Serious pain in shoulder for 2 weeks now

[davejonesbkk]

Ive had a bad pain in my shoulder for what seems like about two weeks now, I can't remember exactly when it started but one day I had a pain there which got worse when I raised my left arm up, I hadn't done any sports or exercise so there was no way I could have injured myself. I didn't think anything of it at the time and thought it would go away but its still there and Im wondering what on earth it could be. At a normal resting position its fine but if I reach for something at a certain angle its very painful e.g. reaching upwards or across myself from left to right e.g. lying in bed only my back and I try to reach over to the right side of me to get my phone is very painful now.

Im pretty sure its not a broken bone as I surely would feel a lot more pain plus I can do other thins fine such as lay on my front with no pain and also I haven't done anything that could break a bone!

I looked at charts of muscles in the body and its definitely not the deltoids or trapezius as I know what pain in those feels like from working out in the gym before. Id say the exact location of the pain is where the collar bone meets the shoulder blade but it feels below or inside that area, could it be a trapped nerve or something and if so what should I do about it?

Im normally reasonably healthy and go to the gym + swimming on average 2-5 times per week but just been back in the UK for 2 months where I did nothing and put on a lot of weight so need to get back into my regime asap and can't do that with my shoulder like this!

[NickJ]

If you sleep with your arm under your head in a raised posistion it can reduce blood flow to an area that is already suffering from overuse......I would correct my sleeping posistion and take an anti-inlam. like diclofenac for a few days. tendonitis w associated bursitis........prob.......look into rotator cuff health as well. swimmers often fail to stretch and strenghten the external shoulder rotators....very simple to train with light weight. swimming strenghthens the internal rotators...the pecs and lats....tge nuscles that work to oppose these are small thus an inbalance creates shoulder dysfuntion over a long time. Swimmers that fail to correct this have short muscles that are strong and round the shoulder forwards while the smaller muscles are longer and weaker...... .

Edited October 6, 2015 by NickJ

[oncearugge]

Your painful shoulder requires clinical evaluation.

Make an appointment to see an Orthopaedic Specialist.

The cost of an outpatient consultation will be <> 2000 Bht.

[ricklev]

Probably not what your problem is but I just spent a long year recovering from 50 year old shoulder.

https://www.google.co.th/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=50+year+frozen+shoulder

[alfieconn]

Your painful shoulder requires clinical evaluation.

Make an appointment to see an Orthopaedic Specialist.

The cost of an outpatient consultation will be <> 2000 Bht.

2,000 baht !!!!! he doesn't want to buy the clinic

[sawadee1947]

well, I got a "similar" problem some time ago. I was to see a chiropractor. Unfortunately there is only one:

Dr. Philip Parry: http://www.doctorphilip.com/ he did miraculous things...

[kkerry]

Sounds a lot like what I had. A bone spur with a lot of inflammation (tendinitis?). Make a sudden movement like swatting a mosquito and get a sharp stab of pain. Confirmed by an x-ray. Prescribed some tablets by an orthopedics specialist which worked wonders, pain reduced by 80% in 24 hours. Can't recall the name of the tablets except when I researched them I found they weren't approved in the US. Took the tablets for a week and after they wore off pain had still reduced by about 50%. Had to do daily exercises for about six months. It took over a year for me to regain nearly 100% movement without any pain.

[Sheryl]

It could be many things.

Dr. Mason at Bumrungrad is top specialist for shoulder issues.

[Afook]

I have had success with Naproxen Tabs, 500mg by doctor, or Aleve, over the counter, same....

Recently bought at Costco, Naproxen Sodium, 220mg, cheap :-)

I'm 72, and use this for any pains in my muscles, take it for a week or two daily, and my pains are gone!

I take this for sometimes foot pain, to the extreme that I was limping, I think from walking too much, or maybe spraining or pulled/twisted muscle, it is gone after a few days :-)

Recently, a few months ago, I had pain in my hand from holding my tablet every night....if a certain angle, pain would come? I took the Costco brand Naproxen 220mg, 2 in the morning, 1-2 at night....for about 3-4 weeks, the pain is gone, like it never happened! I have used this for any pains, muscle related for the last 20yrs.....ever since my doctor recommended it to me for a hand pain problem back when :-)

It works for me :-)

[DogNo1]

NSAIDs can work wonders, especially Voltaren, but they can cause damage to the kidneys if used long-term. Fortunately, a day or two of Voltaren 50 mg in the evening alleviates my joint and muscular pains. I also take green-lipped mussel extract (only the Lyprinol brand) every day and it seems to keep most of my arthritic pains away. It has no side effects that I'm aware of. Expensive though.

[h90]

I had similar, but not as bad....It went away after 4-6 month.

Never knew what it was.

[suthep songserm]

I had this similar pain and I just could not raise my arm. The doctors , physicians , masseur , masseuse and what you can think of were of no help but I went for some treatment and it actually helped me to relieve the pain after 7 years only to find out the worst... I had suprasellar meningioma.. Well I am half blind now , No medical treatment except for the very expensive life endangering and risky operation I need to have. I can't afford it and just waiting to expire. I have to be brave and endure the pain 24 hours a day... I never give up hope and still working until today. So don't be laxed thinking that it is just a broken bone or something light. I advice go on a MRI It costs some 20,000 ++ baht first time. If you scanned and you have none , go celebrate but if you have one , don"t give up....text me...I tell you what I have bben thru and how i survived them.

