Discussion
Hi good people of PH health. I've had a bit of an issue for a long time now with my left shoulder. Over the last few years, I've taken to sleeping with my arm raised up under the pillow (sleeping on the pillow and the arm together, IYSWIM).
For the last year or so I've had a bad pain in my left shoulder, which only occurs if I raise my arm above my head, throw something, or jar it in some way. I'd read about rotator cuff injuries and tried sleeping on the other side, but that was six months ago and I'd say the problem has got slightly worse if anything. The pain when I knock it is severe and leaves me in agony for a few minutes.
It's got to a point where it restricts what I do quite heavily - putting on a coat, playing golf, playing with my kids. I'll make an appointment to see the doctor, but does this sound like aa rotator cuff injury? And if so, what sort of healing time is required? Thanks.
For the last year or so I've had a bad pain in my left shoulder, which only occurs if I raise my arm above my head, throw something, or jar it in some way. I'd read about rotator cuff injuries and tried sleeping on the other side, but that was six months ago and I'd say the problem has got slightly worse if anything. The pain when I knock it is severe and leaves me in agony for a few minutes.
It's got to a point where it restricts what I do quite heavily - putting on a coat, playing golf, playing with my kids. I'll make an appointment to see the doctor, but does this sound like aa rotator cuff injury? And if so, what sort of healing time is required? Thanks.
I had, and to an extent still have, exactly this problem after crashing into a cold squash court wall. Though being an old git might have something to do with it too.
I went to my GP who referred me to the surgery's own physiotherapist. She was quite nice and occasionally buried my elbow into her crotch and manipulated my arm so that the back of my hand brushed against a boob. She may have been oblivious to this. Following lots of other less interesting exercises to assess what level of movement I had she equipped me with a long piece of elastic which I was to tie to a door handle at home and do sawing movements with my arm from several directions.
After further sessions and exercise at home it did begin to get better and I regained normal movement. However the pain still wakes me up too early if I've been lying on it at night and I have to sleep in positions similar to that you describe. And I still have to be careful when putting a shirt on.
It's a lot better than it was though I still get a huge burning sensation down the top of my arm if I reach for a toll ticket or swing a squash racket too far back.
So, physiotherapy is the answer but I'm afraid it takes months to fix. I'm still at it.
I went to my GP who referred me to the surgery's own physiotherapist. She was quite nice and occasionally buried my elbow into her crotch and manipulated my arm so that the back of my hand brushed against a boob. She may have been oblivious to this. Following lots of other less interesting exercises to assess what level of movement I had she equipped me with a long piece of elastic which I was to tie to a door handle at home and do sawing movements with my arm from several directions.
After further sessions and exercise at home it did begin to get better and I regained normal movement. However the pain still wakes me up too early if I've been lying on it at night and I have to sleep in positions similar to that you describe. And I still have to be careful when putting a shirt on.
It's a lot better than it was though I still get a huge burning sensation down the top of my arm if I reach for a toll ticket or swing a squash racket too far back.
So, physiotherapy is the answer but I'm afraid it takes months to fix. I'm still at it.
May be a shoulder impingement of some kind. I suffered with one a few years ago and it seemed worse during the night - difficulty sleeping etc.certain movements were very painful and i was unable to play badminton. I tried to swim regularly in the hope that it would help but i'm not sure how successful that was.
I saw the doc who diagnosed it as such and I was told that it would take 18 months to 2 years to sort itself out and to be fair he was spot on. He suggested that if It was really bad they could consider a cortisone injection but generally they don't like to do this.
As suggested above, it did slowly get better after about 18 months. My sympathies to you - not pleasant but hopefully it'll get better before too long.
I saw the doc who diagnosed it as such and I was told that it would take 18 months to 2 years to sort itself out and to be fair he was spot on. He suggested that if It was really bad they could consider a cortisone injection but generally they don't like to do this.
As suggested above, it did slowly get better after about 18 months. My sympathies to you - not pleasant but hopefully it'll get better before too long.
Had very similar symptoms for nearly 18 mths. Had 30 sessions of Physio and three specialist consultations. Got so fed up I insisted on an MRI scan which showed impingement, tendon inflammation but no tear.
Whilst waiting for the op I ruptured the biceps tendon. Had the op and now having Physio but it is much much better.
It's worth getting Physio asap and it might work but in May case it didn't.
Whilst waiting for the op I ruptured the biceps tendon. Had the op and now having Physio but it is much much better.
