Could my chest and shoulders be getting wider?
October 24, 2019 7:13 AM Subscribe
My shoulders, upper arms, and chest seem wider than they used to. I'd like to determine if this is something that could actually be happening to me physically, as opposed to an inaccurate perception of my body based on some sort of dysphoria or other non-physical reason.
In the last few months I've noticed that my upper torso, especially my chest, shoulders, and upper arms, looks and feels wider than it used to. Undershirts, T-shirts, dress shirts and suit coats fit more tightly and the sleeves of long-sleeve shirts that have fit well for years look shorter. I do no upper body exercises of any sort. I've gained about 10 pounds in the last year; I'm presently at the high end of my "normal" weight, which tends to fluctuate by about 15-20 pounds over the course of a year depending on my diet, exercise habits, ability to sleep, tand medical conditions. I've been this heavy before but haven't noticed this new wider upper body before. Neither my spouse nor someone else who sees my body regularly have noted any changes. I trust he opinions and judgments of each of these people, which is adding to my confusion. I don't have "before" and "after" photos or measurements that show any sort of change.
Could such a physical change be possible, or likely? Might this be a figment of my imagination or a manifestation of some sort of body dysmorphia? I suppose some would find this to be a welcome midlife physical change but I'm puzzled and distressed by this change. I'm in a phase of life where, for various reasons, I'm interested in maintaining a lower profile than I have before in public, at work, and in my volunteer activities. I'm increasingly conscious of the space I occupy physically and I do wonder if my self-conscousness about this is exerting some sort of distorting effect with respect to how I perceive myself physically. Potentially also relevant is that a close loved one deals with severe anorexia, although I have never struggled with food issues or orthorexia. My loved one's struggles with anorexia perhaps are making me sensitive to changes in my own appearance, as I noticed my issues shortly after traveling with my loved one this summer.
I have access to health care professionals and would be happy to bring this to my internist or to a therapist. Before I do, I wanted to see if anyone else has noticed this kind of physical change in someone my age (personally or in someone else), without any clear reason (like exercise) why it might be taking place. Perhaps someone can provide reasoned speculation about whether this could be some sort of dysmorphia issue, too. I don't want to discount the possibility that this could be an actual physical change, and I suspect that is the best place to start trying to figure this out, but I'm hard-pressed to think of why such a physical change could be taking place other than some quirk of the aging process of which I'm unaware.
I'm a cis male, living in the US, in my mid-40s, working a desk job, experiencing constant musculoskeletal pain from prior surgeries and other physical conditions and limitations (which pain is managed fairly well with duloxetine), with a short, stocky build.
In the last few months I've noticed that my upper torso, especially my chest, shoulders, and upper arms, looks and feels wider than it used to. Undershirts, T-shirts, dress shirts and suit coats fit more tightly and the sleeves of long-sleeve shirts that have fit well for years look shorter. I do no upper body exercises of any sort. I've gained about 10 pounds in the last year; I'm presently at the high end of my "normal" weight, which tends to fluctuate by about 15-20 pounds over the course of a year depending on my diet, exercise habits, ability to sleep, tand medical conditions. I've been this heavy before but haven't noticed this new wider upper body before. Neither my spouse nor someone else who sees my body regularly have noted any changes. I trust he opinions and judgments of each of these people, which is adding to my confusion. I don't have "before" and "after" photos or measurements that show any sort of change.
Could such a physical change be possible, or likely? Might this be a figment of my imagination or a manifestation of some sort of body dysmorphia? I suppose some would find this to be a welcome midlife physical change but I'm puzzled and distressed by this change. I'm in a phase of life where, for various reasons, I'm interested in maintaining a lower profile than I have before in public, at work, and in my volunteer activities. I'm increasingly conscious of the space I occupy physically and I do wonder if my self-conscousness about this is exerting some sort of distorting effect with respect to how I perceive myself physically. Potentially also relevant is that a close loved one deals with severe anorexia, although I have never struggled with food issues or orthorexia. My loved one's struggles with anorexia perhaps are making me sensitive to changes in my own appearance, as I noticed my issues shortly after traveling with my loved one this summer.
I have access to health care professionals and would be happy to bring this to my internist or to a therapist. Before I do, I wanted to see if anyone else has noticed this kind of physical change in someone my age (personally or in someone else), without any clear reason (like exercise) why it might be taking place. Perhaps someone can provide reasoned speculation about whether this could be some sort of dysmorphia issue, too. I don't want to discount the possibility that this could be an actual physical change, and I suspect that is the best place to start trying to figure this out, but I'm hard-pressed to think of why such a physical change could be taking place other than some quirk of the aging process of which I'm unaware.
I'm a cis male, living in the US, in my mid-40s, working a desk job, experiencing constant musculoskeletal pain from prior surgeries and other physical conditions and limitations (which pain is managed fairly well with duloxetine), with a short, stocky build.
