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shoulder to hand pain
I fell in 2003 landing on my outstretched hand and broke a small bone in my hand - either the triquetrum or pisiform - don't recall any more. Ever since then I've had ulnar pain from my hand into my shoulder that just doesn't go away, it gets a bit better sometimes, but can get easily irritated. I take aspirin and antinflamatory meds every night to help me deal with the pain. However right now I'm awake because it hurts and I can't sleep.
When I fell, my attention was on my hand since it really hurt, so I didn't notice the shoulder pain right away. I've had my ulnar nerve tested and it was fine, and one doctor suggested moving the nerve around at my elbow, but I just really feel that the problem is in my shoulder not my elbow! I also went to a doctor specializing in shoulders but he just moved my shoulder around and said I was fine... I remember just bursting into tears, he didn't even want to take any x-rays. Yet when I get a massage I've learned to tell the practitioner not to rotate my arm at all because it irritates it and makes it worse. No real problem with pulling and massaging, but rotating does something - and it isn't my rotator cuff. Sometimes it feels like I have a little bone chip in there because I can hear something grinding in there. It also gets worse if I sleep on that shoulder.
I thought for a while that it would eventually go away, but clearly it hasn't. And I can't imagine I'm the only one around to have fallen on an outstretched hand and injured my shoulder! It just makes sense to me that as my elbow as locked when I fell, my shoulder would have taken a lot of the force of the fall too. What do I say to a doctor to be taken seriously about my shoulder? I wish I could at least get an x-ray, although I don't know if that would show a little bone chip or some other kind of injury...
Unfortunately, the second fall took place at work and since I didn't mention the shoulder when I first went in, it wasn't documented, so when I brought it up subsequently they didn't want to look at it.... The case was never closed so I'm thinking of going into see them again to try to push them on the shoulder...or I may just go to a workers comp lawyer to see if they can get through to them so that I can get some help on this.
When I fell, my attention was on my hand since it really hurt, so I didn't notice the shoulder pain right away. I've had my ulnar nerve tested and it was fine, and one doctor suggested moving the nerve around at my elbow, but I just really feel that the problem is in my shoulder not my elbow! I also went to a doctor specializing in shoulders but he just moved my shoulder around and said I was fine... I remember just bursting into tears, he didn't even want to take any x-rays. Yet when I get a massage I've learned to tell the practitioner not to rotate my arm at all because it irritates it and makes it worse. No real problem with pulling and massaging, but rotating does something - and it isn't my rotator cuff. Sometimes it feels like I have a little bone chip in there because I can hear something grinding in there. It also gets worse if I sleep on that shoulder.
I thought for a while that it would eventually go away, but clearly it hasn't. And I can't imagine I'm the only one around to have fallen on an outstretched hand and injured my shoulder! It just makes sense to me that as my elbow as locked when I fell, my shoulder would have taken a lot of the force of the fall too. What do I say to a doctor to be taken seriously about my shoulder? I wish I could at least get an x-ray, although I don't know if that would show a little bone chip or some other kind of injury...
Unfortunately, the second fall took place at work and since I didn't mention the shoulder when I first went in, it wasn't documented, so when I brought it up subsequently they didn't want to look at it.... The case was never closed so I'm thinking of going into see them again to try to push them on the shoulder...or I may just go to a workers comp lawyer to see if they can get through to them so that I can get some help on this.
I had recently lifted my 'Murphy Bed' with one arm to vacum under it. Stupd me being so heavy. I started have MAD spasm to my neck, clavivle, shoulderblade, and my shoulder to the back it feels like someone has punched me like crazy. went to my doctor who trid to cover pain with drugs. just want a 'muscle relaxer to STOP the crazy spasms. went to emergerncy, just gave me a neck brace that hurt even worse. ER sent me to a spine specialist wo then gave me an mri and of could was 'just spinning wheels' found a sort of pinch nerve and gave me a shot in each cheek and then3 shots one in back of neck, one close to dip in shoulder, the next directly in clavicle. OUCH I couldn't move off my bed for a day the pain was so bad. Along with that I now feel lik my shoulder is sliding in and out of socket with my first three fingers on my left hand 'constantly' tingling like i hit my funny bone. it's diriving me NUTs. I hate taking pain killers and afraid these shots are going to only mask the pain and oNCE AGAIN I'll be hurting......helllllp me should I have my regular doctor refer an orthopedic to me if in 2 weeks those stuid shots dont help. my Best friend is an MRI specilist and said he couldnt read anything because the spine institue only ordered cervical MRI.
Thanks, yes, I figured it might be very uncommon to do that and that is why the doctor didn't think I had anything wrong with my shoulder... but I keep wondering if there might have been a small fracture in my shoulder that wasn't noticed...
