Suspected Tear in Shoulder

[GaryA]

Good luck with the doc, comrade...speedy recovery!

 

[The Jogger]

Just been to casualty at a local cottage hospital, seen by a nurse practitioner, they done three xrays around the shoulder and upper arm, they said they couldn't see anything broken but there was some calcium around the shoulder. A radiologist will look at it later and results will be sent to the GP. Not sure what next and still in pain........

 

[craigwend]

if it's a tear they wont, you need the 'ultra-sound' to detect the tear

(ask your GP - if you can have a 'guided' cortisone at the same time)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff_tear

 

[PK99]

In both my wife's experience (Skiing pelvis and shoulder injuries) and mine (Knee and back from SMIDSY) and our daughter's (skiing shoulder injury), while NHS physio is fine, it is limited in scope (getting you back to daily functioning). Specialist Sports Injury Physio (by it's nature, private) is much more intensive, focussed and effective in getting back to sport.

 

[fossyant]

Push for an MRI scan next.

 

[just jim]

Ok, I will put my tuppence in and suggest you see an Osteopath. After several months going round the houses I booked myself in for 4 sessions with one, who concluded that my spine had been knocked out of alignment after a bike crash last October. The C2 and T2 vertebrae came of worse. He was able to re-align them, which led to me being able to heal up properly. I had booked sports physio and massage previously which helped, but the misaligned vertebrae kept pulling me back out of position. I would see surgery as a last option, though I realise it has worked for fossyant, so of course every injury (especially the shoulder) is different.

 

[The Jogger]

Thanks for the last lot of input, I see the doc on Tuesday and will discuss the next move hoping he will hurry things up a bit. Trying not to take any meds with it at the min as I don't like taking lots of meds if possible but it ws a very restless night with it.

 

[Andy_G]

Ive had the same injury after getting hit from brhind by a car.
I had 6 physio sessions and done some cable weights at my old gym and it pretty much sorted it, until i unclipped my right foot at a junction and lent to the left and landing on the same shoulder.
1 step forward and two steps back.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Have had pain in both my shoulders for about 2 years now. Started off being told it was impingement syndrome. ...eventually diagnosed as calcific tendonitis. I have had steroid injections which helped for a few weeks but not in the long term. Pain at night keeps me awake and had done for months. I saw an orthopaedic consultant earlier this year - but he advised that there is too much damage for surgery to be considered. I have recently started on Amitryptillene to try and block the nerve pain.....too soon to say whether it will work. In the end I had to give up riding my bicycles and now have an old Trice recumbent. If I could afford one I would love a Burrows Windcheatah with Joystick steering so I could rest my more painful arm - but the Trice works well as I can sit comfortably with good support and steer one handed.

 

[The Jogger]

[qQuote="mrandmrspoves, post: 2604092, member: 23825"]Have had pain in both my shoulders for about 2 years now. Started off being told it was impingement syndrome. ...eventually diagnosed as calcific tendonitis. I have had steroid injections which helped for a few weeks but not in the long term. Pain at night keeps me awake and had done for months. I saw an orthopaedic consultant earlier this year - but he advised that there is too much damage for surgery to be considered. I have recently started on Amitryptillene to try and block the nerve pain.....too soon to say whether it will work. In the end I had to give up riding my bicycles and now have an old Trice recumbent. If I could afford one I would love a Burrows Windcheatah with Joystick steering so I could rest my more painful arm - but the Trice works well as I can sit comfortably with good support and steer one handed.[/quote]

Hi this sounds very similar to mine, keeping you awake at night etc. I hope the Amitryptillene works for you. I hope mine is repairable. Are you able to work with it?

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Hi this sounds very similar to mine, keeping you awake at night etc. I hope the Amitryptillene works for you. I hope mine is repairable. Are you able to work with it?

