Pain when sneezing (back, neck, arms)

[tworle00]

  I am a 24 year old male. I am 5'11" and 255lbs. I am a former football player and experience extreme pain in my neck, shoulders, and arms when ever I sneeze. The pain in my neck is located around my shoulder blades and in my arms it hurts on the top of my fore arm and my bicep, and occasionally on the top part of my hand. It is starting to get extremely painful and I am not sure what I should do or what is causing it. ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I have done several Google searches but with no luck except people with similar problem, but few answers. Thanks in advance.

-tw00

[andyr7771]

Same issue here I am 46 year old 5' 11" 230 lbs played football a long time ago still work out with weights and I suffer from allergies, this year I had the worst allergies and yesterday I kept sneezing all day and no problem until the evening I sneezed 7 times consecutive server times and I started experiencing the pain in my chest and then it got worst, it started from my chest and then my under arm, back of neck and my arms felt numb and I started feeling pain in my throat and worst of all a massive head ache for about 40 to 60 seconds and if I cough hard enough I feel some of the effects as well the pain brought me to my knees several times. for a minute I thought I was having a heart attack.  I stay pretty active and I am decent shape for my age like I said I work out 3 to 4 time a week lifting weights and plenty of cardio.

[Therenaissanceman]

Gabapentin relieved my sneezing pain.

[StarSpectre]

Since this is one of the only places on the web that mentions these exact symptoms at the time I'm writing this.

I have similar symptoms. I sneeze and then I have terrible pain around my shoulder/rotator cuff and all the way down my arms that last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. I am also a 25 year old male. Played baseball in HS/Uni, did martial arts, and still lift weights. I am 6'3 240lbs.

I've had some tests done and it may be due to posture and muscle tightness in the upper back and shoulders. I've been doing a lot of foam rolling and trigger point stuff and it helps while I do it. But as soon as I stop it comes back and it seems to get worse.

I don't know if it's the fact that several of the posters had a big drop in activity levels and our muscles and nerves didn't adjust well but I hope someone figures this out soon.

[JRB23]

I played football till i was 21,  a few concussions, and two back surgeries for ruptured discs in my lower back,  i am getting the same radiating pain after sneezing, starts in upper chest then radiates through shoulders down arms and into wrists,  wrists probably hurt the most from it,  I think its most likely caused from a disc still pressing on nerve endings or just damaged nerve endings from multiple surgeries.  I am going to call my neurologist that did my surgeries to inquire I will let you know what he says.

[Dusty88]

I too have experienced this painful phenomenon on and off over the past couple years.

I am a 25 year old male. I have put on weight over the past couple years and am overweight. I'm not sure that is relevant, but many others have posted this as well. I also was a football player, but only in high school. That would be 7 years ago at the least. I used to lift weights a lot as well, but haven't done that regularly in at least a few years.

It comes and goes, but it just happened a few minutes ago, which prompted a Google search and finding this website. When I sneeze I (sometimes) get excruciating pain that runs through my arms from my shoulders to my wrists. I would pinpoint the pain more specifically to occurring in my joints at the shoulders, elbows and wrists. The pain usually lasts 60 seconds or so and is so bad that it sometimes causes me to cease whatever I am doing and just grit through it. Once gone, it's like it never happened. I ONLY feel this pain immediately after sneezing.

I have searched this before and read somewhere that a slipped disk could be causing this, as the violent action of sneezing causes the spine to compress and could be pinching the disk and therefore a nerve. I am not sure how much truth there is to this, and I have not visited a doctor about this...yet.

-Dusty

[EmmzieLou]

I found this, as I googled "Pain in neck and Shoulder when Sneezing".
This for me is a very new and odd symptom. As you'll here, I'm used to symptoms of things, but this took me by surprise. Although I am with the people above, please get an MRI.
I am not a footballer, and have played limited contact sports. I was a long distance runner and horse rider, well Show Jumper. Gave up the horses when I got pregnant 12 yrs ago. So no "dangerous" sports for me.
Horrendous head pains, flashy lights, sickness. MRI, Chiari 1 Malformation. Had brain surgery twice. Done, dealt with. Woop.
I'm now shaky, immobile, epileptic, in pain all the time etc. I have 2 spinal shunts. They found a Syrinx in my spinal canal after my surgery, which is the cause of my problems, NOT the Chiari. The Chiari was the cause of the head pains, dizzyness and fatigue.  the syrinx is causing all the rest.
Trust me when I say, you do not want to battle this too late! Mine is too late, and for that I am in a sorry state. It was my fault for digging my head in the sand and pretending that the Syrinx wasn't there, and things didn't happen to me for 5 years. But they do, and they don't go away.

I wish you all the best, and truly hope that none of you have Chiari or Syringomyelia :)
Love and Kisses Emma xxx