Arthritis Shoulder Pain

I had been having pain in my shoulder and down my arm on my left side. It felt like rotator cuff pain since I had had a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. However after an MRI and x-rays my ortho dr said I had shoulder arthritis, bone on bone. However since I have full ROM and most of my strength my dr said I don't need a TSR for 3-5 years.
However my pain level right now is very sharp at times and my arm feels unatttached. I'm just wondering how I could go from zero arthritis pain 2.5 months ago to pain that's now sometimes 8/10? Also I have arthritis in my knees but no significant pain compared to my shoulder. Could it be that maybe I have some kind of nerve damage that's causing my pain? Any tips would be appreciated.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

If other cause did not show up on the MRI, these are unlikely to be present. With bone on bone a TSR would be required sooner or later. In the current situation I would advise consulting your orthopedician for appropriate symptomatic/ pain management and control of inflammation. If conservative management does not seem to help, it may be worthwhile going ahead with the surgery.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!