Shoulder Tendinitis...does it ever go away?

H

hotelfordogs111

New member
My Dr. told me that I have tendinitis and gave me the usual pain pill and patch prescription and wanted to send me to rehab. Well...I haven't used the patches and I am so sensitive to meds that I try not to take them if I don't have to. The therapy I haven't gone to either. Is this something that I will always have now? My gosh, if I turn my arm the wrong way, the pain just makes me scream and then my whole upper arm hurts and then when the pain starts slowing down, my arm is tender. Does this even sound like tendinitis? SHe wouldn't do an Xray or an MRI so I really am reluctant to take meds because really, alls that does is mask the pain. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
 
I have the same thing. Dr. checked my shoulder and said "tendonitis...physical therapy should help".. I went, i'm doing the exercises at home..but it still hurts ..

I guess it doesn't really go away, you just have to live with it.
Im kindof learning how to live with it. I hope you will learn so too.

For example, i used to do pushups.. I can do them but if i do..i'll get alot pain so, instead of pushups i can try lifting weights , working the bicep instead of working the shoulder directly. this way it doesn't hurt

I used to do shadow boxing.. If i do it fast it hurts after..so now i dont do it. I do it slow or just super light fake punches that dont even look like a punch but i do it really light. almost nothing.

So instead of high impact, fast movements.. now i can only do more slow therapeutic type of stuff but it's great. One of my favorites is shoulder circling with 5 pound or 10 pound weights. those really give you a burn

good luck
 
I had shoulder tendinitis 15 yrs ago, it lasted a few months, then I got it again 10 yrs ago, it got better, again 6 yrs ago, and now I am having it again. So I think according to my experience the answer is yes, it will go away eventually but it will also come back if you are not carefull enough.

In my situation, I think when I am reaching something sometimes I extend my arm too much or also hanging heavy purse on my shoulder or maybe I got injured at the gym when I did weight lifting. I never knew what exactly happened, but my shoulder hurt for 3 months already and I just went to a doctor and got X-Ray and will go to for PT next week.
You can massage your shoulder with Blue Emu (bought it at Wallmart) or Ibuprofen cream or any menthol cream for temporary relief.
 
that was just how i happened to feel the very first time i came onto these boards back in 03? it was after having a surgery done on my spinal cord and i NEEDED some help with pain,big time. been here ever since. some days i feel bad some i don't,so there ya go. it just stuck.

don't be afraid to try the lido patches,i use them on pretty much a daily basis. all it is is plain old lidocaine in kind of a gel like substance? it wont come off on clothing or anything,its pretty stuck into that patch. but this just helps to numb the area somewhat so the pain is not quite as intense. i would have thought she may have Rxed the flector patch,now that has an actual anti inflammatory in it,and personally i think it would help you much more than just numbing. the flector would actually hit the inflammation,you know what i mean? or you can try just using aleeve,once in the morning and once later in the day? its a pretty good anti inflammatory. the thing is,if nothing like in the anti inflammatory group of meds actually works for your presumed Dx of tendonitis,it could be something going on in there at a much deeper level. anything that has "itis" at the end of it just means whatever it is is inflammed. ice works wonders for my shoulder pain too,if you want to give that a go.

i would try things her way for a couple weeks maybe and se if there is not any real improvement? BUT,if at anytime things should get worse for you,or you just cannot stand that pain any longer,i would seriously demand an MRI just to see whats up in there. if this is just tendonistis,you "should' be able to get that inflammation down some usingthe right methods,if it is not going down,then you need further testing on this. there are just so many different structures that make up the shoulder/rotator cuff area that anything from tendons,to ligaments and muscle could be affected,as well as some problem within that joint too. i had bone spurs that needed clearing during my surgery along with the needed repairs done. there is just alot of different things that can be damaged in that area that would or could give you some pretty intense pain when they get angry. just see how things go for now and do what you feel is needed soon if this does not get better for you. the thing here is that your doc is not an ortho and does not know all the ROMS or all the many many different problems that could be the casue of your pain and symptoms,you know what i mean? when in doubt,she should just send you for an MRI to be certain. just go slowly here and keep me posted. good luck K. FB
 
Last night was terrible. The pain woke me up from my sleep. I took Motrin in the morning and one in the evening. I got an appointment for physical therapy next Monday.
I would say that this time the pain on my shoulder is different than the previous tendinitis. It is worse than before, maybe because it is a repeated inflamation?
 
