Shoulder Pain, Tingly Arm, Pinched Nerve?

[MPankratz]

Hello, for over a month now I've been having tingling and numbness in the L hand and some in the L arm.  Its not exactly the pins-and-needles feeling i get from sleeping on the hand sometimes, but it is similar.  About last week I began having a burning pain in my shoulder and shooting pains in my L forearm.  I saw a doctor (physicians assistant, actually) who said that it was probably a pinched nerve.

He also said that my left hand was much weaker than my right.  This bothered me because I'm left handed and thought that at work I used my left for most of the lifting.  I could be wrong, in retrospect.  There is actually a visual difference in my left and right biceps.

I was given tylenol 3 for the pain (1 every 4 hours).  I had been taking aspiren w/ codeine (200mg/8mg) before i was given this prescription (they were purchased OTC when I was in canada).  I think they might have cut down in the effectiveness of it because now when I take it, I only get pain relief for 30 minutes at the most (and really only if i chew it).  The pain keeps getting worse and I'm beggining to think it isn't a pinched nerve.  Surely if it were, it would have been better within a month especially with NSAID + narcotic treatment I had been using.

Is it possible its some peripheral neuropathy?

[karebear1]

I am a 37 year old female whom has been going through extreme pain for almost six months now. Pain starts at the back of my head, goes down my neck across my shoulders and down my right arm, giving me very limited use of my right arm, and very bad headaches. My GP thinks it is fibromylgia but I don't think it is.  Having an MRI on Oct30/05 of my neck and shoulder hopefully that will tell us what is going on.  I think it might be a pinched nerve. Also was in car accident 5yrs ago about 10wks pregnant at the time of the accident. Does anyone have any suggestions? confused?

[Largest Olgars]

I am seeking knowledge.  I started experiencing the symptoms of a pinched nerve at C6 in mid-July of this year.  It is not readily improving, and I would like to learn what treatment solutions have worked for others.  My symptoms are: parasthesia, tingling from the left upper shoulder, down the tricep, across the forearm and down to the end of the left thumb.  The parasthesia intensifies into a dull ache, and then into a sharp ache, if I persist in testing it.  The movement that produces the problem is extension of the neck (tilting head back past upright).  Since onset 90 days ago, the problem is getting worse, not better.  This is ruining my life, thanks.  Largest Olgars.

[brigirl]

Hi,  I'm a 42 year old female and I've been suffering with shoulder pain on my left side since last fall.  I slipped on a ceramic floor and landed on outstretched hands.  I landed with such force and bruised both palms of my hands immediately.  The pain I felt at the time was in my hands and felt no immediate pain in the shoulder area.  A couple of days later my shoulder began to pain and worsened as the days went on.  I went to my GP and he sent me for xrays of my shoulder.  He said that I had sprained my shoulder and sent me for physio.  I attended physio every week for four and a half months.  I was treated with electric muscle stimulation, ultrasound, infrared and accupuncture.
It is now a year later and I am still suffering with constant pain.  I cannot sleep at night, I wake every couple of hours due to pain.  I can't lift my arm above my head making it very difficult to get dressed or brush my hair.  When I attempt to move my arm above my head or to the side, I get a severe pain that radiates down my arm and up to my ear.  It actually almost feels as if my shoulder may be slipping out of joint at times.  
Any advice you could give me would be appreciated.  Any exercises that may help, or any ideas on why this won't go away.  Any suggestions that I may pass along to my GP of what may be causing all the pain or a remedy for it would be appreciated.
Thanks so much, Bri

[Jturley]

I am female, 48  yr. old, recently diagnosed with Osteoporosis. On top of that I have had what I considered stiff neck most of my life. Although stiff, not debilitating nor have my activities been restricted. Approx. 6 weeks ago, the stiffness and stabbing pains in the upper right shoulder blade area were intense to the point of driving me for relief. I scheduled a massage specific to this area to try and gain relief; but to no avail. Soon after the massage I began with the tingling down my right arm. I visited my primary care physician for the routine x-ray, 6 pk of steroids and muscle relaxers. The x-ray showed C5, C6 and C7 with little disc space; the steroids gave no relief and the muscle relaxers only knocked me out. The tingling became more intense and more frequent and no relief of back pain. An MRI was scheduled, the report was taken to a Spine specialist. Unfortunately the quality of the MRI was too poor to obtain a clear reading (per the specialist comment). What he could see was a limited amount of spinal fluid around the C5,6,7 area and possibly some abnormality. He has prescribed Neurontin (300mg) to settle the nerve ending pains/discomforts until we can get more tests scheduled (Mylogram and EMG). I wait anxiously to get the results of the two new tests and to understand the next steps. The neurontin is a very strong medicine to be taken at night only...with my body size, they have started me on 100mg for first week, 200mg next week, 300 mg third week; I have been on the 100mg dose for 6 days and can see some relief in the intensity of the tingling sensations. However the numbness is still present in my right hand and has not diminished. The pains in my neck/back area are still present and are more bothersome as the days drag on.

[Domino1124]

I've had a pain at the top of my shoulder now for about a week.  It's travel's at times from there to that little knot that connects the back of your neck to your shoulder blade, and then to my bicep (if I had one)down to the elbow area (the front part actually). the arm part doesnt really hurt, though at time I feel pain and a need to reach back and squeeze that knot or the top part of my shoulder.  but it is such a big dull ache that I can barely concentrate at times.  When the pain does come I feel like I have to move it to get relief but no kind of movement help.  The whole area at differnet spots at times get's rely tingly to the point of thinking it's itchy and just the slight pressure of a warm squeeze or light rubbing very temporarily helps (meaning feels okay only while being rubbed or squeezed).  I've been told by friends that I am favoring my right side.  I have been told by a doctor that I do indeed have a pinched nerve and was prescribed Skelaxin 800mgs to be taken twice a day and Naproxen 500 mgs to be taken 3 times a day.  I started taking the meds  two day ago and have no relief.  How long does it take this medicine to start working?  What can I do to help it?  Thx

[TXneurology]

Have the NCV/EMG first and then decide. It is not a good idea to have axonal injury from entrapment ulnar neuropathy. If your case is mild, conservative therapy is often warranted. However, if it is severe, surgery is an option.