Another shoulder thread - looking for advice since my doctor is MIA.

[EJS]

My shoulder has been useless since October, coincidentally when I got my flu-shot, but I am not worried about that.

Anyway, how did I do it? I had to hold a heavy (300 pound object) in-place to prevent it from crashing into something. I did this for a few second a few times. In the moment, it didn't hurt, but after walking, I felt a sharp pain and it hasn't recovered since.

The pain is described as:

• Discomfort when I sleep
• Cannot reach behind me without pain
• Cannot do full rotations without pain
• Cannot extend my arm from my body without pain
• General discomfort on the back of my shoulder

I do, however, have strength. I don't feel like my shoulder is going to fall apart when holding something and I can still push hard.

I went to the doctor three weeks ago. For some reason, he didn't want to get me an MRI. He thinks it's a biceps strain and gave me strong Ibuprofen and various stretches to do. Neither have worked, and this is after I have been using Biofreeze and other pain killers the last couple months.

I have reached out a few days ago and a new appointment. I finished the prescription and thought I would have some type of improvement but my shoulder feels just as bad now as it did day 1. He hasn't responded and he didn't seem concerned when he heard I have stability.

I have completely stopped doing shoulder exercises and I don't do specific chest exercises that keeps my arms away from my chest and I don't do squats because that is honestly super painful to keep my arm cocked back like that.

I am really trying for an MRI because I think my rotator cuff is compromised. I was really hoping to get a Cortisone shot.

Does this sound like anything anyone else has experienced?

 

[Stop It]

Yeah I'd push for a scan and see what's going on.

 

[weemadarthur]

What kind of doctor did you see? A general practitioner? Or an ortho specialist?

What is it that makes you expert enough to have self diagnosed the issue and also prescribed treatment for it?

Insufficient information, except to say, go see the right specialist of a doctor.

 

[EJS]

What kind of doctor did you see? A general practitioner? Or an ortho specialist?

What is it that makes you expert enough to have self diagnosed the issue and also prescribed treatment for it?

Insufficient information, except to say, go see the right specialist of a doctor.

Click to shrink...

I need to go to a GP for an MRI / specialist referral.

I didn't prescribe treatment. I am doing what he recommended. I mentioned that. I also didn't self-diagnose. He said I thought I had a biceps strain and based off my googling, it seems like my rotator cuff might be the culprit.

 

[weemadarthur]

Biceps is not one of the rotator cuff muscles.

what evaluation did your GP use to determine that you have a muscle strain rather than a sprain or dislocation etc?

 

[Septimus Prime]

It sounds like you followed his directions, and it didn't work, so can you see him again and tell him that?

I actually impinged my rotator cuff myself a few months ago and have some of the same symptoms you describe. Sounds like yours is more serious, though.

 

[EJS]

Biceps is not one of the rotator cuff muscles.

what evaluation did your GP use to determine that you have a muscle strain rather than a sprain or dislocation etc?

Click to shrink...

Basically he put his hand over mine and I pushed up as he pushed down.
Had my raise my arm and identify when it starts hurting.

I wasn't sure of the biceps strain myself, either, especially because my pain feels deep in the socket and behind the shoulder, so.

 

[EJS]

It sounds like you followed his directions, and it didn't work, so can you see him again and tell him that?

I actually impinged my rotator cuff myself a few months ago and have some of the same symptoms you describe. Sounds like yours is more serious, though.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I reached out to him via email and mentioned that I thought I would potentially see some improvement and he hasn't gotten back to me after a few days. Did you have stability in yours?

 

[weemadarthur]

Did he not do a full range of motion of other movements too? Just lifting your arm, to the front? Not swinging it backward, or holding it level at the shoulder, or turning?

get your specialist referral and be evaluated properly.

 

[slider]

The only problem I've had with my shoulder is with the bursa. Or bursitis.

I don't think it's that. But I'd note the complexity of the human body and the varying success I've had with different physios looking at the same problem.

Hope you get it sorted ASAP, OP.

 

[ScaryG]

I've been dealing with something similar since August or so. Our symptoms sound very similar, except mine might be worse - for instance lifting my left arm straight up and out to the left from the side, I can't raise it above the horizontal.

The doctor diagnosed a rotator cuff problem on my first visit, and sent me to a physio. I've been doing the physio exercises since October but unfortunately I haven't recovered any range of movement or had any lessening of the pain. I need to go back to my doctor to ask for a scan, but not sure how far down that rabbit hole I want to go during Covid.

Edit: for me, the worst thing by far is not being able to lie on that side in bed. I used to sleep on my left side, now I've had to get used to sleeping on the right or on my back. My sleep has definitely suffered because of it.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

Stop excercising until you know what is happening? You might be damaging it further.