Thanks for the advice on the pillow. I wasn't sure if that was good for it or not. Also, does massaging the hurting area help or hinder it if it is torn? I also like to walk on the treadmill. They say, don't stop using your arm because of frozen shoulder (not sure if that happens because of an injury and keeping it still or if that is a general rule even with a healthy shoulder) but don't over use it either, so what do I do?

K
 
i am kind of suprised with the pain level you have that she didn't at least send you for an MRI. are you having any problem in lifting things or getting your arm like behind your back? did she bother to at least run your arm and shoulder thru some ROMS(range of motions) to see how it moves? just exactly what kind of pain patch was Rxed to you?

tendonitis is just inflammation of particular tendons within that shoulder,BUT you could also have something a bit more in depth going on too. i would seriously see about that MRI BEFORE you start doing any type of PT that could actually make things worse. you just really need to know what you are actually dealing with here first,then go with whatever treatment plan or an ortho consult,depending upon what is actually found in there.

i just went thru rtator cuff repair this past year. i actually completley tore the very top tendon that runs from the top of the shoulder along to the neck area,and slightly tore the one directly under it. this was cumulative damage that took place over years of wear and tear just doing the jobs i did for many years. depending upon how much real wear and tear that shoulder has suffered over years,well it could be a torn tendon and not just tendonitis. you just really need to know for sure. the one thing my ortho told me was that the rotator cuff repair was one off the most common ortho surgerys they do at this very large ortho surgical procatice. alot of people just have alot of wear and tear damage to their shoulders/tendons but just don't know it til it starts becoming symptomatic. i seriously would ask for that MRI before doing anything. this is just a very common type of injury,espescially the top tendon,the supraspinatus,the one i fully tore? it gets the bigger wear and tear damage.

if i were you right now,i would just do a bit of research on the rotator cuff tears and compare your symptoms to what they explain. mine matched with those symptoms dead on. it will help when you speak with your doc to just know the basics. you just deserve to really know for sure whats going on. by the way,i ALSO had tendonitis along with my tears in other tendons too. it can be there but there can also be other actual damage too. good luck and please keep me posted, FB
 
So you didn't have any tears at all? I was told to get an MRI..not an X-ray. They told me that X-rays won't show tears even though they did it anyway. Dr. said that I have tears...hmm...so even if it is a tear and it goes untreated, it will be a lot of pain from time to time but can it in anyway get an infection or will it just be painful? Do you have referred pain in the neck or arm at all?
 
A couple of different causes of shoulder pain I haven't seen mentioned above are:

1. Medications...many meds (blood pressure and cholesterol come immediately to mind) have side effects that cause pain in the nerves, bones, and joints...but nothing shows up in the tests. Personally, I experienced severe shoulder pain (doctor diagnosed tendenitis), had 4 weeks of physical therapy, and severe back pain (doctor ruled out a spinal tumor), had 6 weeks of physical therapy, and continued to experience pain until I discontinued taking hydrochlorothiazide. Since that time, I've learned that certain nutritional deficiencies (some of which HTC can create) can cause similar pain/symptoms...and "no", not all lab tests can reliably detect some of these deficiencies.

2. Lyme Disease...I know, I know, some of you are tired of reading my posts about this...but bacterial infections (lyme and coinfections) can cause some of these symptoms without anything showing up on the tests! Doctors and patients often overlook the possibility of lyme because no one "remembers" being bitten by a tick...some are ticks are very small, some look like moles, and some are hidden by hair and skin folds.

I thought I'd mention these possibilities because if the tests don't reveal much, side effects and lyme disease are should be considered.

