Aa
can someone help me with this please
Ok so yeseterday i went to my dr because my shoulder has been bothering me for roughly 3 weeks getting worse by the day to the point now where it hurts really bad if i pick my arm up anything over parallel with the ground and it pops and all of that and is reallly painful and get really bad at night because of the way i sleep so i get up every bout hour and a half because i cant stand the pain and my dr said he ruled out it being a torn rotator cuff and believes i have arthritis in both shoulders my question is what kind of arthritis can sneek up on someone that quick i mean i have never had problems before like this i mean at night my arm has bothered me a little but i always just thought that it was cause of how i sleep because it was like that feeling you get when your foot falls asleep but not anymore now it is just pain i have to get xrays today on my shoulder so he can see more about it but it will be a few days before he can see me again so i am just wondering if anyone could shed some light on this for me before then because i have never heard of something like this just coming on so fast cause in three weeks it had gone from a little pain to severe pain and its just weird that it could be arthritis because i am only a 24 year old male any help would be great im just worrying myself to death about this because i just got over back surgery that i had about 7 months ago and now this and i am so tired of all of the pain and not to mention the pain pills that i have finally got off of after being addicted to them for about 3 years since i started having back problems
Thanx
ABritt
Thanx
ABritt
Hi abritt121222,
I'm soon to be 64 years old in July. When I was 28 years old SUDDENLY my left leg began to ache really bad. It would throb so badly at night that I would have my husband try to pull on it (it felt like something needed to be popped back into place. (Like a finger when it needs to be popped.) I waited a full year before I told my Mom because I thought it was cancer of the bone. (A very STUPID thing for me to do.) She immediately got me to go to an Orthopedic specialist and we discovered that I had a VERY advanced case of Osteoarthritis on my left hip. So severe that it needed to be replaced soon but because I was so young they had me wait as long as I could stand it. I waited until I was 35 years old. ( They had me on Tylox 6 times a day for a year and Darvocet 100's since I was originally diagnosed so that I would be able to put off the surgery.) They wanted me to wait because the hip joints at that time were made for the elderly people that wouldn"t put much wear and tear on them. When they finally did the surgery they discovered that there was absolutely NO hip joint left at all. They had NO idea how I had been able to walk. I used a cane for the past 5 years.
Sorry to make this so long, but wanted you to see that it DEFINITELY happens in young people (they guessed I had it since I was around 15 years old). It also just begins to cause pain suddenly. I'm so SORRY that you will have to face this pain. Please do what your Dr. tells you to do and if it is arthritis see if he can send you to a Rheumatologist. They will be able to help you or send you to Pain Management.
Again I hope this is not arthritis it makes for a VERY long road ahead for someone so young.
Best of luck to you and please let us no the outcome.--Sherry
I'm soon to be 64 years old in July. When I was 28 years old SUDDENLY my left leg began to ache really bad. It would throb so badly at night that I would have my husband try to pull on it (it felt like something needed to be popped back into place. (Like a finger when it needs to be popped.) I waited a full year before I told my Mom because I thought it was cancer of the bone. (A very STUPID thing for me to do.) She immediately got me to go to an Orthopedic specialist and we discovered that I had a VERY advanced case of Osteoarthritis on my left hip. So severe that it needed to be replaced soon but because I was so young they had me wait as long as I could stand it. I waited until I was 35 years old. ( They had me on Tylox 6 times a day for a year and Darvocet 100's since I was originally diagnosed so that I would be able to put off the surgery.) They wanted me to wait because the hip joints at that time were made for the elderly people that wouldn"t put much wear and tear on them. When they finally did the surgery they discovered that there was absolutely NO hip joint left at all. They had NO idea how I had been able to walk. I used a cane for the past 5 years.
Sorry to make this so long, but wanted you to see that it DEFINITELY happens in young people (they guessed I had it since I was around 15 years old). It also just begins to cause pain suddenly. I'm so SORRY that you will have to face this pain. Please do what your Dr. tells you to do and if it is arthritis see if he can send you to a Rheumatologist. They will be able to help you or send you to Pain Management.
Again I hope this is not arthritis it makes for a VERY long road ahead for someone so young.
Best of luck to you and please let us no the outcome.--Sherry
Hello Abritt,
Welcome to the Pain Mangement Forum. I am glad that you found us and took the time to post. I am very sorry to hear about your shoulder pain. We all know how difficult chronic pain is to deal with on a daily basis. You've come to the right place.
Sherry has given you some great information. Indeed arthritis can happen almost "over night." There are several types of arthritis, osteoarthritis, which is the most common and generally seen in older adults. There is also rheumatoid arthritis which is less common but usually more crippling. They are both very painful.
I too suggest that you request a referral to a rheumatologist. They are the experts in treating inflammatory disease, especially arthritis. However I would want to rule out other causes before I jumped to the conclusion that your pain is caused by arthritis.
An x-ray is a good starting point but there are other imaging that will provide your physician with a more detailed picture, such as an MRI.
Because you have a history of spinal structure problems I would not to be assured that this pain is not related to a thoracic or cervical spine problem. Again imaging can rule those conditions in or out.
