pain in the shoulders and a dull ache in both arms

[han88]

over the last month i've felt occasional discomfort in both of my arms, it feels like a dull ache which i put it down to poor circulation. i've also recently suffered from a severe kidney infection so put it to the back of my mind however it's become far more regular, pretty much every day, and far more uncomfortable leading to a numb feeling.
i've also had some minor neck and shoulder ache.
i'm not really sure where to look for advice, it's just concerning me and effecting my sleep, i'm a 20yr old female, i lead a fairly active lifestyle however recently i've noticed my energy levels drop dramatically.
i'm on the hunt of some reassurance really!!
ta

[Kimberly1974]

I have been hurting for about nine months now in both shoulders, the right side is worse, it's not a full pain it's sharp pain and it radiates down to my elbow on the right side but in the left side it's just my shoulder , that's how it started on the right side, could this possibly be fibro????

[rambopeep]

Hi, I have a similar problem to yours. I also have neck pain, right shoulder pain and numbness in my arms when sleeping, also assuming it was a circulation problem. I also went to a Chiropractor for my neck and shoulder pain, thinking they were all related, and it turns out I have carpal tunnel syndrome. The numbness wasn't related to my shoulder at all. That was a whole separate issue. My neck pain was caused from years of poor posture ( I tend to jut my chin out) and stress. My shoulder was from a work related strain. Almost 9 months after beginning treatments, my neck is now much more relaxed, and the shoulder pain is completely gone and I sleep with a brace on my right arm when needed at night. It is a bit of a pain, but my tingling can get so bad that it down right hurts and wakes me up multiple times. Once I put it on, it completely eases off almost immediately.

Your energy level is probably decreasing, because you are being robbed of your sleep. See your doctor to rule out any other causes, but it sounds like you have mild carpal tunnel syndrome.

[Thorninside]

You probably haven't had any response on your question because most who come here have the same frustration that is normally dubbed "fibromyalgia" by the doctors.  I've had the same complaint for about 18 years or so and at one point I could hardly raise my arms from the side out without terrible pain.  My rhumatologist said "fibro" after doing the tender point test (can find it by googling fibromyalgia) and doing  some blood work that said I didn't have rhumatoid arthritis.
  My orthopedic doc said rotator cuff (sp?) inflammation in both shoulders and after giving me a round of steriod shots in my shoulder joint (now that hurts) he said that all he had left to offer was surgery to shave the bone where the muscles rub.  I opted for chiropractic care.
Although the pain is never gone, my range of motion is almost 100% in my shoulders. I've been seeing my chiro for about 3 years and he has helped me a lot with therapy and muscle stimulation as well as the adjustments.
  My body has decided to add some trouble that even he can't fix, thus the reason for coming here.  So if I find anything else out where the beginning symptoms are what you described, I'll post them.  Good Luck!