Bethsheba
 
Yes I really should have gone to an Ortho Dr. In your opinion, what could be the absolute worst case senario for the pain in that area? I want to somewhat be prepared for when I do see an ortho so that nothing surprises me, ya know? Glad to know that you feel okay! Thanks for the advice! On these patches that she gave me, are there any adverse reactions to this stuff that's in the pad? Does it actually absorb into the skin or is it a topical numbing type thing?
 
I have had 'frozen shoulders' both of them at same time and I have done alot of PT. BTW this is going on about a year and a half. I am very much improved and have stopped the PT as i thought i didn't need any more BUT i am not fully better. the top of my shoulders are painful enough this past couple of weeks, especially when i wake up. Also, i notice i am painful around my elbows and also, which i am most worried about is when i wake up in the mornings my hands - especially my finers are quite painful and stiff. After a few minutes they are fine but not perfect. Do you think this is all from my shoulders? My ROM is good enough really - i can reach back with both hands to tie my bra but there is a little pain when doing so. I guess i am not really doing exercies as i should - you get so sick of it. What do you think of the finger stiffness?
 
Hi, I agree with feelbad on all the replies. I had the same symptoms in 2006, was sent for an MRI and was told I needed arthoscopy surgery on my shoulder for several small tears and fraying with tendonitis and some fluid. I had the same problem with hanging my arm down, holding my pocketbook and washing my hair. Putting on my bra was a real killer. Well I went to my Chiro and she did ultrasound on my shoulder 2x's a week for about 3 months and it felt much better. I am also on high doses of narcotics so I should not have been in any pain at all. Well, now 2 years later and the pain has come back in full force. It never went away, I just kept in under control. I will be having the surgery very soon. Try ice packs, and ultrasound. Don't carry a heavy purse and rest with a pillow under your arm as much as possible.
I wish you luck and hope your pain decreases in time. If it is just tendonitis, there is a possiblitiy that it will go away but without the proper testing such as an MRI , you will never really know exactly what is going on.
Good Luck
 
FB,

If I do any sudden movements, the pain just sends me screaming but I can move it slowly and sometimes its painful and sometimes it's ok. I can not lay on that side at night time at all. I too wake up and my hands are stiff and it works itself out for the most part. The Dr. did do a range of motions and came up with what she did. The patches are called "Lidoderm" which I have but have been afraid to use them because I don't know anything about them and I am very sensitive to meds and don't know what to expect from this patch. The Dr. told me that if I had torn something that I would not be able to do certain motions but the thing is, I may not be able to do it right then but maybe I can slowly later on. The pains are really sharp and it does shoot down to my forearm and elbow.

So, this will never heal itself????:( I don't embrace surgery at all. I have a phobia of Hospitals! I have lived with low back pain for many years, so I guess that I will have to live with this too. Hubby is getting ready to change jobs so we will not have medical insurance for 90 days but I do look forward to finding all new Dr's and starting fresh in that department! Is there anything that I can do here at home for it? It hurts to even carry a small purse! I have noticed that when my arm hangs down, it really hurts the shoulder so I try and keep the arm bent. Thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it! I really don't have any family that cares (besides hubby) and it's nice to know that there are people out there that are concerned! By the way, how are you feeling? I noticed your name "feelbad" and didn't know if you actually felt bad or not. Have a good evening!:)
 
just to answer your question luv,i would seriously doubt that you could end up with any type of real infection in that particular area. its just not common or likely given what the rotator consists of ya know? unless there was an actual opening of the outter skin that would allow an entrance point to introduce some type of bacteria,i would not think it would really happen. its just the way that area is and how infection occurs. you would have to have torn some blood vessles(some level of pretty big trauma) or what i mentioned above before anything like that could conceivably occur. our inner body is kind of considered 'sterile" unless bacteria find that entrance point. but from what you explained here,you just have alot of inflammation from 'something'. if i were you i really would just get that MRI so you know what you are dealing with inside that area.

