upper back/shoulder pain

I woke up last thursday with what I thought was tightness in my upper back and shoulder on my right side.  As the day went on it felt a little tighter and uncomfortable.  By friday I was having an ache and pinching sensation.  I went and had a massage and iced and started taking anti-inflammatories.  When I woke up saturday I was having an increase in pain and swelling, so I went to the ER seeking relief for pain and discomfort.  I was given an injection of toradol and prescriptions for painkillers and muscle relaxers.  Two days after that I am still having great pain and pinching down to my elbow.  I have slight numbing and tingling, but mostly sharp pains with long dull aches.  I have been an athlete all my life and have played softball for 20 years.  If it is a muscle pull, it would be the worse I've had.  I don't want to go see the ortho for just a strain, but to be honest, the pain in getting worse.  I can't imagine it's a tear since I wasn't doing anything at the time I noticed pain.  Could it be a pinched nerve?  How long does it take to recover from that?  Anyone have any suggestions for relief without taking the pills?  I've tried massage, heat, ice, rest.  The arm still hurts when laying down, coughing, or inhaling deeply.  

Thanks in advance.

Orange County

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

I would suggest you to recollect if you had any fall, injury or any accident recently involving your arm or shoulder. It can also be related to cervical spine and back problems.

You would need a proper examination to rule out muscle or tendon involvement in your shoulder joint or arm and it is very difficult to diagnose nerve involvement without examination.

I would suggest you to continue applying ice packs and take intermittent NSAIDs and follow up with an orthopedician for an examination before undergoing any physical therapy.

Take care!