Ouch Illustrated

I've been having some muscle cramps in my shoulder and upper arm since I broke my collarbone, and lacking a clear explanation (hey, I dutifully turned to the literature, but I found no results in PubMed for "Muscle Cramp"[Mesh] AND "Arm"[Mesh] AND "Clavicle"[Mesh] AND "Fractures, Bone"[Mesh]), I decided to concoct a wild theory.

I doubt this theory is actually physiologically plausible, but this is what I've come up with. I think you'll like it. (I don't really have any reason to think that, but I'm going to go with it because this is a time for rampant speculation.)

Anyway, here's what my collarbone feels like right now when I prod at it, beautifully illustrated in MS Paint. Note the dramatic jutting spur thing there on the left bone (helpfully circled), compared to the uninterrupted line of the right side.

My unsupported theory is that the bone spur is poking the shoulder muscles and making them cramp up, and that attempts to uncramp by redistributing the general burden of carrying an arm with this shoulder then result in further cramps being transmitted down the arm and occasionally to the back.

It's a total muscle-crampfest, is what I'm saying.

Or it could just be the redistribution of burden part, making muscles hold things in ways they're not accustomed to (probably), but I like blaming things on bone spurs.

That knob there just feels so dramatic, it has to be responsible for something bad.

Mostly, I just wanted to post that awesome image. My next career will be medical illustrator, for sure. Anything clavicle-related will be my specialty.

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