Severe shoulder pain

[cluckinell2]

Woke up a few days ago with a pain in my shoulder which I put down to sleeping on it oddly plus doing some repetitive movements at the gym. In the last few days it’s got extremely painful when I try to lift my left arm (I can do it, it just hurts to get dressed or brush my hair etc). Laterally raising it is very tricky indeed. I’m icing it and taking paracetamol which helps a bit. What could this be?! It’s definitely not an a&e issue and dh seems to think that anything tendon/muscle related can only be left to heal alone anyway but I would really like to know what’s happened.

I had similar last year. Not sure what caused it but I had to stop cycling as it was so painful. Luckily it got better from me doing some exercise on that shoulder. Every morning when I get up I’ll spin that arm forwards 360 degrees about 12-15 times and then do it in reverse 12-15 times. It only takes a minute but it got better and is fine now. I don’t sleep on that shoulder anymore and I’m careful with lifting

How old are you, OP? It sounds like a frozen shoulder or cervical radiculopathy and they’re widely underreported in perimenopausal and menopausal women. Phone 111 and ask for advice. When I had this they sent me to the walk in centre and I was prescribed decent painkillers and signed up for physio appointments. The physio is really important and I had about 3 or 4 appointments and sets of exercises to do between them. If you have this (I hope you don’t) you’re in for a rough ride and it can take about 6 months or longer to resolve. A heat pad (about £20 on Amazon) is a great comfort.

I’m 40 so could be in or approaching peri. I don’t think it’s frozen shoulder as I do still have movement but it’s very painful to raise my arm, I couldn’t even put my hair in a ponytail earlier. Ibuprofen has helped and I’ve been using an ice pack. It’s particularly bad at night and first thing in the morning. I will give it a few more days and if no improvement I’ll get some medical advice.

i had this last year, doc said it was frozen shoulder. It took ages to go away. If you google nhs exercises for frozen shoulder there are loads you can do. They are painful but do help!

Can you reach around your back? To bra strap.

Dd had pneumonia which presented as shoulder pain.

Frozen shoulder

With great difficulty! Even putting my arm through the sleeve of a T-shirt is painful. I can do it but it hurts a lot. Putting my hair up was too painful so I left it.

Impingement syndrome?

It sounds like the onset of frozen shoulder which I’m currently suffering from and am 8 months in. Make an appointment with an osteopath or physio to get help before it progresses. Use ibuprofen gel on it. I wouldn’t wait. It’s a common perimenopause symptom (which my GP didn’t know about and ignored). You could ask your GP for a steroid injection. I got this but it was too late and did nothing. The only thing I can compare the pain with was childbirth.
https://www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/knowledge/frozen-shoulder-and-menopause-is-there-a-link

I usually go for a sports massage when this happens. He's brilliant, usually leave feeling much better.

Sounds exactly like frozen shoulder!

I have this. The physio said it was shoulder impingement. I have to get physio apparently.

for me, I can’t undo my bra and earlier when the cat knocked the tv earlier I jumped and this movement made me scream and roll around in agony. Normally it doesn’t hurt that much but I can’t lift my arm fully.

Doesn’t frozen shoulder increase gradually? Over weeks? This has come on quite suddenly as if it’s a tear or ligament issue. Either way it’s very painful.

I had similar. Rotator cuff. Look that up and see if the symptoms fit.
It just came on one day for no apparent reason.
Was given exercises to do but I must say they didn't help.

Was offered an injection and it's common to suffer with this for up to a year.

I have to say it did take about a year and even now a few years later I don't have the movement I used to when lifting my arm etc but I've learned to live with it.

X

Sounds like frozen shoulder. You have some movement which gradually reduces, and a lot of pain, then gradually both get better, but it can take many months.

I had something similar happen to me. I woke up one morning and my shoulder was incredibly painful ,and I couldn't lift it more than a few inches. It got more and more painful and lasted about 3 weeks. My doctor diagnosed Burstitas and gave me antiinflamatories, thankfully it never came back as it was horrendous.

Self refer to nhs muskuloskeletal
Soubds like frozen shoulder
You could ask for ultrasound or mri
Chinese acupuncture moght help but it just takes time to resolve

I'm about 6 weeks into treatment for a rotator cuff injury. It's gradually improving with rest and exercises prescribed by the physio, but there are odd things that still hurt, e.g. changing a duvet cover, putting my arm into the sleeve of a tight dress.

Hope you feel better soon.

Sounds like FS .I'm i8 months in of bi lateral FS ..the fiest 6 months were hell,I couldn't dress myself, go shopping unless it was something from the middle shelf ,struggled to pull pants/ trousers up, scratch my head or even lock my own front door. I stupidly left it 6 weeks before seeing a physio by which tome I'd lost 90% of the range movement ...to cut a long story short,I had surgery on one side and currently been told it will take 6 to 9 moths for full recovery on that side and listed for surgery on the other...

I’ve had shoulder issues for years-frozen shoulders bilaterally (calcific tendinitis). Also OA. Had steroid injections in the past which helped massively. All quiet for a long period then right shoulder started again-horrendous pain. Saw GP, had xray and turned out to be rotator cuff tear. Physio was so helpful but you have to see the exercises through. I blame the bloody Dyson as so heavy to move (am 68). Whatever the diagnosis OP shoulder pain is agony. Good luck.

Like some PPs I was also going to suggest a rotator cuff issue. I had this and it came on suddenly with no injury, and is only beginning to feel better a few months later. I do think you'll need to see a physio - they will be able to diagnose quickly based on which specific moments you are finding difficult, and give you targeting exercises.

Had same last year and it was frozen shoulder. Went to the GP and got a steroid injection in the area and did some advised exercises and thankfully back to normal now.

To minimise pain, when you get dressed, using your T-shirt example, put the arm in sleeve on the painful side first, then slip T-shirt over your head, finally put unafected arm in sleeve.
To undress, do the opposite so, slide "good" arm out of sleeve, garment over head then slide garment off down sore side arm.

I had the same

After no help from practice nurse and the gp wanting me to have a phone physio appointment ( like wtf) she did actually send me an email with exercises to do. I did them but not sure if they helped or it just cleared up on its own Was 7 weeks before actually seeing the physio ( first time I was actually examined) and 3 weeks after that until it felt better. Still not 100% though now