Shoulder

[weecalf]

Fell 10 weeks ago on bent arm have had constant pain in shoulder down arm even in rib cage since .Xray didn’t show break .doing physio .exercises ,pain killers ,rubs nothing will help After 10 weeks should be showing some signs of easing but nothing .

[Sqad]

Not enough information, nowhere near enough for a diagnosis and hence advice tobe given.
Does the pain remain constant throughout the day a night or is it worse at rest, in bed and if you lie on that shoulder?
Can you lift the affected arm above your head?

[Buenchico]

When I injured my wrist in a fall (many years ago) my basic first aid training told me that it was far more likely to be a fracture than a sprain because
(a) it was 'direct impact' injury, with the bone striking the pavement, rather than a 'tear' injury, where soft tissue is strained ; and
(b) I could identify an exact point from which the pain was emanating, rather than the pain coming from a more general area.

However the hospital staff couldn't see a fracture on the X-ray and decided that it was just a sprain. A fortnight later though I returned to the hospital, still in as much pain as ever. The original X-ray was re-examined and a fracture was then seen.

So just because the hospital staff couldn't see a fracture on your X-ray, it doesn't mean that your shoulder isn't broken.

[woofgang]

a friend of mine broke her pelvis and was told she hadn't. It wasn't until she was told to stand up and she fell over that they believed her.

[weecalf]

Okay It’s sore all the time ,at in bed ,can’t sleep ,can’t lift arm above putting my arm out straight of me . Pain soots in as I sit stand .Can shrug shoulders no pain, sometime pain in very edge of shoulder going up towards neck Wrist sore .Pain in bend of arm ,can’t lie on shoulder blades .If I lie on good shoulder which by the way is frozen both shoulders are sore .Taking paracetamol but at night 6 hours after last paracetamol I take Co codamol 30/500 going to bed Stopped rub when I started these as it was ibuprofen arm feels weak can not lift likes kettle ,iron That’s about it Squad

[Prudie]

When I slipped down the stairs once and put my arm out to break fall I was in constant shoulder pain like that for over 3 months - torn rotor-cuff apparently. It was miraculously cured when GP finally agreed to let me have a cortisone injection (after having an x-ray which showed nothing broken or amiss).

[Sqad]

Prudie is spot on it does indeed sound like a rotator cuff injury, which is damage to a group of muscles and tendons around the shoulder joint which have been damaged by your accident.
See your GP who may arrange an injection of Cortisone into the shoulder joint.
Thank you for your helpful post.

[weecalf]

Would pain in wrist .arm weakness and general difficulty with arm be fixed on cortisone injection and exercises . when in shower warm water on shoulder does help in allowing washing drying and dressing but after ten minutes of doing this the pain is back far worse ,so I was thinking the pain in a way is stopping me from doing more damage to this shoulder . I want the pain eased so it’s going to take time for this shoulder to be back any where normal would you think .

[Sqad]

weecalf....you only have two choices,both of which are yours, carry on with the regime and nope it will improve and it might over a period of months OR have the injection.
At this stage it is that simple.

[Prudie]

weecalf I'm not saying your injury is the same as mine I can only relate that after the fall I was in constant pain, it severely limited everything I did with my right arm, even basic movements like teeth cleaning. My arm seemed permanently arched at the elbow and I couldn't lift it above shoulder height. Over the counter painkillers, prescribed diclofenac and rub-in gels hardly touched it. Sleeping was particularly difficult although I did find placing a hot water bottle between arm and body and lying on my back helped. I don't know why my GP was reluctant to give me the injection but no word of a lie once I'd had it then within 2 days all pain was gone and mobility followed quickly after.

[weecalf]

Thank you I will have a word with the GP on Monday As you say the injection may help as it helped the other shoulder .

[weecalf]

Could have damaged the neck so could be deferred pain ,getting scan ,some new pain relief tablets till then .