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Of recent, my moms shoulders are under immense pain. She is 48 and having difficulty carrying grocery bags and basically needs help carrying such stuff. She has tried several kinds of creams and patches for relief, but the pain keeps returning. She has gone to the doctor, and all the doctor said was, take rest. That response does not help us a whole lot, especially with the hurried pace of life in NJ trying to make ends meet. We explained this situation to our doctor and are looking for a more specific reply which can help us accommodate sustained recovery into our lifestyle. This is turning into a big problem now. I want to know how this shoulder issue can be remedied. Some advice will be highly appreciated.
Which parts of the shoulder are causing her pain and how long has she been in pain? Depending upon the answers she may need x-rays/ct/mri if the issue has been ongoing for a while.
Steroid shots may help, but her Doc needs to rule out basic shoulder strain versus arthritis, etc.
Which parts of the shoulder are causing her pain and how long has she been in pain? Depending upon the answers she may need x-rays/ct/mri if the issue has been ongoing for a while.
Steroid shots may help, but her Doc needs to rule out basic shoulder strain versus arthritis, etc.
Shoulder blades, near the joints with arms. Doc believes its shoulder strain.
It has been happening on and off ever since winter began this year.
The conservative route would be to alternate ice & heat packs along with gentle stretching; if her Doc is willing to send her to physical therapy (with basic x-rays) can help.
If the therapist does not notice progress in the level of pain then the recommendation for ct or mri can be taken back to the Doc for further evaluation. Your Mom is at the age when repetitive motion issues may begin to present themselves and arthritis can rear it's ugly head.
At any rate the ice & heat should relieve the pain while she and her Doc discuss PT options.
I hope that she finds relief for her pain (I have arthritis in both shoulders and know that it can range from nagging to excruciating).
I was at the arthritis doctor yesterday for similar pain in shoulders, vertebrae, hands/fingers, lower back. He did blood tests and x-rays 2 months ago and this was the follow up appt. Diagnosis degenerative arthritis. He gave me some cortisone shots. Seem to help so far.
If her insurance will cover it, some physical therapy might help. I had a boss who was about the same age with the same problem, and she said the physical therapy seemed to do a lot.
Another thing is that your mom should make sure she's wearing a properly supportive bra, a bad bra can really contribute to shoulder pain.
I go along with seeing an orthopedist. I had excruciating pain in my shoulder and upper back for about three months before I finally consulted one. The diagnosis was tendonosis. After one cortisone injection and a little physical therapy, it was fine and has been ever since. That was a few years ago. I only wish the cortisone would do as much for my bad hip, but it doesn't seem to work there nearly as well.
If money or insurance is an issue, you could probably find some shoulder physical therapy exercises on You Tube. After paying for my physical therapy, I found the same stuff online for free. Depending on what's wrong with your Mom, though, that might be dangerous. Just a thought.
she could also have an injury, like a tear, and where the pain appears isn't necessarily where the injury is. I had a torn rotator cuff and the pain manifested in a few different areas.
Shoulder blades, near the joints with arms. Doc believes its shoulder strain.
It has been happening on and off ever since winter began this year.
I have that in one shoulder and my doctor simply said it is tendonitis/tendinitis and it did go away for a while. But now it has returned again so I assume it is simply hadn't healed enough.
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