It's worth getting Physio asap and it might work but in May case it didn't.
I've a very similar shoulder injury. Can no longer sleep on that side as I wake up in pain. I've had to train myself to sleep on my other side, no so easy after 40 years of getting comfortable in one position!
It is now at a stage where I can't swim the crawl, if I'm not really careful putting coats and shirts on them I get a hit of agonising pain and I'm now popping a mix of ibuprofen and paracetamol on a more frequent basis. I've put up with it for 12 months as I've had a busy year of my chosen sport and couldn't (wasn't prepared to) take the time off.
Two years ago I injured my other shoulder. Went to the Dr who advised me to keep working the joint. Followed this with a private physiotherapist who gave me a series of exercises and told me the same thing, i.e. keep working it. 4 months later and the paint was a worse than ever. Went to see a shoulder specialist who said it was a damaged and inflamed tendon and working it just meant it never got a chance to heal. He gave me a steroid injection and told me to rest it for 6 weeks and hey presto, injury healed with not a twinge since.
I've got an appointment booked with a private muscular skeletal hospital. I'm expecting an mri scan to pinpoint the injury and a steroid injection.
I'll report back.
It is now at a stage where I can't swim the crawl, if I'm not really careful putting coats and shirts on them I get a hit of agonising pain and I'm now popping a mix of ibuprofen and paracetamol on a more frequent basis. I've put up with it for 12 months as I've had a busy year of my chosen sport and couldn't (wasn't prepared to) take the time off.
Two years ago I injured my other shoulder. Went to the Dr who advised me to keep working the joint. Followed this with a private physiotherapist who gave me a series of exercises and told me the same thing, i.e. keep working it. 4 months later and the paint was a worse than ever. Went to see a shoulder specialist who said it was a damaged and inflamed tendon and working it just meant it never got a chance to heal. He gave me a steroid injection and told me to rest it for 6 weeks and hey presto, injury healed with not a twinge since.
I've got an appointment booked with a private muscular skeletal hospital. I'm expecting an mri scan to pinpoint the injury and a steroid injection.
I'll report back.
Usual signs I believe are not being able to reach behind your back, I had this which then went on to not being able to lift the arm at all so it just dangled there. I had two cortisone injections into the joint (yes it hurts as much as it sounds it should) a week apart and it has been largely fine since.
Forgot to mention I too had a couple of steroid injections but they only had a short term effect. The Specialist actually said that it was probably worse from the Physio. In the end an op to debraid, open up the gap where the tendons come through the shoulder and tidy up the ruptured bicep tendon has made it mile better. Three sessions of Physio left and the only restriction I still have is not being able to get May right arm as far up my back as my left. This is the last movement to return so alls going well.
Edited by craig1912 on Tuesday 1st December 21:38
Your right in getting an appointment with your doctor, but I suspect they will refer you to a physio.
I dislocated my shoulder last year playing football, and also damaged the rotar cuff. It took months to get movement back in it, and with the arm in a sling I lost all the strength and had to spend months completing exercises to build up the smaller muscles to keep the posture. Even now I have pain, and my left trap engages when it shouldn't.
I dislocated my shoulder last year playing football, and also damaged the rotar cuff. It took months to get movement back in it, and with the arm in a sling I lost all the strength and had to spend months completing exercises to build up the smaller muscles to keep the posture. Even now I have pain, and my left trap engages when it shouldn't.
My experience from this time last year: right shoulder with varying pain and constraints as already described by others, followed by referred pain preventing a full night's sleep.
MRI showed it was indeed torn, consultant said surgery was the only sure option.
The procedure was keyhole surgery as a one night stay in hospital(modern medicine is indeed miraculous!).
Then the fun starts: imagine a foam dog kennel under your arm, and then being strapped to it .... for approx. 4 weeks! This is to keep the shoulder in position while it heals.
Travelling on public transport is interesting: old ladies offer their seat!
(My timescales are approximate as I'm trying to recall them from memory. Google rotator cuff recuperation and there are lots of good guides out there.)
Success factors for recuperation are being a non-smoker, under 50 (I just scraped in) and doing the physio exercises.
After 6-8 weeks, I could return to my office job but wasn't allowed to drive.
The consultant said there's a maximum 13 month window of opportunity to gradually regain strength and mobility.
It's worth continuing the physio. exercises, even for this period of time.
