Shoulder pain while running

Every so often I get an SHARP pain in my left shoulder while running.  It feels like a deep pain and I can sometimes feel in on the front part and back of my shoulder.  It's so painful that I have to stop and the pain takes about 20 minutes of no activity to go away.  Does anyone know what's causing this?

 That usually means you have poor form when running. Your chest should be a little up- facing forward, not leaning down; shoulders relaxed; arms near 90 degrees. 

 If it gets so bad, relax your shoulders, shake your arms out a little bit and do some stretches. It's just your muscle cramping up... happens to me sometimes.

Do you like/believe in Chiropractors? It sounds like you may have a vertabra out of place, I can tell you only from my own experience that when my upper back is out and I get my muscles nice and warm thru exercise then my back muscles give up trying to hold the missaligned vertebra and it will slip a little. This can cause very sharp "referal" pain over my shoulder and often down my arm thru my elbow and to my ring finger.

Sounds Chiropractic related.  Does it bother any other time besides running?  Also, are there any noticable knots/spasms or just specific points of pain? 

Nope....Only when I'm running.  My sister said it could be circulation problems and my trainer friend said it's probably a nerve problem.  I don't have any back pain....EVER.  Anyone that gives me a massage is amazed at how loose and knot-free my back is.  No tension at all.  

Sounds like a nerve problem - especially if the pain is sharp, sudden, then goes away after a few minutes.  I pinched my sciatic nerve many years ago -- different body part, but the description of your pain sounds similar to what I experienced.

You could probably take some anti-inflammatory, over the counter medication like ibuprofin, motrin, etc. for a couple days.  Probably should stop running for a couple days as well to prevent any further problems.  If the pain persists, you should consult with your doctor.

Good luck and get well soon!

omg..for the longest time i've been having the same thing and wondering what the heck is going on. Whenever i run, i get this very deep pain in my shoulder area...sometimes towards the back of the shoulders. And to me it feels like nerve pain, because my form is always relaxed and no matter how hard i press on the area that hurts i cant seem to feel the pain (did that make sense?). And then a little bit later it'll go away on its own, but it's really annoying when i run sometimes, because i feel like my shoulders about to fall off.

When your diaphram gets irritated, it causes "referred" pain in your shoulder.  It seems to match your description as it can be quite severe, but it is always diffuse and difficult to pinpoint to a specific spot. 

I experience the exact same thing and I always thought it was a nerve being pinched at your shoulder due to poor running form (at least that's what a lot of people say), but pinching a nerve at the shoulder would most likely cause both pain and numbness further down the arm, not at that exact location. 

As for making the pain go away . . . I's got no clue.  Sometimes it seems that running with good posture does ameliorate the pain; maybe better form puts less strain on the diaphram.  Honestly though, how do you let your diaphram relax without messing up your breathing?!

This could all be false though. I'm not a doctor yet, I just have a bit of medical school behind me so far. 

Like the poster above said, it might be referred pain from side stitches. It could also be more serious, but try slowing down, making sure you breathe deeply, and this weird trick - if it's your left shoulder that hurts, try switching when you exhale so that you start your exhale when your right foot lands. I have no idea why this works, but it always works for my side stitches.

 

Original Post by uxnhoj123:

When your diaphram gets irritated, it causes "referred" pain in your shoulder.  It seems to match your description as it can be quite severe, but it is always diffuse and difficult to pinpoint to a specific spot. 

I experience the exact same thing and I always thought it was a nerve being pinched at your shoulder due to poor running form (at least that's what a lot of people say), but pinching a nerve at the shoulder would most likely cause both pain and numbness further down the arm, not at that exact location. 

As for making the pain go away . . . I's got no clue.  Sometimes it seems that running with good posture does ameliorate the pain; maybe better form puts less strain on the diaphram.  Honestly though, how do you let your diaphram relax without messing up your breathing?!

This could all be false though. I'm not a doctor yet, I just have a bit of medical school behind me so far. 

 I get pain in my shoulders when I run too. I breath poorly, with bad posture. This is me to a T. It goes away when I relax and breath more controlled