It is unfortunate that you have a history of addiction as your pain may become significant. The first option in treating an inflammatory disease will obviously be NSAID. There are some good prescription MSAID available but they can play havoc with your GI system. Of course there are other options available such as steroidal injections an oral bursts of steroids. But it's probably too soon to discuss them until you have a definitive diagnosis.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will keep in touch with us and let us know how you are doing. Be assertive and insist on answers.
Take Care,
~Tuck
Welcome to the Pain Mangement Forum. I am glad that you found us and took the time to post. I am very sorry to hear about your shoulder pain. We all know how difficult chronic pain is to deal with on a daily basis. You've come to the right place.
Sherry has given you some great information. Indeed arthritis can happen almost "over night." There are several types of arthritis, osteoarthritis, which is the most common and generally seen in older adults. There is also rheumatoid arthritis which is less common but usually more crippling. They are both very painful.
I too suggest that you request a referral to a rheumatologist. They are the experts in treating inflammatory disease, especially arthritis. However I would want to rule out other causes before I jumped to the conclusion that your pain is caused by arthritis.
An x-ray is a good starting point but there are other imaging that will provide your physician with a more detailed picture, such as an MRI.
Because you have a history of spinal structure problems I would not to be assured that this pain is not related to a thoracic or cervical spine problem. Again imaging can rule those conditions in or out.
It is unfortunate that you have a history of addiction as your pain may become significant. The first option in treating an inflammatory disease will obviously be NSAID. There are some good prescription MSAID available but they can play havoc with your GI system. Of course there are other options available such as steroidal injections an oral bursts of steroids. But it's probably too soon to discuss them until you have a definitive diagnosis.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will keep in touch with us and let us know how you are doing. Be assertive and insist on answers.
Take Care,
~Tuck
Are you seeing an orthopedic?
My story in short version. Had shoulder pain for two years, my PCP could never figure it out. Did an x-ray, & MRI, few days later he said all looked normal, but wanted me to go see a sports doctor (orthopedic) too see if they could help. I have never had a trauma too the area, nor do I do repetitive motions. I am right handed, & it was my left shoulder. Saw ortho, he himself looked at MRI film himself, showed me the fluid, cyst, & inflammation. Long story short, the intial radiologist either did not bother to really look at it or he missed it all together. I ended up having to have a tenodesis & scoping of the bones. That was in Jan 10, all better & pain free. Of course I still do home excersies to get strength back, but pain all gone. I did try the injections before surgery, for some reason the fluid & inflammation just kept expanding. Never learned why my shoulder became that way. I guess as we get older things fall apart, not sure. I am only 39.
If you don't see an orthopedic at the moment it could not help trying one. The one I saw deals with sports injuries.
Good luck, hope it gets better, I know the night pain all to well & feel for you.
My story in short version. Had shoulder pain for two years, my PCP could never figure it out. Did an x-ray, & MRI, few days later he said all looked normal, but wanted me to go see a sports doctor (orthopedic) too see if they could help. I have never had a trauma too the area, nor do I do repetitive motions. I am right handed, & it was my left shoulder. Saw ortho, he himself looked at MRI film himself, showed me the fluid, cyst, & inflammation. Long story short, the intial radiologist either did not bother to really look at it or he missed it all together. I ended up having to have a tenodesis & scoping of the bones. That was in Jan 10, all better & pain free. Of course I still do home excersies to get strength back, but pain all gone. I did try the injections before surgery, for some reason the fluid & inflammation just kept expanding. Never learned why my shoulder became that way. I guess as we get older things fall apart, not sure. I am only 39.
If you don't see an orthopedic at the moment it could not help trying one. The one I saw deals with sports injuries.
Good luck, hope it gets better, I know the night pain all to well & feel for you.
thanx to you all for the advice i had my xrays done a couple days ago and for some reason the results still have not got to my dr so all i can do now is hope and prey that it is something that is not going to be another life long problem for me because even tho i had surgery on my back oh and by the way i saw u said sholder pain could be from back problems but im not sure if my back problems would cause sholder pain or not but what was wrong with my back was i had two fractures in my l5 vert and had to get 2 bone fusions one on each side of my vert and 2 screws i dont think that would have and effect on my shoulders but then again i really dont know well thanx again for all the help and i will surely keep yall posted on everything i find out
Thanx again
ABritt
Thanx again
ABritt
My uncle very recently had a cervical fusion. Prior to surgery he had tremendous shoulder and and some arm pain. He could not lift his arm very high or it caused great pain in his shoulder. Almost immediately after surgery his shoulder pain was 90% better.
Please don't think that I am saying that is the cause of your pain. I just think it could be a possibility that should be considered.
We'll look forward to your next update.
~Tuck
Please don't think that I am saying that is the cause of your pain. I just think it could be a possibility that should be considered.
We'll look forward to your next update.