14 months on, I'd say I've got 95-100% strength back and 90% flexibility (which was important, as someone who does yoga).
Search YouTube for Torn Rotator Cuff Recovery ... there are afew diaries posted, which I found helpful while I was recuperating. (I also found online animations of the procedure fascinating.)
Now my left shoulder is playing up. Sigh.
Good luck !
MRI showed it was indeed torn, consultant said surgery was the only sure option.
The procedure was keyhole surgery as a one night stay in hospital(modern medicine is indeed miraculous!).
Then the fun starts: imagine a foam dog kennel under your arm, and then being strapped to it .... for approx. 4 weeks! This is to keep the shoulder in position while it heals.
Travelling on public transport is interesting: old ladies offer their seat!
(My timescales are approximate as I'm trying to recall them from memory. Google rotator cuff recuperation and there are lots of good guides out there.)
Success factors for recuperation are being a non-smoker, under 50 (I just scraped in) and doing the physio exercises.
After 6-8 weeks, I could return to my office job but wasn't allowed to drive.
The consultant said there's a maximum 13 month window of opportunity to gradually regain strength and mobility.
It's worth continuing the physio. exercises, even for this period of time.
14 months on, I'd say I've got 95-100% strength back and 90% flexibility (which was important, as someone who does yoga).
Search YouTube for Torn Rotator Cuff Recovery ... there are afew diaries posted, which I found helpful while I was recuperating. (I also found online animations of the procedure fascinating.)
Now my left shoulder is playing up. Sigh.
Good luck !
rtawney said:
My experience from this time last year: right shoulder with varying pain and constraints as already described by others, followed by referred pain preventing a full night's sleep.
MRI showed it was indeed torn, consultant said surgery was the only sure option.
The procedure was keyhole surgery as a one night stay in hospital(modern medicine is indeed miraculous!).
Then the fun starts: imagine a foam dog kennel under your arm, and then being strapped to it .... for approx. 4 weeks! This is to keep the shoulder in position while it heals.
Travelling on public transport is interesting: old ladies offer their seat!
(My timescales are approximate as I'm trying to recall them from memory. Google rotator cuff recuperation and there are lots of good guides out there.)
Success factors for recuperation are being a non-smoker, under 50 (I just scraped in) and doing the physio exercises.
After 6-8 weeks, I could return to my office job but wasn't allowed to drive.
The consultant said there's a maximum 13 month window of opportunity to gradually regain strength and mobility.
It's worth continuing the physio. exercises, even for this period of time.
14 months on, I'd say I've got 95-100% strength back and 90% flexibility (which was important, as someone who does yoga).
Search YouTube for Torn Rotator Cuff Recovery ... there are afew diaries posted, which I found helpful while I was recuperating. (I also found online animations of the procedure fascinating.)
Now my left shoulder is playing up. Sigh.
Good luck !
Pretty much matches experience.MRI showed it was indeed torn, consultant said surgery was the only sure option.
The procedure was keyhole surgery as a one night stay in hospital(modern medicine is indeed miraculous!).
Then the fun starts: imagine a foam dog kennel under your arm, and then being strapped to it .... for approx. 4 weeks! This is to keep the shoulder in position while it heals.
Travelling on public transport is interesting: old ladies offer their seat!
(My timescales are approximate as I'm trying to recall them from memory. Google rotator cuff recuperation and there are lots of good guides out there.)
Success factors for recuperation are being a non-smoker, under 50 (I just scraped in) and doing the physio exercises.
After 6-8 weeks, I could return to my office job but wasn't allowed to drive.
The consultant said there's a maximum 13 month window of opportunity to gradually regain strength and mobility.
It's worth continuing the physio. exercises, even for this period of time.
14 months on, I'd say I've got 95-100% strength back and 90% flexibility (which was important, as someone who does yoga).
Search YouTube for Torn Rotator Cuff Recovery ... there are afew diaries posted, which I found helpful while I was recuperating. (I also found online animations of the procedure fascinating.)
Now my left shoulder is playing up. Sigh.
Good luck !
I suffered for around a year, with it progressively getting worse. Eventually went to the GP, who suggested physio, but I asked him for a referral and went straight to see a specialist through my company private health insurance. Went for an MRI and got a call 48 hours later asking me to come in for the results... partially severed tendon and knackered rotator.
Had surgery the following week.
4 weeks of having a foam block strapped to you is not much fun, but for me worth it as most of the pain went immediately (didn't even need painkillers after the op).
