shoulder pain

We are out of ideas!... its been about 5 months and my dad, 69, has had severe shoulder pain in his left shoulder. Tried a cortisone shot, decided it wasn't muscle pain; thinking that it could be a nerve thing. The pain goes on and off for an hour or so, a couple times a day, causing him to yell out and jar his body. He has had an MRI, x-rays, seen a chriopractic physical therapiest, still no help. Doctors that he has seen can not seem to pin the problem. He is on a number of pain medications which only help sometimes, for a little while. The only way to yield the pain is to lay in bed and not move; can not even go to work because movement and stresses make it severely painful. Any ideas or advice? appreciate your help!

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

Was the MRI done on the shoulder or the spine? Is there limitation of movement of the arms? Did your father's doctor consider a rotator cuff tear or injury? What about bursitis?

There are many causes of shoulder pain with RCT and bursitis being among the most common. If these 2 have not been considered yet, it might be advisable to mention them to your father's physicians.

Hope this helps.