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Pain In Left Shoulder, Tendinitis. On Medication, Therapy. Pain Is Worse Now, With Pricking Sensation In Fingers. Unable To Do MRI. Treatment Options ?
Question: I have been having severe pain in my left shoulder for about 2 months now. Originally the doctor said it was just tendonitus and gave me pain meds and therapy. Now the pain is worse and is also accompanied by pins and needles in my left thumb and index finger. Unfortunatly I don't have insurance and can't afford an MRI
Hello and thanks for the query.
Regarding the pain in the left shoulder it can be either due to involvement of the tendons, joint or the nerve supplying it. It has not responded to the pain medications. Now you have new symptoms like pins and needles in the left thumb which indicated problem with the left median nerve or C6 root involvement. Overall it looks like your problem is a progressive one and needs detailed evaluation.
Some of the reasons for the nerve involvement are Cervical Spondylosis with radiculopathy (c5-c6), Brachial plexopathy or spinal cord problem. These can be sorted out by doing minimal investigations like ENMG ( ElectroNeuroMyoGraphy ).
For the pain if it is not responding to pain killers you can try other medicines like pregabalin or gabapentin as it looks more like a nerve pain rather than tendons.
I am sorry you are dealing with this frustrating concern and I hope you can find yourself in better health soon with the help of your GP and Neurologist. Get started on pregabalin or gabapentin to reduce the neuropathic pain.
Thanks again for the query. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. Should you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
Take care,
Bye
Regarding the pain in the left shoulder it can be either due to involvement of the tendons, joint or the nerve supplying it. It has not responded to the pain medications. Now you have new symptoms like pins and needles in the left thumb which indicated problem with the left median nerve or C6 root involvement. Overall it looks like your problem is a progressive one and needs detailed evaluation.
Some of the reasons for the nerve involvement are Cervical Spondylosis with radiculopathy (c5-c6), Brachial plexopathy or spinal cord problem. These can be sorted out by doing minimal investigations like ENMG ( ElectroNeuroMyoGraphy ).
For the pain if it is not responding to pain killers you can try other medicines like pregabalin or gabapentin as it looks more like a nerve pain rather than tendons.
I am sorry you are dealing with this frustrating concern and I hope you can find yourself in better health soon with the help of your GP and Neurologist. Get started on pregabalin or gabapentin to reduce the neuropathic pain.
Thanks again for the query. I hope you found my response to be helpful and informative. Should you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
Take care,
Bye
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Answered by
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