Trapped nerve then Rotator cuff injury - any support or recovery stories?

[anderlyhand]

I’m a bit fed up over here. Last year I had a trapped nerve in my neck which caused horrendous electrical pain, weakness / numbness down my arm. I was off work for 6 weeks, on Amitriptyline etc. gradually made a slow recovery over a couple of months but my arm was much weaker from the damage and quite quickly I started noticing increasing pain in my biceps, around my shoulder and clicking in the joint etc. still able to work, drive etc. different pain to nerve injury.

anyway, it’s got steadily worse over a few months and physio have said I’ve now got a rotator cuff injury brought on by the weakness from the nerve injury. I’m doing all the exercises, trying my best to look after my arm and it was starting to get a little better then I bumped / whacked my bad shoulder into a door frame in a busy work corridor which sent be right back to square one. If it reach awkwardly or push off with that arm by mistake, back to square one. It’s my dominant arm so can be hard to avoid in the moment.

Im really pissed off. I haven’t slept well for 9 months. Not horrendously but I can’t curl up and get cosy, it always hurts to some degree. I love the pool - swimming and aqua circuits - I can’t do this and haven’t for 9 months. I struggle with hanging washing up or lifting things as it can suddenly pull if I’m not super careful. It’s not surgery worthy as far as I can tell. It’s wear and tear from an already weak limb. It should improve but can take over a year apparently.

please send me stories that this does get better……

You need a different mattress and to strengthen your core and back chain muscles. An osteopath can help with posture and mobilising the area. I had a trapped nerve that causes numbness in my arm and hand and these are the things that ha e really made a difference. Good luck

I feel your pain, as I have the same pain. Not as bad, I think, as no nerve injury but constant, can’t get comfortable, niggling pain and weak as a kitten when I try and put a cup away in a cupboard. Rapidly becoming left handed. Physio says it will recover so I live in hope but it’s very wearing. Solidarity.

See your gp and see if you need a scan. Are you sure you don’t have a frozen shoulder? That’s what I have. Horrendous electrical tape shocks. Pain up my neck and down my arm. Can’t peg washing out. Can’t reach for a plate at the back of the cupboard.

I don’t have a trapped nerve now - that’s completely healed. No numbness, electrical pain or anything. Luckily, that’s all gone.

the rotator cuff injury is my main issue now. That’s happened because the trapped nerve weakened the shoulder and muscles. It’s fairly common apparently.

My mattress etc is all good. I just like side sleeping and I can’t - I can only sleep on my back. Rotator cuff injuries are notoriously worse at night as well. Pain reduces during the day.

They won’t scan me yet as it clinically obvious what’s going on. And it takes forever to heal.

it’s pants.

Def not a frozen shoulder. I guess some symptoms overlap but clinically different. It’s still rubbish though no matter what the shoulder complaint is!

One thing I’ve learnt recently is that my non stop back muscle injuries and aching and nerve pain are directly linked to fact my oestrogen was on the floor. Not suggesting you cover yourself in HRT to fix a rotator cuff just that as I increased my dose I noticed my recovery time and injury levels dropped, this is over 12 months.

I can empathise with the cuff injury I damaged my right rotator while lifting dumbells about 4 years ago and still have a weakness and it’s so debilitating and it’s a hit like toothache, it’s just “there” all the time.

just thought I’d thrwo in the oestrogen knowledge as someone who trains it was really annoying me that I was always injured.

I have a partial tear in my right rotator cuff that I did last April in a weights class, and it’s still not mended. Like you, I can’t swim or do the weights class any more and I’ve lost loads of muscle and it’s so bloody frustrating. I eventually had a scan which showed the tear and have been waiting for an orthopaedic appointment for months now. I’m living with it and the above the head stuff is painful, but every now and then I do something without thinking and the wave of pain is horrific and I think I must have undone any mending that might have taken place. I’m just so tired of it.
No helpful words at all, just sympathy!

This is me to a tee.

I feel like I made a bit of progress then something you wouldn’t think be a problem suddenly has searing pain and you’re back to square 1 with all the progress undone.

not even something energetic - just reaching and picking up something in an ever so slightly awkward way!

I've had a rotator cuff tear, not through injury, but generally wear & tear.
Sleeping was the worst, there seemed to be no respite... different mattress, using pillows to support, nothing really helped.

Mine was during covid, and the GP wasn't doing steroid injections due to the risk of infection.

I had phone contact with a physio, and did all the exercises.

3yrs on I dont have any pain, but my range of movement is less than it should be and oddly I still can't sleep on that side, it still feels very stiff when I try.

Mine was my left shoulder, and even changing gear when driving was so painful.

Painkillers didn't really do much, a TENS machine brought the best relief. Unfortunately everyone's different, and there's no real time frame for it to go.

Mine was diagnosed by an ultrasound scan through the GP....

Can I ask with a rotator cuff tear do you have any restriction of movement? I am worried mine is a tear which was missed on scan.

I can move it better now since I had a steroid injection but still not as good as the other side and still painful.

mine started after two weeks of painting so some sort of rotator cuff injury fits more. But they scanned it and said it was fine therefore it must be a frozen shoulder.

I helped mine with a combination of hrt, weights and CARS movements (Google shoulder CARS exercises)
It's about 80% better I'd say but still aches in the morning if I've slept on it.
Very restricted movement at the time, and such pain!

I had rotator cuff problem for three years. In that time I had three lots of physio which did absolutely nothing and three steroid injections in total.

Then I was referred for surgery as nothing was helping with the excruciating pain and I was fortunately enough to be referred to the private hospital nearby as a NHS patient and was in within six weeks rather than being on a waiting list for NHS surgery for months.

This was 2018 and the shoulder is fantastic, no pain and virtually no scarring apart from a couple of little tiny scars you can barely see.

I have a rotator cuff full width tear, I did it in a weights class last year but fell accidentally fell on it twice over the next few months which didn’t help. The pain when doing simple tasks like reaching into a washing machine to take out the washing or even reaching forward for my mouse when at work can be excruciating. After being told it was a frozen shoulder I pushed for an ultrasound and the full width tear was diagnosed but I don’t think having an actual diagnosis has helped. I have been offered injections and told that it won’t ever heal, apparently I have to strengthen up the remaining connected tendon but without causing a full tear, have been given exercises which are too painful to do. I have pretty much stopped using my right arm for any lifting or stretching, I worry about how this pain will progress as I get older.

Change physios. I had a rotator cuff injury. The first physio I went to
(for months) was useless and the exercises she gave me were not helping at all. I changed physios and the exercises he gave me sorted it all out in a few weeks.