Torn rotator cuff pain

[flightless55]

Hi,

Looks like I've torn my rotator cuff- had a private physio appointment few weeks ago after 8 months of pain

NHS physio said i had muscle pain from pushing a pram 6months ago via a phone call

I'm back on the wait list to speak to NHS physio now as my options are steroid injection / surgery according to private physio but would need MRI

However, does anyone have any suggestions on pain management in the meantime? If it was my wrist ankle I'd strap it up but shoulder is a pain! (Pun intended!)

I'm struggling to get dressed / drive and I'm in constant pain

I'm breastfeeding so options limited on painkillers

Thanks

I don’t know but hopefully an expert will be along soon. Bump

A friend had acupuncture for her frozen shoulder, which I'm guessing is a similar level of pain. She was very pleased with the treatment, as it enabled her to keep some movement so she could exercise it, and it slowly recovered, so she didn't need manipulation under GA.

Thanks for the idea - I've booked in for some acupuncture

I've just had shoulder surgery following years of pain after a torn rotator cuff injury, loads of physio and then an MRI which diagnosed arthritis along with the muscle damage.

I was a total acupuncture sceptic but it was brilliant - tho surgery has been brilliant-er 😉

@Panicmode1 oh god I've only been in pain 10months - I can't imagine years of this - I just want to be able to put a bra on without being in genuine agony!

I'm a sceptic too - but I'll do anything to help right now it's affecting my quality of life so much

I was misdiagnosed with a frozen shoulder during a hurried nhs physio appointment.
I have been seeing a private physio and it's actually a rotator cuff injury.
I took paracetamol and ibuprofen and used gel and heat packs at the start.
I was in so much pain and couldn't sleep.
I would say my shoulder is 90% better after following the exercise plan she gave me.
I think there are different exercises depending on whether frozen shoulder or rotator cuff injury so it's important to know what it is you are dealing with.

@flightless55 - I just kept putting off dealing with it and the GP kept sending me for physio. It would come and go (the pain) but in the end I decided I really had to get an MRI and find out exactly how to fix it. I wasn't expecting arthritis to be the principal cause, but there were issues with the muscles too....my surgeon has said I now "won't need a total shoulder rebuild for at least 10 years..." Good oh! And thank goodness for private health insurance...I think without it, I may have been fobbed off by the NHS for a few more years.

@Panicmode1 I think mine was caused in labour as I heard it pop and gave way when I was doing counter pulls with midwife at 10cm
The physio thinks I partially dislocated it
But that pain was the least of my worries at the time haha

Oh hell, that sounds painful!! I would definitely get an MRI - my acupuncturist (also a physio) was brilliant, but she said having a diagnosis from an MRI would allow her to be even more targeted with the treatment. Good luck!

You need an mri to see what and how severe the problem is. That will determine what you do to recover.
Mine was a small tear and bursitis so just physio, rest, ice and heat and ibuprofen.
It took months to get better but did improve slowly. It's not what it was though. Honestly tendons are the worst!
Good luck

Hey
Quick question in case anyone's still around :)

Had a steroid injection last week and it's given me maybe 10% more movement

Is this's normal for some?

I have an xray booked next week but if it's tendons surely that'd be useless as they don't show on xray?

Felt quite dismissed by the physio to be honest
He just said I'm young and healthy so it'll just go away

I'm to send a feedback to the dept after 4weeks with the results

Appreciate no one's here (that's fine) more just a moan into the void haha

15 months on and I'm now on wait list for an MRI

consult has requested I be prescribed amytriptaline but the GP is refusing so guess I'll just continue living with debilitating nerve pain

I'm fed up

I had a shoulder impingement, so not quite the same but there was a torn tendon in amongst it all & I ended up with muscle wastage & frozen shoulder that required surgical manipulation to ‘unfreeze’ (this was after my initial surgery to shave down the bone etc)- was a couple of years all in all to get ‘fixed’.

Anyway, it was debilitating. The pain was constant & it felt like I could never get any relief. One of the worsts part I found was when other muscles start to over compensate and they become tender too.

My tips:

• Acupuncture- short term relief generally but helped ease some of the tightness in surrounding muscles
• swimming - by this, I actually mean floating, as I found I had so much more movement in water and it helped me to build up to doing the exercises recommended by my physio
• Movelat - ibuprofen gel
• Diazepam (irregularly) to get some sleep as the tiredness did not help!

I thought I’d never recover and was in tears following one ultrasound where they said they couldn’t see any reason for the pain.

However, I now have full range of movement & only the very occasional twinge in my shoulder, all of my muscles are no longer wasted or tense.

So, in essence, there is hope!

While you’re waiting for professional help, apply castor oil liberally each day and night and get yourself an infra red heat pad.

I'm having physio currently for what they think is a rotator cuff injury. I was initially convinced it was frozen shoulder but apparently not.

What has helped, DP giving me deep massage, heat packs (I'm limited with painkillers due to other medical issues) so using ibuprofen gell on the area has been my main painkiller.

2 months into physio it certainly is a lot better, still have odd bad days but it is so much better.

Thanks all

I can't move my arm so sadly my favourite past time (swimming) is off the cards
Physios won't touch me and I can't do anything anyways as my arm is useless and agony if I even try

I've pushed harder and got the prescription now

Just got to wait for surgery now and hope that helps