Does anyone know what this might be? I have had major pain in my shoulder that will travel?

Question

The pain will travel down my arm to my fingers sometimes but will at times be primarily in the upper arm area and shoulder. Also sometimes goes across my shoulder to my neck up to my ear. Sometimes it can be a sharp shooting pain but most times it is just a constant pain. I cannot lift my arm very high in any direction. I seen a physiotherapist and when she lifted my arm the pain was horrible and my arm still would not go very high. The exercises did not help. I have been to my doctor a few times and all she continues to say is that it is tendonitis. She did have an xray done and it showed nothing. I did not injure it in any way that I can recall. So I seen a different doctor at a walk in clinic and all he did for me was give me a muscle relaxant, Ibuprofen, and a painkiller for the pain and it helps a little but still barely touches the pain I am experiencing and I don't want anymore drugs. Any ideas of what might be wrong with it? Or what I can do?

Answer 1

It is very common for a primary care doctor to ignore real pain. I have had a pinched nerve root in my neck for 13 years and just this year found a doctor that took me seriously. It was a pain specialist. I would ask your doctor to refer you. The only way that a lot of the tests necessary to determine what you have get ordered is from a doctor that deals with chronic pain, and actually listens to you. They can be hard to find, but stick it out and do not let them push you around. YOU know your body better than they do. If you truly feel something is wrong than it probably is.

Answer 2

My brother did the same thing you are describing and his doctor would not prescribe pain medicine for him. It gradually went away and recurred about 3 years later. He finally went to see a specialist and found out he had a pinched nerve. The specialist administered some very effective pain medication. He thought he was going to die from the pain and the specialist said he could not imagine him going thru that much pain with an ibuprophen and was confused as to why his physician did not order some pain meds.