That was 4 years ago.
Took around 6 months to get decent movement back, but still with some pain at the extremities of movement. A year to feel 75% right. 2 years to feel 100%.
I went to see the specialist yesterday. He did an ultrasound check to look for serious tendon damage, there wasn't any. He then sent me for an xray in house, called me back in 20 mins later, said it was impingement (shoulder blade squashing the tendon causing pain during certain specific arm movements) and gave me a steroid injection into the rotator cuff joint. He said that keyhole surgery to remove bone from the acromion to make more room for the supraspinatus tendon was an option. I was all for that from the off as he didn't sound at all hopeful that the steroid injection would heal the injury but he said its wiser to try the simpler solution first.
The whole process took a couple of hours. That was private. Slight discomfort whilst administering the injection but nothing compared to the filling I had earlier today, I hate dentists! My shoulder became uncomfortable earlier today (more discomfort than normal) but Ive popped some cocodamol and its fine again now.
The NHS took days to get a GP appointment then over two weeks to get a referral letter to get on a waiting list for a physio. Then you go to the physio (who in my experience are worse than useless for this type of injury going by my previous experience with my other shoulders previous near identical injury) who will make you try various exercises for a long period and then when they don't work you'll get referred back to a specialist who will then refer you for an xray/MRI/ultrasound etc etc.
The whole process took a couple of hours. That was private. Slight discomfort whilst administering the injection but nothing compared to the filling I had earlier today, I hate dentists! My shoulder became uncomfortable earlier today (more discomfort than normal) but Ive popped some cocodamol and its fine again now.
The NHS took days to get a GP appointment then over two weeks to get a referral letter to get on a waiting list for a physio. Then you go to the physio (who in my experience are worse than useless for this type of injury going by my previous experience with my other shoulders previous near identical injury) who will make you try various exercises for a long period and then when they don't work you'll get referred back to a specialist who will then refer you for an xray/MRI/ultrasound etc etc.
foxsasha said:
I went to see the specialist yesterday. He did an ultrasound check to look for serious tendon damage, there wasn't any. He then sent me for an xray in house, called me back in 20 mins later, said it was impingement (shoulder blade squashing the tendon causing pain during certain specific arm movements) and gave me a steroid injection into the rotator cuff joint. He said that keyhole surgery to remove bone from the acromion to make more room for the supraspinatus tendon was an option. I was all for that from the off as he didn't sound at all hopeful that the steroid injection would heal the injury but he said its wiser to try the simpler solution first.
The whole process took a couple of hours. That was private. Slight discomfort whilst administering the injection but nothing compared to the filling I had earlier today, I hate dentists! My shoulder became uncomfortable earlier today (more discomfort than normal) but Ive popped some cocodamol and its fine again now.
The NHS took days to get a GP appointment then over two weeks to get a referral letter to get on a waiting list for a physio. Then you go to the physio (who in my experience are worse than useless for this type of injury going by my previous experience with my other shoulders previous near identical injury) who will make you try various exercises for a long period and then when they don't work you'll get referred back to a specialist who will then refer you for an xray/MRI/ultrasound etc etc.
I had two injections and whilst they gave temporary relief for me to carry on physio I ended up having some bone removed and wished I had had it done 12 months ago as such a massive difference. The specialist thought that certain elements of the physio had made it worse. If there is no real improvement after 10 sessions of physio then in my view it probably isn't going to improve much and needs further intervention.The whole process took a couple of hours. That was private. Slight discomfort whilst administering the injection but nothing compared to the filling I had earlier today, I hate dentists! My shoulder became uncomfortable earlier today (more discomfort than normal) but Ive popped some cocodamol and its fine again now.
The NHS took days to get a GP appointment then over two weeks to get a referral letter to get on a waiting list for a physio. Then you go to the physio (who in my experience are worse than useless for this type of injury going by my previous experience with my other shoulders previous near identical injury) who will make you try various exercises for a long period and then when they don't work you'll get referred back to a specialist who will then refer you for an xray/MRI/ultrasound etc etc.
I told him I wasn't interested in pain relief, I wanted the cause dealing with. He was adamant I should try the injection first so that's what Im doing. He said to go with the NHS physio as well but only for light gentle no weight stretching exercises, not the normal physio 'does it hurt if I do this? Yes? Ok, Ill do it harder and for longer' pummeling. 
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff