How can I make the right side of my body feel as great as the left side of my body?

February 26, 2006 12:08 PM

For years, I've had mild soreness at various places on the right side of my body: jaw, shoulder, hand, hip, knee, and foot. Meanwhile, the left side of my body feels perfect.

I'm going to be seeing a doctor about this soon but I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this even if YANAD. I'm 29, a righty, formerly a serious soccer player, but no longer involved in strenuous activities, and I never had a serious injury. How can I make the right side of my body feel as great as the left side of my body?

posted by eighth_excerpt to health & fitness (16 comments total)

IHNCWITA (I have no clue what I'm talking about), but if the pain is suspiciously particular to one side of the body, wouldn't that suggest a neurological condition?
posted by ori at 12:34 PM on February 26, 2006

Could just be a case of you exerting the right side of your body more, especially if that side is dominant. But Ori's right: it could be more serious. I know you've already said you'll be seeing a doctor about this, but this looks like a case for ikkyu2.
posted by herrdoktor at 1:10 PM on February 26, 2006

Is that the side you sleep on?
posted by jrossi4r at 1:13 PM on February 26, 2006

My whole left side is weaker and more prone to injury. I think it's just general lop-sidedness. When I started doing pilates I found that even my abs were weaker on that side.
posted by fshgrl at 1:26 PM on February 26, 2006

Why I'm not concerned: you're describing "mild soreness" only without any other symptoms. Your soreness also involves your right side from head to toe.

Why I am concerned: your jaw? Even if you were right-side-dominant and do kung-fu every day, it's kind of a strange place to have any muscle pains associated with overuse. I mean-- I don't know of any martial arts techniques involving disabling your opponent with your jaw.

You're not involved in any strenuous activity anymore, anyway. And you seem pretty sure it's just your right side, though this could be one of those cases where your memory is biased and seems to recall only what fits the pattern of right-sided soreness.

It'd help if you described the pain better. Heck, it'd help to have a full history and physical. I'm interested to see what ikkyu2 has to say about this.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: don't presume it's something as trivial as general lopsidedness.
posted by herrdoktor at 2:07 PM on February 26, 2006

Thanks for the comments
I'm having a hard time describing the pain
In my hip right now, there is a feeling somewhere in between aching and stinging
My jaw muscle near my ear feels like it has been contracting too often -- I think that's from grinding my teeth while I sleep
I'm always rotating my shoulder to try to loosen it up
My big toe knuckle currently has the aching/stinging sensation
They are all intermittent pains
I've had the theory that it's from crossing my legs like I do.
I've had the theory that it's from having a flat right arch.
I've had a lot of theories.
posted by eighth_excerpt at 3:34 PM on February 26, 2006

i would make sure that the doctor checks you for lyme, its a wierd thing that effects people like this some how, but i second the whole brain thing, when people have a stroke it will mess up one side of them. your left brain controls your right side and so on. make sure to check back in with us so we will know if we are right after you see the doctor. good luck.
posted by stilgar at 4:29 PM on February 26, 2006

Since my name has been mentioned, I should just say I have read this thread and I have no additional insight to offer.
posted by ikkyu2 at 4:33 PM on February 26, 2006

Those are all the symptoms I get too. When I was born I apparently had some contracted tendons on the left (weak) side. In addition my ribcage looks uneven to me sometimes and my left leg is a tiny bit longer (confirmed by doctor). I get tired and strained much more easily on the left, including neck and shoulder stiffness and hip pain.

I've tried addressing the individual problems (stinging in the hip might be a tight ITB btw) but now I've figured out that it's all connected and I'm going for a more holistic appraoch with Pilates/yoga and Rolfing. I'm getting stronger and looser on that side but it's taking some time.
posted by fshgrl at 6:59 PM on February 26, 2006

Having been a serious soccer player using your right leg could explain a lot of extra stress, wear and tear on your right side, no?
posted by semmi at 9:51 PM on February 26, 2006

Uh... this is me too - very odd!
I haven't had the big toe ache yet, but my right knee occasionally locks up (often after having been sitting in one position for too long).