Is it possible to just have a small bone chip in there? As I mentioned, sometimes I can hear something in my shoulder when I rotate it.
Thanks.
Is it possible to just have a small bone chip in there? As I mentioned, sometimes I can hear something in my shoulder when I rotate it.
Thanks.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Ulnar nerve starts from the brachial plexus. Most of the upper limb nerves come from Brachial plexus. It has its course in the arm, forarm, hand.
The ulnar nerve comes from the medial cord of the brachial plexus, and runs inferior on the posterior and medial (posteromedial) aspects of the humerus down the arm, going behind the medial epicondyle, through the cubital tunnel, at the elbow (where it is exposed for a few centimeters, just above the joint).
After it travels down the ulna, the ulnar nerve enters the palm of the hand.
It is very difficult to have ulnar nerve injury in the arm, shoulder without any fracture during the injury but it is always good to explain your neurologist everything.
Remember one thing, any drug which is consumed causes some side effects. Over the counter drug is not a dietary supplement so that you can consume regularly. Long term consumption of drugs should only be taken with a prescription, The choice is yours and take the right course. Take care!
The ulnar nerve comes from the medial cord of the brachial plexus, and runs inferior on the posterior and medial (posteromedial) aspects of the humerus down the arm, going behind the medial epicondyle, through the cubital tunnel, at the elbow (where it is exposed for a few centimeters, just above the joint).
After it travels down the ulna, the ulnar nerve enters the palm of the hand.
It is very difficult to have ulnar nerve injury in the arm, shoulder without any fracture during the injury but it is always good to explain your neurologist everything.
Remember one thing, any drug which is consumed causes some side effects. Over the counter drug is not a dietary supplement so that you can consume regularly. Long term consumption of drugs should only be taken with a prescription, The choice is yours and take the right course. Take care!
Thanks for your reply! (wow I didn't realize my post was so long!)
However, my main question still remains, but I'll try to make it a bit more concise (I'm more awake now too!)
Is there a particular injury to the ulnar nerve in the area of the shoulder that might be caused (and more commonly seen) when a person falls with their arm outstretched - so as to cause the top of the humerus to be shoved into the shoulder? I want to be prepared when I see the doctor again - to be able to clearly explain it or put it in a way he might consider it more seriously.... because when I talk about the symptoms in my hand, they just want to look at the elbow or the wrist and not the shoulder.
The doctor I saw was a top orthopedic surgeon in San Francisco, and I had such high hopes because of that. I don't know if to go back to him and say, okay, it's been 2-3 years and I'm still in pain, or to just find someone else...
About the anti-inflamatory drugs.... I don't know if it makes a difference or not in what you are telling me, but I usually take 1-2 baby asprin and a really effective (and expensive!) over the counter antiinflamatory supplement: Zyflamend, that contains among other things: Tumeric, Rosemary, Ginger, Holy Basil, green tea extract and about 5 other roots or leaves. So I hope it is better to take than a prescription drug might be... But just in case, every so often I stop taking it to see if it is really working, to see if I still have as much pain without it, and to give my system a rest from it.... and well, I had just done that, and that is why I was having so much pain last night.
I would really appreciate opinions about what is happening with my shoulder and if it is okay to stay on this kind of supplement longer term....
However, my main question still remains, but I'll try to make it a bit more concise (I'm more awake now too!)
Is there a particular injury to the ulnar nerve in the area of the shoulder that might be caused (and more commonly seen) when a person falls with their arm outstretched - so as to cause the top of the humerus to be shoved into the shoulder? I want to be prepared when I see the doctor again - to be able to clearly explain it or put it in a way he might consider it more seriously.... because when I talk about the symptoms in my hand, they just want to look at the elbow or the wrist and not the shoulder.
The doctor I saw was a top orthopedic surgeon in San Francisco, and I had such high hopes because of that. I don't know if to go back to him and say, okay, it's been 2-3 years and I'm still in pain, or to just find someone else...
About the anti-inflamatory drugs.... I don't know if it makes a difference or not in what you are telling me, but I usually take 1-2 baby asprin and a really effective (and expensive!) over the counter antiinflamatory supplement: Zyflamend, that contains among other things: Tumeric, Rosemary, Ginger, Holy Basil, green tea extract and about 5 other roots or leaves. So I hope it is better to take than a prescription drug might be... But just in case, every so often I stop taking it to see if it is really working, to see if I still have as much pain without it, and to give my system a rest from it.... and well, I had just done that, and that is why I was having so much pain last night.
I would really appreciate opinions about what is happening with my shoulder and if it is okay to stay on this kind of supplement longer term....
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