…because it sure as hell makes mine hurt! And Mrs. Rastahomie’s, too. Usually this only happens on a particularly violent sneeze; your more run-of-the-mill sneezes don’t usually do it.
So what is the relationship between sneezing and making my arm muscles hurt?
Sometimes yes. I find that if I’m coming down with a cold, then the body aches start, and a good window rattling sneeze will exacerbate the problem. It mostly hurts in my upper arms/shoulders.
If it just a ROTM, allergy or dust induced sneeze, then it usually does not hurt my arms.
Nope, and I don’t know.
I thought I asked this same question in GQ last year sometime but I couldn’t find it… so I’ll add my yes, but, as rastahomie says, only after a violent sneeze.
YES YES YES…my arm(s) will hurt after some sneezes, and not because I have aches or pains from any cold/illnesses.
I am notorious for sneezing 4-5 per episode. I think the third sneeze finally gets me, and the fourth makes it very painful.
It doesn’t always happen, but it happens here and there.
Yep, it hurts me too sometimes, usually the arms and shoulders. However, it doesn’t mean i’m getting sick, it just hurts…
-Dani
Now, I am definitely not a doctor, but I’ve deposed plenty of them. I think the C4-C5 disc space is the one that, if not quite right, will cause a reaction down the arms. So I would at least be alert to the possibility of this being an asymptomatic disc issue.
Yes, particularly intense sneezes make my arms hurt. (I do not like to use the word “violent” as I find sneezing particularly pleasurable.) I also never sneeze just once. Generally I will go into a series of sneezes of at least 10 and generally more. I hate it when it happens in public and I have to repress them. In private I am free to enjoy them to the fullest.
No, but it occasionally makes my back itch. I guess I’m probably alone on this, though. I’m such a freak…
I’ve never had arm pain due to sneezing, but I’ve noticed after drinking to excess instead of a headache I usually get pain in my biceps. Sometimes it’s painful enough to rouse me out of what should be a pretty sound stupor in the wee hours of the morning. I’ve had to limit my drinking to to odd “special occasion drink with dinner” because of it. (And no, the glasses I drink out of aren’t THAT heavy!)
Yes, I also have shoulder/upper arm pain after a serious sneeze. But like most of the others, no clue on the cause. Ussually stronger in the left arm. mmmmm think they could be minor heart attacks?..
(kind of a depressed sarcastic laugh follows)
I’d just like to link in this thread:My upper arms hurt when I sneeze
and this column from Cecil: Will suppressing a sneeze give you a brain aneurysm?
Just wanted to add another “data point.” I, too, sometimes get an ache in my arms and shoulders after a violent sneeze.
Not quite as frequently as I get the “piss shiver,” but it’s something I’ve wondered about all the same.
i have to second JohnW77707 on both counts (both the “i am not a doctor” and on the “C4-C5” opinion.
i happen to have a few non-factory options installed in my C5 area (namely a bone graft, a plate, and the few-odd screws to hold the whole mess together). a good, old-fashioned neck-whip type sneezing action is capable of producing unpleasant effects ranging from a nasty hit-funnybone feeling down my left arm to temporary partial paralysis below the elbow.
not being in the mood for yet another surgery, i conceal this from my doctor in the (as yet) vain hope i will die in a terrible car crash or get bitten by a rabid dog or something before i have to face up to reality.
cheers 8-).
I have this problem when I sneeze but it is my whole body. I usually get this effect after I try to supress a really strong sneeze and it feels like I pulled every muscle in my body for about 45 seconds. I beleive you get the pain because you are violently working the muscles. You are in effect pulling evey muscle in your arm. Or in my case my arms, chest, back, stomach, legs and butt.
On the plus side though I sneezed so oftem as a teenager that it has given me a rather impressive physique. I am thinking about patenting the Etgaw1 Allergetic Workout. 30 sneezes a day and you’ll be on your way to body that you’ve always dreamed of.
I’m definately not an expert here, but I feel this is a good guess:
Your shoulders and arms hurt for a couple seconds after a violent sneeze (and probably your neck too) because they are the closest parts to your head, where, during the sneeze buildup (the second or so before the sneeze), intense pressure builds up. The pressure transmits to your blood streams through the neck and shoulders and arms, forcing blood to move in a shockwave through these body parts, only to return to a calm state in a couple seconds.
Damn, this sounds like a fine guesstimate!