Shoulder & Arm Pain?

[Mori]

I've been having a lot of problems with my right arm for a while & was wondering if anyone can shed some light. It started as pain in my shoulder & all the way down to my palm. Lately it's gotten worse & I can't raise my arm all the way up or button my bra without great difficulty. If I twist my arm or make a sudden movement I get excruciating pain for a few seconds.I'm scared that something is really wrong but I don't know what caused it. Could it be frozen shoulder or carpal tunnel syndrome? Does anyone have a similar problem? I know I should go to the doctor & have it checked out, but I'm hoping it will go away on it's own. :(

[QuiltAngel]

I find when I spend lots of time at my computer and get this type of problem. Taking long breaks from the computer, exercise those muscles, massages all help.

You should get it checked out to be sure it is just muscle spasms or tightening from use.

[clogaholic]

Hi Mori, I had something similar to that several years ago. Mine started with numbness or tingling in my right shoulder. I ignored it for quite sometime. It just kept happening and then got worse. When it felt like I could electrocute someone with my right hand and I was in almost constant horrible pain ( like electrocal charges ) that started in my shoulder & down my right arm and hand, I decided to finally see a dr. I had to have an EMG and MRI done. They revealed a bulging disc in my neck that was pinching some nerves. With anti-inflamnents , muscle relaxers and physical therapy, it did get better. I've had a couple of flareups since but with my meds on hand it has not goten really bad.

Sooo, my advice is GO to your dr about it. Please don't wait until you're in constant terrible pain. Hopefully it will be something minor that can be taken care of quickly.

Sending gentle :hug:S

[Kate]

Having a doctor check it out would be the best thing for you to do. :)

[YellowRoseTex]

Hi Mori,
I had a similiar problem MANY years ago. Turns out I had a bad case of bursitis, nothing serious, just very painful. My arm would stiffen when it was immobile and I wouldn't be able to lift it without extreme pain. Give your doctor a call. Only your doctor can diagnose what the problem is.

[Mori]

Thanks for all your replies ladies. I am planning to see my doctor soon as possible & I must really sound like I wanted to be diagnosed online! :hug:

[Melislite]

Hi Mori! Sorry to hear about this probelm you are having. Alot of times when we start having pain or discomfort happen just out of the blue and we have no concrete reason for it, it can be very scary. And then sometimes we are just hoping it will go away! It is hard for us to know when to call our doctor! I hope you are able to get this resolved and start to feel better! Take care!

[billsmrs]

I have that and when I went to my doctor he ordered an MRI after all the regular x-rays came back normal. Turns out I have a torn rotator cuff. He didn't recommend surgery though. He said most people that have the surgery are worse off than they were living with the pain, etc.

Lately I have noticed that I have developed a pain that elbow as well and it moves to my hand and when that happens I can't make a fist. :-( I have an appt with my doctor in May about this. When I called the office the nurse said it could be a pinched nerve but didn't act like it was a big deal so I guess I will just suffer until I see him.

[Mori]

How did you tear your rotator cuff? :eek: I also have pain in the elbow & all the way down to my palm! I still haven't seen a doctor about it & keep hoping it will go away on it's own, but I think it's getting worse & I'm going to see a doctor real soon. I'm just scared of finding out it's something very serious! :(

[Fldtrlady]

Mori, I had just those symptoms a couple of years ago. I had fallen while I was walking and landed on my arm and shoulder. I finally went to an ortho specialist, and found that I had a frozen shoulder. I had a procedure done where he put me to sleep and then loosened up my shoulder. I had to go to therapy for a couple of weeks, then exercise at home for several weeks. Glad to say that I have had not further problems. Go on to the doctor and best of luck in getting your problem resolved.

[billsmrs]

How did you tear your rotator cuff? :eek: I also have pain in the elbow & all the way down to my palm! I still haven't seen a doctor about it & keep hoping it will go away on it's own, but I think it's getting worse & I'm going to see a doctor real soon. I'm just scared of finding out it's something very serious! :(

I was rear-ended by a semi back in Sept 2005. I honestly didn't think you could get a torn rotator cuff by something like that but according to my doc it is more common than you think. He said with having my seat belt on and being pushed as far as I was and the jerking motion just did it. Sounds all too weird but he swears he sees this in other car accident victims. I still have hip pain from the accident and again, something I will have to live with since all x-rays came back normal on that and they can't really say what is wrong. :( But all in all I am very lucky and so I can't complain. My mom was with me and she got severe whiplash. She just got released from physical therapy for that. She could barely walk she was hurting so bad.

[CocoinTX]

I have had frozen shoulder. It was very painful and radiated down the arm. It was a slow process. After physical theraphy , I'm good as new.

From the above responses, it could be ANY of those. My mother had the torn rotator cuff and good friend of mine had the bulging disc in the neck, my DH had bursitis. All hurt and have almost the same sympthoms. See a doctor!

[txgurl]

I had shoulder pain and went to the dr and discovered I had busitis, bone spur and shoulder impingement. I had the physical therapy and the cortisone shots with no benefit, so I opted for orthoscopic procedure to clean the shoulder up, well, while in there he discovered a partial tear of the rotator cuff. I have no pain a year later after the surgery and have full range of my arm. The recovery is very painful and physcial therapy is long and intense, but worth it. I continue to do strenghtening and stretching exercises of both arms to avoid any future problems and the only weights I lift are 3 lb. hand held weights no higher than shoulder level.

I have recently been diagnosed with herniated disc in neck and there will be no surgery for this. I do exercises for the neck, use near perfect posture and limit time on computer. I don't take any meds.

I don't really know how I injured my self in these areas, but suspect working out at the gym, even though I never lifted anything heavy, I might have done something improper and damaged these parts of the body. I also may have a weakness in these areas that I was not aware of. Dr. said it is from wear and tear or repetitive movements over time.

Please see your dr and get treatment as soon as possible. It is not good to wait , because sometimes things get worse.