I'm planning to - or rather, the wife is planning to make me - see the doctor soon-ish (once I'm back from holiday; I didn't want to go before, and find that I wasn't allowed to travel, or something daft!)

Some things to consider:
which side do you sleep on?
which is your dominant hand and/or foot?
posture - especially at work?
is one leg longer than the other?

The "theories" about a flat arch, or the manner of crossing your legs may be relevant - anything which causes a twist to your hips can - and will - cause strange aches and pains elsewhere.

I'll bookmark this, and will try to post back - providing the doc doesn't just send me to the glue factory!
posted by Chunder at 2:11 AM on February 27, 2006

I have similar issues on my left side. If I am going to have a pain, the chances are it will be on my left. My migraines (I have had weekly for almost 20 years) have been on the left with only one exception. Menstrual cramps? Much stronger on my left. General aches and pains? Left-oriented. I think most folks have some degree of this, but it is worth talking with the doc about.
posted by thebrokedown at 7:48 AM on February 27, 2006

I too have a much weaker left side than my right. It is noticeable across the entire range of bodily stresses and medical maladies. I found my answer to the riddle through treatment by a Nucca practioner. People who are ignorant of their work might call them chiropracters, but I think of them as structural engineers.

Walking upright bearing a sphere the weight of a bowling ball at the top of a slender column is quite the balancing act, and often one's alignment can be destroyed, especially playing hardcore soccer. This leads to stress and pain in one side of the body.

Medical doctors are shamefully ignorant of this condition and its treatment.
posted by macinchik at 11:56 AM on February 27, 2006

Shameful. I'm quivering with shame right now.

Chiropractic doctors, especially those cervicologists as linked in the above answer, are shamefully ignorant of how many vertebral artery dissections they cause per year with their high-velocity neck manipulations, though. I know several people in their 40s who will never walk again due to strokes, from vertebral artery dissection, caused by routine chiropractic neck manipulation.

Shameful!

So that's the other side of the coin.
posted by ikkyu2 at 5:31 PM on March 1, 2006

Ah, just as the mud starts to fly!

In the UK, all medical and manipulative practitioners now have to provide their patients with warnings before proceding with any treatment. That includes doctors, chiropracters, physiotherapists, osteopaths, etc etc. It is indeed true that cervical manipulation has resulted in stroke. It is also true that medical and surgical procedures can carry equally nasty risks.

I doubt very much whether many practitioners actually give their patients any or all of the warnings that are deemed necessary. I also suspect that practitioners from all backgrounds are susceptible to overlooking indications of high risk in their patients. Nobody is perfect after all, not even the most highly-trained professional. Treatment followed by side-effect is the result of poor diagnosis, poor treatment, or bad luck. No one discipline is immune to any of these.

Before anyone points it out, I have no evidence on which to base this other than anecdotal and personal experience.

To answer the question, I'd suggest seeing your doctor, and possibly a physiotherapist. Consistent pain in one side of your body does sound quite strange, and there may be an easily treated cause. Personally I suffered from back-pain on one side of my back for years, before discovering that one of my legs is longer than the other.

Another small point of interest: herrdoktor, actually it isn't unheard of to use the jaw in martial arts, particularly in grappling. Grinding the point of your chin into your opponent's tensed muscles (usually the neck, chest, shoulder, bicep etc) can be particularly painful. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Bizarre but true! :-)
posted by ajp at 6:10 AM on March 9, 2006

For anyone still interested, I'm going to an orthopedist next Friday and I'll report back.

If I do see a chiropracter it'll be on recommendation from this orthopedist, a guy I trust, and there'll be no rapid velocity manipulations or NUCCA or anything like that. I'd rather live with my discomfort than mess around with that stuff.

I've been particularly interested in comparing my shoe inserts -- the part you can remove and put back in -- lately. The left one has its original curves while the right one looks misshapen and deformed. This piece of evidence makes me think it isn't neurological thing or a base of the skull thing -- it's my body not carrying my weight correctly, I suspect.
posted by eighth_excerpt at 5:57 PM on March 10, 2006