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I Have A Right Shoulder Pain When I Raise My
Question: I have a right shoulder pain when I raise my arm. Sometimes it pops when moved. Can't raise my arm higher than waist. I have been to an Orthopedic surgeon but he seemed puzzled and didn't offer me any relief or tell me what to do. It wasn't caused by an injury that I know of. Had it about 6 weeks.
Brief Answer:
You might have rotator cuff syndrome, advices given related to management
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome at "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and here is my advice:
Very likely you are having the symptoms due to rotator cuff syndrome which consists of friction of the tendons on the shoulder bones and inflammation resulting in difficulty raising the arm due to pain. It is good you already had the MRI which will confirm the diagnosis and rule out tears or other structural damage.
The first line of treatment in the case of rotator cuff syndrome is physical therapy, so I would advice you to set an appointment with a physiotherapist and start some exercises to help with the arm movement and pain. Not using the arm for weeks might increase the risk for frozen shoulder (a chronic condition where the movement of the arms is very limited) so it is important to start using it as soon as possible but in a way that it does not hurt the tendons and the physiotherapist will assist in this.
Meanwhile you can go on with advil to relieve pain and inflammation, you may need a high dose to reduce the inflammation, generally 800 mg every 8 hours after food (to protect your stomach). You may also take some Omeprazole 20 mg a day to prevent stomach problems.
If the above measures do not help enough, sometimes the doctor might do an injection in the shoulder to relieve the inflammation.
The results of the MRI examination will further help guide the treatment and further steps.
I hope this is helpful and answers to your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General & Family Physician
You might have rotator cuff syndrome, advices given related to management
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome at "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query and here is my advice:
Very likely you are having the symptoms due to rotator cuff syndrome which consists of friction of the tendons on the shoulder bones and inflammation resulting in difficulty raising the arm due to pain. It is good you already had the MRI which will confirm the diagnosis and rule out tears or other structural damage.
The first line of treatment in the case of rotator cuff syndrome is physical therapy, so I would advice you to set an appointment with a physiotherapist and start some exercises to help with the arm movement and pain. Not using the arm for weeks might increase the risk for frozen shoulder (a chronic condition where the movement of the arms is very limited) so it is important to start using it as soon as possible but in a way that it does not hurt the tendons and the physiotherapist will assist in this.
Meanwhile you can go on with advil to relieve pain and inflammation, you may need a high dose to reduce the inflammation, generally 800 mg every 8 hours after food (to protect your stomach). You may also take some Omeprazole 20 mg a day to prevent stomach problems.
If the above measures do not help enough, sometimes the doctor might do an injection in the shoulder to relieve the inflammation.
The results of the MRI examination will further help guide the treatment and further steps.
I hope this is helpful and answers to your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General & Family Physician
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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