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#1 2019-01-15 06:58:10

Tedd54
Member
Registered: 2019-01-15
Last visit: 2019-01-15
Posts: 1

Tremendous shoulder pain

Four days back, I woke up with tremendous pain in my shoulder. I had slept on my arm and thought that was the cause of it. I didn't care much, but it is getting worse each day. Now, it has reached a point where I can't lift my hand above my chin without having to endure this excruciating pain. I can't do anything with my hand while my elbow is bent. The pain is always in my shoulder, right at the joint.
There is no visible swelling or discoloration. It really feels like a torn muscle. My friend suggested undergoing massage therapy ( https://www.erinmillshealth.com/services/massage-therapy/ (New Window) ) from  Mississauga. I really don't know what to do to make it feel better. Have you experienced anything like this? What can I do to ease the pain?

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#2 2019-01-15 07:49:43

Pickles
Member
Female (32), USA
Registered: 2018-03-10
Last visit: 2021-09-28
Posts: 62

Re: Tremendous shoulder pain

Tedd54,

I'm sorry about your shoulder pain. I'm not a doctor, but I have quite a bit of background in the medical field with a Bachelors in Kinesiology (with an emphasis in physical therapy), so I might be able to help to an extent. When you found yourself sleeping on your arm, was it twisted in any way? It is possible that if it was, the ligaments in your shoulder may have been stretched (not enough to fully dislocate the shoulder, but enough to produce strain in the ligaments). That's why there would be no visible swelling or redness and why it feels right at the joint. Did you do anything strenuous with that shoulder that previous day? Go through the events of your day one by one, and perhaps you may remember possibly doing something out of the ordinary that could have triggered this. It could also be that something shifted in your shoulder, which could be pressing on a nerve, which would explain why your hand can't do anything while your elbow is bent. To get a more thorough evaluation of what's happening, try doing some experimental movements with your arm. Can you place your arm behind your back? If your elbow is not bent, how high can you lift your arm if lifting it from the side? Can you reach over your chest and touch your other shoulder? Not being able to do these exercises suggests a possible rotator cuff muscle tear. If this didn't happen so suddenly, I would suggest it could be the starting of osteoarthritis in your shoulder, as my mom (who recently had shoulder replacement surgery for her shoulder osteoarthritis) had very similar symptoms to yours, including no visible swelling. But because this happened so suddenly with you, it is kind of unlikely. I would also suggest that you go to a Sports Medicine Orthopedic specialist/surgeon. I think of sports medicine, because they go into greater detail about what's happening with the shoulder than regular Orthopedics and will be able to work with you on improving your shoulder. If looking for this doctor from scratch seems too daunting, you could ask your Primary Physician about any good Sports Medicine Orthopedics he/she may know of and go from there. You will probably need an x-ray done (to see if there is anything happening at the bone level) and an MRI (to see the details of the soft tissues), and from there, an evaluation and diagnosis can be made.
What you could do to ease the pain really depends on what is causing it, as each cause will require a different treatment, which the doctor would be able to help you with. I hope my bit of info I provided will be of some help for you and that you can receive some good relief soon. smile

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#3 2019-01-15 15:39:21

Nick
Admin
Male (56), Sweden
Registered: 2006-11-09
Last visit: 2024-03-27
Posts: 3112

Re: Tremendous shoulder pain

It could also be a shoulder impingement, which I suffered from a couple of years ago. If it is, you need to eat pain killers and wait a couple of weeks until the pain goes away. A corticosteroid injection may help. In any case, see a doctor.

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