Get an online appointment/exam thing.

 

[New Donker]

When I tore my labrum, I didn't get an MRI until going through pain meds and then PT. Some doctors will be reluctant to jump to an MRI because they're costly and other measures could be taken first.

my advice is to see an ortho and see if you can start some PT

 

[Joule]

The trauma could have set off some adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)

ask to see a shoulder orthopedic surgeon for a better assessment

 

[exodus]

Biceps is not one of the rotator cuff muscles.

Click to shrink...

The bicep tendon passes through the rotator cuff and they can be linked. If the shoulder is having an issue, it can put a strain on the bicep tendon which will lead to pain down the arm. I had a shoulder injury last year where I could feel the pain through my bicep and yet I couldn't even raise my arm due to the pain in my shoulder.

My advice, as someone who has dealt with shoulder pain and injuries several times over the last decade: go see a sports physio. They'll give you exercises to help rehabilitate. They're far better equipped than a doctor to help you with this. Only issue is it can be hard to find a good physio since it's not a regulated profession. Some like to lean on pseudoscience like electrotherapy...steer clear of those.

If you do manage to see a doctor, you'll want to get a requisition for an ultrasound to see specifically what's going on.

 

[EJS]

Yeah, might just have to go right to the orthopedist or tell my GP to give me a referral. I actually tore my other shoulder's labrum and this particular episode hurts a lot more than the labrum ever did.

 

[weemadarthur]

The bicep tendon passes through the rotator cuff and they can be linked. If the shoulder is having an issue, it can put a strain on the bicep tendon which will lead to pain down the arm. I had a shoulder injury last year where I could feel the pain through my bicep and yet I couldn't even raise my arm due to the pain in my shoulder.

Click to shrink...

Sure.
That's why I'm trying to understand what diagnosis protocol was even used in the first place.

However, the end result is all the same. Go to an ortho in person.

 

[kIdMuScLe]

if you have someone to massage you, have'em massage from your armpit down to your lower side ribs for like 20mins. Like really work it. Also massage muscle from collarbone to neck.

It took me about a month of deep tissue massage and exercises to feel better. It is pretty painful lol

 

[Ketch]

Even if your primary care is MIA maybe you can see a physical therapist.

 

[weemadarthur]

if you have someone to massage you, have'em massage from your armpit down to your lower side ribs for like 20mins. Like really work it. Also massage muscle from collarbone to neck.

It took me about a month of deep tissue massage and exercises to feel better. It is pretty painful lol

Click to shrink...

Massage is contraindicated without a proper diagnosis. It could make things worse if not managed properly.

 

[MadScientist]

I got a dTAP shot before my wife gave birth. Right after the shot, I started having problems that persisted similar to yours. Wasn't "officially" diagnosed, but my sports med doctor pretty sure thought I had Parsonage-Turner Syndrome. Very weird rare thing that can happen after shots. I went to a lot of therapy (which sort of helped). Ultimately a steroidal shot did the trick. I would go see a sports medicine doctor.

Parsonage-Turner Syndrome

Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS), also referred to as idiopathic brachial plexopathy or neuralgic amyotrophy, is a rare disorder consisting of a complex constellation of symptoms with abrupt onset of shoulder pain, usually unilaterally, followed by progressive ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[guacamole party]

Could be a pinched nerve. I had one in my shoulder and through a series of exercises and rehab i fixed it 100%. Obviously seek medical advice first, but there are numerous PT's online that can provide some insight etc. Good luck OP, shoulder pain sucks.

 

[DarthMasta]

Probably better not to sleep on it, some of those shoulder issues the faster you can get to them, the better, I have weak shoulders, pain is common, one day had a proper injury, tendon got damaged, a few weeks later the pain was so bad I couldn't sleep at night, and only then did I go to the doctor.

A few of your symptoms remind me of tendon injury, but I'd think they're pretty common.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Yeah, I reached out to him via email and mentioned that I thought I would potentially see some improvement and he hasn't gotten back to me after a few days. Did you have stability in yours?

Click to shrink...

I'm not sure what you mean by stability, but I could still do everything I normally could (except in the first few days, when everything made it hurt), albeit with varying degrees of pain.

Similar to you, my general doc first prescribed some painkillers and hoped it would go away on its own, but it didn't, so he referred me to a physical therapist, and that seems to be helping. I had the option to do a cortisone shot, as well, but I read that that could lead to some weakness long-term, so I opted for physio instead.

