Shoulder pain?

[Frank1960]

I have been sleeping in my hammock every night for the past month and a half and most mornings I wake with a sore left shoulder. I have hurt this shoulder doing something stupid but sleeping in the hammock has caused it to hurt even more. Even when I go to bed at night with no pain in the shoulder it hurts in the morning. The way my room is setup I can't sleep any other way than head left feet right. Any ideas? Oh hammock is a 11' long single layer. Love sleeping in it sleep like a baby most nights hate to go back to a bed

[Mark S]

Its most likely the way your sleeping. To avoid pain, you'll have to change how you sleep. I suffer from shoulder pain as well and have had to change how I sleep in bed. I have found stretching it helps a little and I also resort back to my physical therapy exercises on it. So maybe stretch it and work out doing the proper exercoses

[Shug]

You could maybe try a bridge hammock as you sleep right down the middle in those.
Shug

[Bigmeats]

I have shoulder issues and the first night in my hammock and I did wake up in with pain. The second night I realized that I could almost make like a shelf with the excess material of the outside edge of the Hammock simulating having a pillow tucked under my arm (like in bed). Worked like a champ.

[sqidmark]

I have locked shoulders and sleep in a GE hammock every night. I lay right as well, but it's mostly my right shoulder that aches. But I have that problem in bed as well. Firmer fabric can help alleviate this to some degree. For example, Hexon 2.4 vs 1.0. I've also used the technique described by Bigmeats above for some temporary relief, but I can't stay in that position for very long. Some people find laying on a pad can help spread the fabric away from the shoulders.

[OutandBack]

Firmer fabric and get that sore shoulder up in the air off the hammock.

[NarlocB]

actually found my shoulder hurts less when i'm in my hammock, may be due to how i sleep. But my shoulder tends to hurt when i sleep in the bed.

[Frank1960]

Thanks folks will give different lays a try. Now sure I want to buy another hammock for a bridge hammock after paying for 2 that I have. Anyone want to trade? lol

[OutandBack]

Thanks folks will give different lays a try. Now sure I want to buy another hammock for a bridge hammock after paying for 2 that I have. Anyone want to trade? lol

Frank I'm a little over 1 hours drive South of you in Littleton. I have a Bear Mtn Bridge Ultra light you could try. I could set it up on my deck for you to lay in. How tall and what is your weight? This hammock has some limits in those areas.
I don't really use it much anymore we might be able to make some kind of a deal.

[Ratdog]

Had the same issue initially.

Work a couple things:
-the aforementioned items of fabric type and arm position/elevation

Additionally:
-sometimes a pinched nerve can be the cause, has to do with the neck usually and a small pillow under the neck helps
-hammock length, too short a hammock and you can feel compression on the shoulders especially if you are elevating the foot end and slide more to the head end rather than using a wider part of the fabric
-don't elevate the foot end as much, sleep 'lower' in the hammock
-firm fabric but not over firm, yeah it's a Goldilocks thing and trying different hammocks helps
-shift a little more or a little less on the diagonal
-check your wake up position, if you start in different spots because you are trying different setups, do you always wind up waking in the same spot in the hammock, in the same position?
-if your wakeup position is consistent and then it won't matter how you setup when you go to bed, you'll have to adjust the hammock itself, raising or lowering the foot end
-fabric width, if the hammock is too narrow for you, you'll struggle to find the sweet spot
-overcovers, zip on nets can cause a hammock to narrow and compress the shoulders depending on design

One of the things I do with folks is put them in a hammock and then gather the end in my hand and create a virtual shortening of the hammock and let them feel how the hammock narrows and the pressure on the shoulder increases. Basically I am demonstrating the difference between the 9', 10' and 11'+ hammocks and what would best suit them.

Best of luck.