Boudicca

I have no clue how this happened, but my shoulder is seizing up on me, in that I can lift it (with a certain amount of pain), but it's really painful to try to move my arm to the side it across my body and it's getting worse by the hour. It's tender to the touch, and while I booked a massage for tomorrow, I start wondering if I'll even be able to let the therapist touch it without screaming out.

The thing that worries me is that I had a rotator cuff injury on that shoulder about 5 years ago, and this sort of pain is exactly how it started. Within a day I couldn't move my shoulder at all, and I needed a cortisone shot to get it freed up again, so that's clearly not an option this time. They do warn about multiple shots to the same joint after all.

I'm trying to stretch it gently, and move it every which way, without straining it too much.

Any thoughts/tips?

10 Wheels

Time to see a Doctor or Bicycle Mechanic.
Take your pick.
I would go to a doctor

DnvrFox

I'd get to a doc today, if possible.

Boudicca

But there's nothing a doc can do, short of an x-ray (and I've had my fill of that over the last year) and more cortizone, which isn't going to be recommended. I was thinking more of stretching and exercises.

Or am I missing something here?

RonH

I've had surgery on both shoulders (Nov 2005 and Jan 2009) and x-rays didn't show anything with either one. Both were a torn rotator cuff and only an MRI showed the damage.
X-ray shows broken bones. MRI shows "damaged" tissue and muscle.

The massage may relieve some of the discomfort but if the symptoms come back within a few days it's time to see the doc.

DnvrFox

I go to a doctor of osteopathy. He frequently can do things I don't even suspect ahead of time. I guess I wouldn't 2nd guess.

Boudicca

Now osteopath is a stellar idea. Sadly my osteopath only works 4 days a week and usually has a 4 week wait list, and that's for existing patients (which I am).

stapfam

Does not sound like it but many years ago I had a "Frozen Shoulder". Pain was not all the time and only on certain movements- mainly sideways movement like yours. Then it was a sharp pain that really hurt. Had to have physio to get it to loosen up and it did not come back for about 8 years. Second time round I recognised the same pain and managed to exercise it correctly to get rid of the pain.

So if you think it is the same pain that you were having before- Either take the same remedial exercises- Or get back to the quacks.

con

Well, I have a feeling that you know just what you need to do; it involves having a professional evaluate your shoulder. Somebody that wears a long white coat....No, not your neighborhood butcher.....But, you already knew that.

Best of luck

Jean Beetham Smith 

Sounds a lot like my frozen shoulder. My PCP referred me to PT. In addition to all the exercises, they used ultrasound which for me had a dramatic effect, immediately adding 15 degrees to my range of motion. No drugs involved at all.

will dehne

I had a similar problem following a bike accident. We flipped over with a Tandem bike. Bike and wife were fine because they landed on my shoulder.
I went to a Specialist for shoulders. He ordered x-rays and MRI. Nothing was broken but I could not lift a glass of water or turn the knob of my car radio. This is serious stuff. Biking was also a problem. It hurt.
I went to another specialist. He believed in therapy. I was ordered to use rubber bands and use specific motions. Oh, I forgot, there also was a cortisone shot and I was on Anti Inflammatory pills for a year.
This was 4 or five years ago. I no longer take pills. But I do the same exercise every day. My arm is about 90% of before the crash. I still avoid sudden jerky motions such as golf or tennis.
I know, it is no fun but such is life. I do not like operations and this doctor did not recommend it either.

inkblot

I agree with the others recommending immediate medical attention and predicting that your orthopedist will send you to a physical therapist. It's important to start treatment as rapidly as possible; with delay comes the possibility of permanent damage. It won't get better by itself.

Road Fan

I fell off the bike 14 months ago. Landed on my shoulder, some pain, but mostly good range of motion, so with my doc I decided to "let it get better." It was imaged and verified no breakage, no dislocation. I was lucky not to have broken my collarbone.

Now reading Will Dehne's post, it sounds very similar to my situation.

Five months later it was getting worse, so she (the PCP) got it imaged and got me into PT. Four months later my strength was mostly restored, motion was mostly restored, and I have some daily exercises, plus I'm clear to do some upper body weight work. They used a transcutaneous diffusion of cortizone using an electric current across my shoulder, but otherwise no drugs or surgery.

The overall strategy was,

see what's wrong (x-ray, MRI, or whatever),

bring down the inflamation initially (maybe some drugs or localized meds),

perform strengthening and stretching exercises in a non-injurious program (PT supervision), and

then go on self-management (home exercises, glucosamine, watching out how I do things).

I think it works. I don't expect it's gonna be "all better," but normal life is pretty much back. Re-injury is always a possibility.

My docs said surgery is a possibility, but it is risky in the shoulder, and not always a more successful than therapy. Also the healing has the same issue as with non-invasive treatment, that it takes a long time. Few people can actually keep a shoulder still and allow it to heal.

You need to be able to drive, lift water glasses, and do what you need to. Get it looked at. My dad ignored a similar injury, and the totally frozen shoulder plagued him for the rest of his life.

It might hurt through most of this process.

Road Fan

BluesDawg

Don't see a doctor. Ask a bunch of opinionated old coots on an internet discussion board. That's the smart thing to do.

billydonn

A good athletic trainer is a possible first response too... if you have access to one. If not, get to an orthopedist pronto.

