Unbearable nerve pain in shoulder going down arm. Advice please.

[FrolickingFannyBoots]

Hello lovely ladies. I’m asking for advice as I’m trying not to panic but I don’t know what might be wrong.

I’ve developed over the last two/three days very acute and excruciating nerve pain in my right shoulder and travelling around under my arm out and then down a nerve in my arm to my elbow. No pain from elbow to hand. The pain has just gradually got worse until now I’m not able to move around normally; lying back is my only relief- I can’t even go to the loo without being in agony if my arm is hanging down.

I’ve not got any pain in my next or back - it’s just completely localised to my shoulder blades and arm. My DH has tried to help me with a massage and deep heat. I’ve taken codeine and ibuprofen ( Neurofen plus), rested and nothing is helping at all. I’m in so much pain, I’m almost screaming the house down. My dh has found the centre of my pain in my shoulder and when he presses it - it’s utter agony. Not much burning pain and no pins and needles, more acute stabbing nerve pain. I can’t leave the sofa or bed. I suffer from sciatica but on my left side and left leg. It has been much better lately so I don’t think it’s connected to that.

I have researched the Internet and it says about compressed nerves in my neck and back but I have no neck pain at all and can rotate my head perfectly normally. No breathing problems.

Could anyone suggest what this might be? An injury from sleeping? Could the pain not be nerve pain down my arm but strain from the muscles? It seems like a pinched nerve but I have no pain anywhere except my shoulder blade.

I’ve got a hernia and severe abdominal separation from pregnancies from years ago and need surgery which I put off ( for many reasons) but am due to have once Coronavirus eases.

So I can’t do much sport or any vigorous activity such as sports like tennis nor can I remember pulling my shoulder. I just walk each day due to my other health conditions and do general housework.

If anyone has suffered anything similar I would be grateful for advice or help. I’m in so much pain it’s complexly distressing my teenage children and I think my neighbours who must be able to hear my crying in agony.

Thank you so much for any support or advice.

So glad you got seen and hope you feel better soon!

Thanks for your good wishes powerplant and gunpowder!

Yes, the NHS were fab with me today - I was seen after 5 minutes! Couldn’t fault them. Very helpful and caring. The clinician really reassured me.

Excellent news, Frolicking. I'm glad you were reassured. From your description I thought it was that but it pays to be sure. I hope you have been given some advice and medication.

Thanks Lynda for your kind words. Yes I have some codeine and told to rest with some exercise and physio. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see a GP from my own surgery soon. The pain is terrible but at least I know what wrong. I did manage to find a comfortable position to sleep which is the most positive thing.

Glad you have got the good drugs! I was also on Diazepam, gabapentin, tramadol and morphine all prescribed by my GP so please go back to them if the codeine isn’t cutting it. You have my sympathies, the pain is awful.

Op, this sounds like me two weeks ago. Started with a twinge in my shoulder after body pump class back in JANUARY. Gradually got worse, pain moved to include down my arm, weakness, couldn’t lift my arm with out severe pain. When I started hearing about it being ok to contact GO, I did. I was referred for physio. Impinged (pinched) nerve in my neck. No neck pain. I’m on the mend now with two visits thus far (which we painful) and some Exercises to do at home. We’re following the Optineck methods.

Please call your gp for referral.

Mine was frozen shoulder and acupuncture helped.

Adore the beach & Chardonnay; sounds like you’ve both been through similar experiences to me ! Yes, I’m contacting the gp today. If I move my arm out and down you can hear me screaming from the other side of the country! My hand is weak too- picking up things is difficult; I suppose it’s one way of getting my teenage kids to do a few chores and make me cups of tea! The codeine and ibuprofen is really only so so - takes the very edge off but that’s about it and it makes me sleepy. So I need something else as you say and I’ll see if the GP can prescribe alternatives and refer me for physio.

I’m amazed at how such a simple small injury could result in such agony! So pleased to know I’m not alone and thank you for your kind support. I did feel the tear a few days ago but it wasn’t really bothering me so I just dismissed it but then it suddenly just escalated into a hurricane of pain. I have wanted to avoid the NHS at this time but I’ve had no choice. They have been so helpful.

Desert- having a frozen shoulder sounds just excruciating and a long time to heal. I am glad acupuncture helped. A delivery man I was chatting to last week told me acupuncture helped him and almost completely got rid of his rheumatism.He said he was amazed- after a few sessions, the pain dissipated and not returned. He used a a well known complimentary herbalist just down the road from me who offers the service. They are open again now two days a week so I’ll look into treatment there too. Thanks for the recommendation

Hope the painkillers work OP. I get something similar in my wrist occasionally, I've dropped many plates because of it, it is agony.