Could be the same thing....and ultrasound will give you your diagnosis for certain. Calcific tendonitis is normally self limiting and by the time the sufferer has pain the calcium is normally being reabsorbed. ...sadly not the case for me as mine has become chronic. I used to do a lot of mountain biking and when I first started getting shoulder pain I raised my handlebars. ..then raised them again and eventually bought some custom riser bars. My bike ended up looking like a cross between a standard mtb and a Raleigh Chopper- but in the end I had to admit defeat and switch to road only. Then road also became too painful so I added some tri bars - but again had to admit defeat. So I got a recumbent with under seat steering which initially helped....but eventually even this was too painful so I had a few months off before the Trice came along.
I have managed to keep working - but only because my job is predominantly desk bound. At it's worst I had to commute by bus because I couldn't change gear. I still cannot get my right arm behind my back or raise it above shoulder height - but I can live with that. I am hopeful that the co analgesic route (medicines used to control pain that are not actually pain killers) will work for me because there are no other alternatives for me.
I hope that you get yours sorted soon and don't have as severe a problem as I have. Having said that there's plenty of worse things to suffer from and at least my shoulder problems haven't stopped me cycling.

 

[The Jogger]

Thanks for that response MMP I will keep the thread updated. Again I know what you mean about changing gear in the car, especially second gear. Yes it could be worse for sure.

PS: Trice bike what make is it, sorry for the stupid question.

 

[fossyant]

I wouldn't take amitryptilene. Docs had me on it for about 6 months and ended up on 60mg for pain. Lets say my concentration suffered and it really affected my job. Also affected my heart rate when pushing it.

Your next step the GP will offer is gabapentin or pregabalin. These are anti seizure drugs and have a side effect list as long as your arm.

I binned them and went back and said get it fixed properly, not sticking plaster. Surgery done, and due recovery period, and all sorted. Nerve pain was caused by impingement and badly swollen trapezius pressing on my brachial plexus causing nerve pain in arm. All sorted now following surgery and steroid injections into the muscle.

The docs and consultants have tried to get me on those three drugs with the plumb pain I have following my vasectomy in October 12. Told them to do one, and fix it properly, so surgery in the next month or two. They are nasty drugs.

By all means try the drugs, but I found they didn't work and the side effects were worse than the pain and loss of sleep. Nobody likes surgery, but if it will fix a problem, push for it.

Good luck.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Thanks for that response MMP I will keep the thread updated. Again I know what you mean about changing gear in the car, especially second gear. Yes it could be worse for sure.

PS: Trice bike what make is it, sorry for the stupid question.

Not a stupid question at all. Mine is an original Peter Ross Crystal Engineering model from 1995ish. The company was bought out a few years later and are now owned by Inspired Cycle Engineering. They have made considerable improvements on the original models. Mine is probably a bone shaker compared with newer models......but it was very affordable. If you end up having to consider a recumbent there's lots of expert advice available on here in the special interest section....

 

[mrandmrspoves]

I wouldn't take amitryptilene. Docs had me on it for about 6 months and ended up on 60mg for pain. Lets say my concentration suffered and it really affected my job. Also affected my heart rate when pushing it.

Your next step the GP will offer is gabapentin or pregabalin. These are anti seizure drugs and have a side effect list as long as your arm.

I binned them and went back and said get it fixed properly, not sticking plaster. Surgery done, and due recovery period, and all sorted. Nerve pain was caused by impingement and badly swollen trapezius pressing on my brachial plexus causing nerve pain in arm. All sorted now following surgery and steroid injections into the muscle.

The docs and consultants have tried to get me on those three drugs with the plumb pain I have following my vasectomy in October 12. Told them to do one, and fix it properly, so surgery in the next month or two. They are nasty drugs.

By all means try the drugs, but I found they didn't work and the side effects were worse than the pain and loss of sleep. Nobody likes surgery, but if it will fix a problem, push for it.

Good luck.

Horses for courses. .... so far the Amitryptillene hasnt had any side effects for me - but no real positive effect either. As the dose increases -who knows?
In my case surgery is not really an option. I am told that it would probably sort the pain - but would carry a high risk of leaving me with an arm that I couldn't lift up at all. As you say, if the Amitryptillene doesn't work the next step will be one of the anti convulsants such as Pregabalin. We went for Amitryptillene because of its sedating properties as lack of sleep for months on end was taking its toll. I am not sure how you could tell that the drugs were effecting your concentration - I have the concentration of weak water due to lack of sleep! :-D