~Tuck
thats weird that you say that because actually about 7 months ago i had to have to fusions done on my l5 vert and also two screws due to two fractures one on each side of the l5.
but my doc did not get my report from my xrays friday so i have to go in tomorrow and hopefully he has them but it had def not got any better actually i would say worse because my shoulder is still giving me alot of problems and hurting during the day now to and this weekend my girlfriend and I went to a festival friday and sat and by the middle of the day on friday my right hip was hurting so bad that i could hardly walk but i kept going because her and my mom both say the pain i am having is coming from me not getting enough excercise since i have had back surgery but i know that is not what it is because the pain that i felt in my leg is a pain i have never felt before and i do not believe that is the cause and i am more and more worried now that it is some kind of arthritis in my joints just because of th hip pain i am having that i have never had before because that is two of my joints i have never had problems with that have both started hurting in the last month and i have not had any kind of injuries on either
well thanx for all the help again and ill keep everyone posted
Thanx
Abritt
but my doc did not get my report from my xrays friday so i have to go in tomorrow and hopefully he has them but it had def not got any better actually i would say worse because my shoulder is still giving me alot of problems and hurting during the day now to and this weekend my girlfriend and I went to a festival friday and sat and by the middle of the day on friday my right hip was hurting so bad that i could hardly walk but i kept going because her and my mom both say the pain i am having is coming from me not getting enough excercise since i have had back surgery but i know that is not what it is because the pain that i felt in my leg is a pain i have never felt before and i do not believe that is the cause and i am more and more worried now that it is some kind of arthritis in my joints just because of th hip pain i am having that i have never had before because that is two of my joints i have never had problems with that have both started hurting in the last month and i have not had any kind of injuries on either
well thanx for all the help again and ill keep everyone posted
Thanx
Abritt
It is interesting that you had fusion recently. I assume you mean in the L5. usually if you blow a disc due to the fusion it is immediately above or below the fusion but obviously anything is possible.
Because you also have pain in your hips I would certainly consult a rheumatologist. He/she can rule out or in arthritis. They are the experts in arthritis and inflamatory conditions, early treatment is essential.
Have you been checked for Lymes Disease? There are a host of inflamatory disorders that should be ruled in or out.
A simple explanation of your hip pains is that your gait may have changed with the fusion and the onset of shoulder pain. Often we change gaits to compensate for pain originating in another portion of our body. We are not usually even aware that our gait has changed or that we are guarding and compensating. Even a minor gait change can cause hips, legs and sometimes our feet to hurt. Sounds strange but it is true.
At any rate I appreciate your update and will look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Peace,
~Tuck
Because you also have pain in your hips I would certainly consult a rheumatologist. He/she can rule out or in arthritis. They are the experts in arthritis and inflamatory conditions, early treatment is essential.
Have you been checked for Lymes Disease? There are a host of inflamatory disorders that should be ruled in or out.
A simple explanation of your hip pains is that your gait may have changed with the fusion and the onset of shoulder pain. Often we change gaits to compensate for pain originating in another portion of our body. We are not usually even aware that our gait has changed or that we are guarding and compensating. Even a minor gait change can cause hips, legs and sometimes our feet to hurt. Sounds strange but it is true.
At any rate I appreciate your update and will look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Peace,
~Tuck
well my doc got the reports from my xrays back yesterday and they came back ok it said but my doc sais that doesnt mean nothings wrong because he said something is def wrong with my shoulders because they should not be popping and grinding like they are and there is not going to be pain that is getting worse if nothing is wrong so i have to get an mri asap so he can find out what is the problem he also said he was pretty sure the xrays would come back ok but he has to take all the small steps like that in order to get my insurance to pay for an mri which really stinks cause now i am no closer to finding out what is wrong and am still in horrible pain
ABritt
ABritt
Don't worry you are through with the small steps and NOW you can get the answers that you have been waiting for. In a way you should be glad that the x-rays didn't show anything BECAUSE x-rays don't show anything in comparison to an MRI. I had x-rays on my back in 1989 and they showed nothing and my Dr. also knew something was srong and ordered the MRI and sure enough I had a ruptured disc that had ruptured straight out the back and therefore didn't show up on the x-ray.
I hope you can get your answers soon and will let us all know!!
Take Care...Sherry
I hope you can get your answers soon and will let us all know!!
Take Care...Sherry
Your physician is correct. They usually have to start with the least expensive imaging and work their way up to justify this to your insurance company. In my opinion it costs more money than just getting the detailed imaging in the first place.
If I understood insurance companies I would probably be rich! :)
I know how difficult it can be to take the slow route and I am sorry that you have to go through the wait. In the long run it will be the best approach as you will not be left with an expensive test because the insurance carrier denied payment.
Hang in there abritt. You didn't say or I missed it but I hope your physician is prescribing you something to control your pain. If he is not don't be afraid to ask. You deserve some pain control at the very least until you get some answers.
I'll look forward to hearing from you again soon.
My Best to You,
~Tuck
If I understood insurance companies I would probably be rich! :)
I know how difficult it can be to take the slow route and I am sorry that you have to go through the wait. In the long run it will be the best approach as you will not be left with an expensive test because the insurance carrier denied payment.
Hang in there abritt. You didn't say or I missed it but I hope your physician is prescribing you something to control your pain. If he is not don't be afraid to ask. You deserve some pain control at the very least until you get some answers.
I'll look forward to hearing from you again soon.
My Best to You,
~Tuck
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