My DH had similar last year. Turns out he has degenerated disks in his upper spine ( found on MRI) He took a high dose anti inflammatory for a while (Naproxen) and had physio for quite a few months. He now does exercises twice a day to keep it moving - he can't be cured but itis under control and he is now pain free so long as he doesn't overdo it. At its worst he couldn't even go in a car for a few mins as the vibration was agonising.

It sounds like you really do need to see a doctor and be referred to a specialist.

Hi to all those lovely ladies who have supported me over the last few days with my nerve pain!

A quick update.

I’m now taking gabbapentin prescribed by my doctor as the codeine was making me feel nauseas and wasn’t working enough with the pain.

She is booking me in for some physio over the phone and possibly a steroid injection in 2 weeks if the nerve pain is still there.

So I’m hoping things will improve. I know gabbapentin takes a while to work so I’m being patient. After spending one completely sleepless night the day before yesterday as I just could get away from the nerve pain, I realised the codeine wasn’t enough. I’ve taken gabbapentin before short term for sciatica and interstitial cystitis so I’m ok on it. I have noticed enough reduction in pain to let me sleep now thank goodness.

The doctor said I’m looking at healing taking a few months - my injury is in my rhomboid area. I have a sling to wear for support plus I have an amazing DH who is putting deep freeze on the injury every few hours or a hot water bottle for the nerve pain. So I’m ok and hopefully on the road to recovery.

My best wishes to everyone and hope your back/ neck and nerve conditions are improving or healed completely. Frozen shoulders and disk issues are so debilitating, so my thoughts go out to anyone going through such painful problems.

Flowers 💐 and wine 🍷 to you all and please update me on this thread with progress on your nerve or back problems.

@Sameold2020

Are you sure it's not a heart attack? I would seek urgent medical advice.

I was thinking the same, phone an ambulance.

@FrolickingFannyBoots re hot water bottles (I promise I'm not on commission here!) but these are amazing - significantly more expensive than a bog standard one I know. I bought one for my sister who had significant back pain (turned out to be cervical cancer - she's had treatment and doing well now). Anyway, the benefit of these hot water bottles was that you can tie them round yourself so you don't have to stay in one place holding the bottle to you (I didn't buy her the cashmere one mind

www.yuyubottle.com

hope you continue to get better...

Myrtle- thanks so much, that’s great, I’ll follow the link. I think a tied hotty would be very good for me with the nerve pain- having a normal hot water bottle really helps but yes, it always falling down my back after a while. As I’m looking at a couple of months healing one of these will be so useful.

My daughter suffers from bad period pain and is on medication for that so I think this would help her as well. 😊

@FrolickingFannyBoots I’m sorry I’m jumping on this old thread but I’m lying in bed in absolute agony with what sounds like the same thing. I just don’t know how to get through the night with this pain. The dr prescribed naproxen yesterday but it’s doing nothing, I’ve taken some co-codamol too biut it’s not even touching the pain.
Just wondering how long it took to recover?
Thank uou.

@Avanacho I just did a search as I have this too. Exactly the same as the original poster. Let me know how you got on. I'm taking gabapentin, naproxen, cocodomol and still in agony. Argh

previous posters, what was the outcome? I’m in agony 😞

I had this exact thing. Excruciating if you move your arm in the wrong way.

I saw a nerve related physio ( on the nhs!) he gave me some exercises, but said basically it gets better on its own, but takes a long time.

It was a year ago when it happened and it’s tons better. I can scratch my back now. I haven’t been very good with exercises though😖

And yes the pain was excrutiating.

Did yours hurt when still? This also feels like toothache when I’m still. So hard to sleep! Been 2 days

Yep, toothache. Couldn’t straighten my arm backwards or raise it.

Then if l knocked it l got double toothache. Agony.

This was what the physio told me to do:

Bend your arm up to the shoulder and make a fist. Gently extend your arm downwards and out as far as you can go, and open your hand. Your hand needs to end up parallel to your body. This stretches the nerve.

Also tilting your head to the opposite side helps.

I got better slowly. It happened again 10 months later though. Being much better at exercises this time.

That’s the back of your hand!

Thanks! I’m getting myself into a state worrying about it and feeling so guilty because it’s half term and I should be having fun with the kids.

Really appreciate your replies!

When you sit down, rest your arm in a raised cushion at the side of you. This stood the nerve from dragging.

I just learnt to be one handed for a year!

Carry your painful a close to you, slightly curved in with the top of your arm close to your side. Again this stops the dragging.