 

[EJS]

I got a dTAP shot before my wife gave birth. Right after the shot, I started having problems that persisted similar to yours. Wasn't "officially" diagnosed, but my sports med doctor pretty sure thought I had Parsonage-Turner Syndrome. Very weird rare thing that can happen after shots. I went to a lot of therapy (which sort of helped). Ultimately a steroidal shot did the trick. I would go see a sports medicine doctor.

Parsonage-Turner Syndrome

Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS), also referred to as idiopathic brachial plexopathy or neuralgic amyotrophy, is a rare disorder consisting of a complex constellation of symptoms with abrupt onset of shoulder pain, usually unilaterally, followed by progressive ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Click to shrink...

Interesting. I really would like a cortisone shot, to be honest.

 

[kIdMuScLe]

Massage is contraindicated without a proper diagnosis. It could make things worse if not managed properly.

Click to shrink...

it might be worth a shot... it took me 3yrs to recover and the massage part came from my last PT after a months switching to him. I had calcium tendinitis, bursitis and slight tear on rotator cuff on my left shoulder. Shoulder pain really sucks especially when doctors and PT don't listen to you when progress is not being made.

 

[weemadarthur]

it might be worth a shot... it took me 3yrs to recover and the massage part came from my last PT after a months switching to him. I had calcium tendinitis, bursitis and slight tear on rotator cuff on my left shoulder. Shoulder pain really sucks especially when doctors and PT don't listen to you when progress is not being made.

Click to shrink...

You had a diagnosis and massage coming from a professionally trained medical personage.

Recommending "someone" to do massage is not the same and is not advisable.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I've had a shoulder issue for some time now. My original issue was Distal Clavicle Osteolysis. I would get a sharp pain in the front/top of my shoulder that would sometime radiate through my left arm. It was more noticeable during bench pressing than during shoulder pressing. went to a specialist and did similar tests. Turned out that the distal end of my clavicle was essentially splintered from overuse/exertion. The pain was being caused by "splinters" catching and pulling.

I had to stop lifting for several months to let it heal. Doc figures it was a combination of heavy lifting (dips with 90+lbs strapped to waist for reps) and repeated motions (while I'm a teacher, I have been painting houses since I was 5).

That was 5 years ago. After that I spent a lot of time researching ways to lift in order to build up strength around the shoulder and back to help prevent it. That was a huge help. This year I started getting pain again though. Went back to my doc and got more scans. I was worried. The first time I was warned that surgery might be needed to fix the issue. Surgery for that can involve removing the end of the clavicle. Doc did more scans (MRI and ultrasound). Turns out this time it was a biceps tendon issue. He explained that the attachment point of the tendon is in a pretty poor location. It is prone to getting pinched and then inflamed. Rest and Advil were prescribed. If it bothers me more he said I can do a surgery to relocate it which he said is fairly common.

I will say this, if you can, find a shoulder specialist that is also a sports orthopedic specialist. They seem to have much more experience with these types of issues and have been incredibly helpful.

 

[RedNalgene]

I had a small tear in my labrum due to bench pressing. Immediately got an MRI on it which showed the tear, and the fact that there was a flap of the labrum in the joint, which was causing the pain during motion. The first doctor I saw told me he had to go in arthroscopically to remove the small piece of the tear that was sticking into the joint, then I could strengthen the area and would have a full recovery. He said that the pain would never go away, and pushed hard for the surgery. I didn't want to go under the knife for something that only hurt when I was bench pressing (or doing a similar motion) and was only a little bit of discomfort when sleeping on that side. So I got a second opinion. Second doctor ended up being a former team doctor for the Arizona Cardinals, and one of the leaders in shoulder injuries in the US (I had no idea). He basically told me to do physio on it unless I had plans on being a professional weightlifter (I did not). He said it's likely the pain won't totally go away without surgery, and without surgery I shouldn't plan on doing very heavy bench press, but otherwise there's no reason to go under the knife. I did a few months of physio and stayed away from bench for like 6 months and have 0 pain. I don't do max reps on the bench anymore, but I can do bench press without pain too.

If the pain hasn't gone away after months then it's likely some sort of a ligament tear - those don't heal on their own. Severity is only known through scans.

tldr; get an MRI so you know what you're dealing with.

 

[MadScientist]

Interesting. I really would like a cortisone shot, to be honest.

Click to shrink...

Since it's inflammation of the nerves, an MRI scan or other scan was never done. Due to my lack of strength in my arms and my other symptoms (trouble sleeping, numbing in the hand), he was pretty confident I had that syndrome. Been mostly healthy in that arm for over a year after that shot. I would suggest making an appointment with a sports med doc or someone similar. Good luck!