GOOD LUCK!

[t8769]

Its not expensive to see a Dr, get an extray and a medical opinion, there are excellent phyhsios and osteopaths in BKK. We saw one at the Aspire gym.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Try Norgesic for 7 day's 3 x per day 2 tabs, helped for me.

Good luck.

[sawadee1947]

Try Norgesic for 7 day's 3 x per day 2 tabs, helped for me.

Good luck.

why to see a doctor anyway.....? You guys are soooo good giving medical advice....

[oncearugge]

I had this similar pain and I just could not raise my arm. The doctors , physicians , masseur , masseuse and what you can think of were of no help but I went for some treatment and it actually helped me to relieve the pain after 7 years only to find out the worst... I had suprasellar meningioma.. Well I am half blind now , No medical treatment except for the very expensive life endangering and risky operation I need to have. I can't afford it and just waiting to expire. I have to be brave and endure the pain 24 hours a day... I never give up hope and still working until today. So don't be laxed thinking that it is just a broken bone or something light. I advice go on a MRI It costs some 20,000 ++ baht first time. If you scanned and you have none , go celebrate but if you have one , don"t give up....text me...I tell you what I have bben thru and how i survived them.

GOOD LUCK!

A "scaremongering post".

Whilst I am sorry if you have a Suprasellar Meningioma such a condition would not usually produce acute shoulder pain but much more likely to induce symptoms such as-------------

Altered mental status

Facial numbness

Headaches

Loss of sense of smell

Memory loss

Seizures

Have you considered returning to your home country where treatment may be more easily obtained ?

[Sheryl]

He has not asked for advice on treatment, presumably that has been sorted out.

But of course what happened to him was a a rare thing and there is a huge difference between a pain lasting 7 years and one that has been there for 2 weeks. No reason at all to suspect a meningioma or anything of that nature in OP's case.

Personally with shoulder pain of 2 weeks duration I'd start with trying exercises/stretches, hot pad and maybe anti-inflamatories and if no improvement in say a week or so, then see an ortho specializing in shoulder problems.

[davejonesbkk]

Thanks for the replies guys, its been mixed last couple of days, felt a bit better yesterday and then I went swimming and even though it hurt at first it felt much better after but then this morning it was very painful and the worse its ever been so went swimming again and forced myself through it but this time didnt feel better after so took some Nurofen later and had a nap and its been much better since. Gonna swim again tomorrow and get some ibruprofen and see how it goes in the next few days. Really dont feel like a trip to the hospital and a big bill if its something I can fix myself tbh

[Sheryl]

Do NOT force it if it hurts. You could do serious damage and make matters worse.

There is a type of "good" hurt that you feel when you stretch a tight muscle...like that is fine (but do it gradually). But anything else is a warning you should heed.

Given that it seems now to be verging in 3 weeks with no improvement, either a rotator cuff injury or a problem in the cervical spine is possible as cause. If tilting your head backwards seems to provoke it, cervical spine is a good guess, while difficulty raising your arm up as high as the shoulder level suggests rotator cuff. Rotator cuff injuries can be chronic as well as acute, as a result of wear and tear over time. Sometimes bone spurs have developed which irritate the tendon, these can be seen in a simple Xray.

You could try taking antiinflammatories (if you have no contraindications such as gastritis or bleeding disorder or taking antocoagulants) and refraining from movements that provoke pain for a little while more but if still no relief I think it is time to see a specialist. You may well end up paying far more as a result of putting it off, and initial evaluation does not have to cost the earth - a skilled specilaist can tell a lot from just physically examining your shoulder and a plain Xray,

Whatever you do, stop forcing the shoulder through things that are painful. If the rotator cuff is the source if the pain this may make the difference between a small injury that will respond to conservative measures and a major tear requiring costly surgery to fix.

[davejonesbkk]

Sorry for the lack of updates people.

Its not that bad Sheryl, I do think the light exercise has helped it also I have been taking ibuprofen every night which I read somewhere helps with this and its been a lot better everyday and can even do some light weights now and they only time it hurts is if I reach to a certain position or angle. Going to keep swimming and taking 2 ibruprofen each night for another week and then come off them and see how it feels, thanks again for all the advice!

[Kitsune]

Stopping Ibuprofen is a good idea as it could have long term consequences.

Try turmeric instead, you can take it much longer. Its available in all forms (tablets, powder...)

Swimming and any slow exorcise is good without forcing.

Do not stay like this and try to find out what you have, sudden pain does not come out of the blue...

[MUSTYJACK]

google "painful arc syndrome" or impingement syndrome"

[Denim]

I had this a while back. From out of nowhere it appeared and got progressively worse. Finally saw a doctor who diagnosed a trapped nerve. Nothing much to be done except the usual painkillers and wait for it to resolve itself which it gradually did after about 5 weeks.