Boudicca

Touche! I deserved that one.

But there again, I did a lot of stretching and then some very gentle weights last night and this morning, along with ice and ibuprofen, and it seems to have helped. At least things are not getting worse, so I've broken the pattern from the last time around (which was about five years ago). My doctor is sick this week, and then I'm traveling the week after that, so I'm going to see if things keep getting better before I head off to another clinic and more x-rays.

DnvrFox

Just a personal story -

Last year during the winter, on a walk, I took a pretty good fall going down an icy slope.

I sort of walked like a duck for a period of time, but ignored going to the doc. A bit later, I developed a severe pain in my left hip, and based on previous injuries and symptoms, self-diagnosed myself with acute bursitis. It felt like it, and I was absolutely sure what that was.

OK, we were going on a trip, and I was still in a lot of pain. So, in desperation, I went to see my osteopath. He checked me out - no way was it acute bursitis. Instead, I had what he called a "shear" a very unusual misplacement of my tail bone area.

He made some adjustments, gave me some exercises, I went in again in 2 days, and had my trip nearly pain free.

So, in summary, I wa sure I had self-diagnosed correctly, but was totally wrong. I failed to allow my osteopath the opportunity to correct my situation, and, in effect, was in pain for a couple of months when I didn't need to be.

Dumb? You betcha!

Boudicca

Just an update, and a couple of days after posting the above, the shoulder stopped hurting as suddenly as it started. WTF, but oh, in a good way.

I reckon it was all the advice what did it.

stapfam

Just as long as you did not take the advice (Except see the Quack) and bu**er it up completely.

Road Fan

Great news, Boudicca, it sounds like we talked you back to health!

The power of 50+ is awesome!

Lenton58 

I'm in sympathy with the quote, but after many years of living in Japan, I've come away with some views about aging, injury and healing that are not the usual point of view in North America. I'll be brief, and I hope it will be worth something to you.

The first thing to do is to find out what if any orthopedic problems exist — X-ray, various scanning techniques. An orthopedic sturgeon can usually be pretty damn conclusive in that department. Next comes nerve problems. Then ligament and muscle problems. My approach in such cases has been to enlist the services of the entire line-up of trained profesinals until I am satisfied that the condition or injury is healling, or is resolving itself in some way. Here in Japan, this can mean going to orthopedic surgeons, massage therapists, chiropractors, accupture, shiatsu, and seitai (an astonishing Japanese art of moving the skeleton alignment). You may be able to access only a portion of these in your location, but my point is that whereas all these are in someway connected, they are usually not all available, and they are often thought of as being exclusionary of each other. Asia is much more acceptable of a wholistic form of treatment for many ailments. Thus, it is easier to gain access to two or even three of these treatments — often by way of the universal national health insurance scheme — which by the way is not cheap but virtually mandatory. If I were you, I would not necessarily volunteer to tell one practitioner type about what the other may or may not being doing for you. In the West, all too often, the various branches of medicine are at war with each other.

While riding my bike one night, about two years ago, I made a silly mistake on a rain-slicked rail trestle. And, being 58-59 at the time, I shortly thereafter began to think — oh hell, this is the sort of thing that an old fart like me may take months or years to get over! A combination of wet, shiny-worn timber, a polished steel railroad track and a burst of power on the cranks threw me directly into the ground and right onto my shoulder. I thought that I had broken something. I could not get up for nearly five minutes. I just lay on the tracks of a busy commuter line, unable to move! The next morning I was totally knackered, and moving my arm more than a fraction of an inch was excrutiating. After an agonizing day at work, I struggled to the orthopedic guy who took an X-ray and declared no damage to bone or ligament. With some anti-inflammatory medicine in hand I went next to a clinic where there is is massage, electric treatment, accupuncture and chiropractic — all the the same clinic! I told them that I had been cleared by the bone guy, and they took good care of me.

Healing takes time, but today I have NO lingering problems as a result of this injury. I slowly, but steadily recovered. This clinic bandaged and taped me up. I was put in a sling and given adhesive heat pads that are popular here. I was given massage, electric impulse treament and a some sort of ray emitting thingy-puffer I'm not familiar with — and was in too much pain to inquire.

Get all the help that you can access and afford. Don't rely on painkillers and time. Sometimes injuries just heal over a problem that remains lurking and waiting for re-injury of some kind. There really are people out there who can help you. And, sometimes you need the help of more than one specialist. Each of these people hold something helpful and important at their disposal.

I sincerely hope that you feel better soon.

oilman_15106

Over the bar crash and a bum shoulder. Finally went to the doc. MRI showed no tear. Cortisone shot in shoulder. 7 weeks of physical therapy. Nothing has changed. Doc said 5% of MRIs do not show true shoulder damage. Hope time will slowly heal things up but sorry to report that 8 months after the crash not a great deal of improvement. Hope your's works out better.

You better hurry if you need surgery. Under the impending government medical plan you may be deemed too old.

Monoborracho

Just an old rule of thumb from my G.P. -- if cortisone helps temporarily its probably muscular damage. If it doesn't help it may be neurological damage.

Lenton58 

what!!??

roadfix

In Japan there is a term for frozen shoulders (adhesive capsilitis). It's called Goju no kata. It means '50 year old shoulder'.