Since you mentioned duloxetine and some of your observations could (very hypothetically) be related to testosterone, I threw the two into Google and got surprisingly non-zero results from legitimate sources. There's a case of gynecomastia, for example, which I realize is not exactly what you're talking about, but in general, if the breast tissue were larger, then shirts would fit tighter and sleeves be pulled shorter (I say as a person with significant breast tissue who wears "men's" shirts at times, with or without a binder). It seems like hormone levels could be an angle to ask your prescriber to look into for you.
posted by teremala at 7:43 AM on October 24, 2019
posted by teremala at 7:43 AM on October 24, 2019
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers thus far. To clarify: I’ve been this heavy before and, while it’s close to the most I’ve weighed, what’s new is not the expected way that my clothing feels tighter in my midsection. Rather, my arms seem thicker, in what feels and looks to me like a muscular, surprisingly “defined” way. Undershirts are tight in the arms, suit jackets tight in the shoulder and upper back. My shoulders look and feel wider.
posted by cheapskatebay at 7:43 AM on October 24, 2019
posted by cheapskatebay at 7:43 AM on October 24, 2019
my arms seem thicker, in what feels and looks to me like a muscular, surprisingly “defined” way. Undershirts are tight in the arms, suit jackets tight in the shoulder and upper back. My shoulders look and feel wider.
That's fascinating! Are you absolutely positive you're not somehow doing things with your arms that you used to do with your legs--maybe because of the musculoskeletal pain...? Like, maybe you're pushing yourself out of chairs differently, now? That seems like a really long shot, I admit, but I thought of it because the way I do weight transfers with back pain is noticeably different from how I do everything when my back is not screaming and howling all day and night, so I wondered. Anyway, I'd start taking measurements and keeping a record now, in case it continues.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:47 AM on October 24, 2019
That's fascinating! Are you absolutely positive you're not somehow doing things with your arms that you used to do with your legs--maybe because of the musculoskeletal pain...? Like, maybe you're pushing yourself out of chairs differently, now? That seems like a really long shot, I admit, but I thought of it because the way I do weight transfers with back pain is noticeably different from how I do everything when my back is not screaming and howling all day and night, so I wondered. Anyway, I'd start taking measurements and keeping a record now, in case it continues.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:47 AM on October 24, 2019
Same thing happened to me. Shirts became tighter across the back, shoulders got wider. Its because my wife had a baby and I spent A LOT of time holding her. The physical exercise of handling kids requires upper body strength, which got stronger as the kids got older. Anyway, it wasn't something I noticed visually but felt it in my clothes.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 9:19 AM on October 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 9:19 AM on October 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I had chronic shoulder pain for over a year and part of the fix was stabilizing my shoulder muscles to sit in a healthier place. I did not get heavier or stronger but my clothes fit a little different. Could this be part of it?
posted by slow graffiti at 10:11 AM on October 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by slow graffiti at 10:11 AM on October 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
It's very rare, but acromegaly (which doesn't make you a giant!) could cause similar symptoms.
posted by Seeking Direction at 10:12 AM on October 24, 2019
posted by Seeking Direction at 10:12 AM on October 24, 2019
I'm sorry that this is causing you stress, but this is an intriguing mystery! I too think that you might have started using those muscles slightly differently in a more strenuous way that's not really quite a strain, but is consistent enough for you to have developed some muscle tone. And since muscle weighs more than fat, it's possible that your ten additional pounds are more muscle than fat.
It's also possibly that you are seeing yourself differently. I find that, in my 40s, and I am much kinder to my own view in the mirror.
It's really hard to see these differences in ourselves. I am a regular bike commuter with a very short bike ride each day, and it was only when a partner complimented me on my strong legs that I realized that I have strong legs. Seems obvious, right? But it was such a slow gain that I hadn't noticed.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:37 PM on October 24, 2019
It's also possibly that you are seeing yourself differently. I find that, in my 40s, and I am much kinder to my own view in the mirror.
It's really hard to see these differences in ourselves. I am a regular bike commuter with a very short bike ride each day, and it was only when a partner complimented me on my strong legs that I realized that I have strong legs. Seems obvious, right? But it was such a slow gain that I hadn't noticed.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:37 PM on October 24, 2019
slow grafitti: I had chronic shoulder pain for over a year and part of the fix was stabilizing my shoulder muscles to sit in a healthier place. I did not get heavier or stronger but my clothes fit a little different.
Me, too -- and I think that, like me, you did a lot of shoulder exercises and you just developed those muscles more.
I did my PT a year or so ago and have been doing daily stretches & exercises since then, and now my t-shirts fit a little more tightly across my shoulders and biceps. I'm not ripped, but I did build that area up -- which was exactly the whole point of the PT regimen. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:44 PM on October 24, 2019
Me, too -- and I think that, like me, you did a lot of shoulder exercises and you just developed those muscles more.
I did my PT a year or so ago and have been doing daily stretches & exercises since then, and now my t-shirts fit a little more tightly across my shoulders and biceps. I'm not ripped, but I did build that area up -- which was exactly the whole point of the PT regimen. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:44 PM on October 24, 2019
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However, this bit
I'm in a phase of life where, for various reasons, I'm interested in maintaining a lower profile than I have before in public, at work, and in my volunteer activities. I'm increasingly conscious of the space I occupy physically and I do wonder if my self-conscousness about this is exerting some sort of distorting effect with respect to how I perceive myself physically.
suggests this may be at least partly about more than weight gain. You have changed so little than only you notice (by the fit of your clothing) but the way you describe this fear it’s as if you’re afraid of increasing in size and space a large amount (like the Hulk). Why do you tie the idea of a lower profile to physical space? I do think it would be worth your time to talk to a therapist or someone similar about this.
posted by sallybrown at 7:29 AM on October 24, 2019 [3 favorites]