty regularly over that time span.


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## DOMS (Jan 28, 2010)

I posted that hypotheses because I've seen that twitching happens to pretty much everyone that works out.  Even those who diet well and get plenty of essential salts.


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## FMJ (Jan 28, 2010)

I agree with DOMS, twitches are part of training. There are a few common causes for muscles twitching.. excessive caffine, damaged nerve, recovery from exercise, dietary deficiency, even stress or anxiety.
In your case, I would chalk it up to your weight training.


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

That's the thing.  My water intake is through the roof; if anything, I'm drinking too much water.

Besides the change in training, the only real difference in what I've been doing is the sauna post-workout.

Like I said earlier, it hasn't been doing it thus far today - maybe it's done?


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## soxmuscle (Jan 28, 2010)

FMJ said:


> I agree with DOMS, twitches are part of training. There are a few common causes for muscles twitching.. excessive caffine, damaged nerve, recovery from exercise, dietary deficiency, even stress or anxiety.
> In your case, I would chalk it up to your weight training.



I agree, thanks man.


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