like i mentioned in the other post,being proactive with this type of thing and not waiting til things REALLY hit the fan both with pain/damage and what it would take to actually fix any damage,its just less painful for you post op and the rehab not as extensive to do what you can NOW vs waiting til something worse occurs,trust me on that one. i have had to have six surgeries since 01 on various ortho areas and believe me,only because of the extent of damage,this one rotator cuff repair surgery was one of the most painful ever post op. the pain you are having now,no matter how bad you feel it is,is nothing compared to what you will feel if the damage gets worse and needs more extensive repairs. it really really sucked with that surgery for me. this one also required ALOT of hands on rehab just to regain ROMS. i am not trying to scare you here,just letting you know how much easier it could be if there is real damage or a partial tear,to just get it fixed BEFORE everything gets much worse. getting that MRI will just let you know NOW what you are actually dealing with in there. you may just have a ton of ongoing inflammation from various reasons or it could be a tear, if you can still do all the ROMS with that shoulder and lifting isn't any type of problem then chances are if there is an actual tear,it has not completely torn yet. and that is what will make the difference in the post op,believe me.

if you really want to know what the post op stuff was like for me and another woman here named sammy(this was WITH much more extensive damage). go back into the archives from feb of this past year in this general health boards and do a look up on CPM chair(we both had the continuous passive motion machine to help with the joint movements as part of post op rehab). it would bring up those posts probably much more easily than using rotator cuff repair. if it isn't in this general health it would be in the one at the very top of these boards,the first catagory? sammy and i had an ongoing thread of how things were going for us post op. we had alot of damage in our shoulders and she had her surgery about one week before mine. mine was feb 6th of this year. i am just trying to keep you two from having to go thru what i did,thats all. just getting that MRI soon would simply dictate what your PT should be like or if you do need some level of repairs done. i really do wish i had gotten mine sooner and had things done before it became a much deeper in depth deal. please keep me posted, FB
 
FB,

Thanks for taking the time on your post. I will see about scheduling an MRI next week. The other thing that I have a tremendous fear of and I know it's going to sound really silly but one, I fear that going in to have this surgery, the beds, etc..are not very sanitary and knowing that I would probably be on a bed that someone else has bled on just does a number on me. I know, it sounds stupid but I just can't get over this fear! The other thing is, from the very few times that I have had anestetic(sp?), they have always given me too much to where when I wake up, I get really sick! I tell them not to give me very much because I am so sensitive to medication, but they do it anyway and then it takes me forever to be able to get out of there because they don't want you leaving until you're not sick anymore. The anti nausea drug? yep...makes me sick too so that's another thing I really fear!:(
 
I don't have pain in the neck but I do have pain in the upper arm sometimes, mostly when I am sleeping at night. I tried to put a pillow under my arm but when I am in a deep sleep, I don't know what happen.

How long do yo have the pain? In my previous shoulder pains they lasted 6months or more. I don't think I have any tears, but your doctor was right, tears won't show on X-Ray, has to be MRI.
Have they sent you for a PT yet? Are you taking Ibuprofen?
I don't think you can get an infection.
 
I have this too! Haven't gotten an MRI but I was wondering for those of you that have been through this, if there is a tear or just even Tendenitis, where can all the pain go to? My good arm feels a bit sore (at times) and I'm wondering what is up with that! I don't really want to be on pain meds and I haven't had any therapy. Any suggestions of what I can do at home besides the IB Profin and ice? Thanks!!!
 
the only real risk with using the lido patches is the possible skin irritation just from having some little reaction to the ingredients really. tho lidocaine is used to also correct heart rhythems,you would have to be using over three patches at a time to really have ANY true risk of any affectation in that area. i have used these since 2003 and have not had anything as far as side effects occur and i am very reactive to alot of different meds myself. i would at least give the a try and see if they don;t help some ya know? you can also cut these to fit a particular area too and it wont affect the patch or how well it works either. i would recommend that you simply round off the corners of the patch before you take the backing off? it just helps it from catching on your clothing and kind of rolling up on you? i always just round off all the corners now since having that very problem when i first started using these? i really doubt that you would have any real side effects from these. do you have any type of heart issues? if not you are probably pretty safe in that area,it would still,even with heart problems,take alot of lido to even affect heart rhythem. the overall risks of anything acually happening are very very remote since their is only a very small trace amount that actually even gets into the bloodstream. if you have ever had novicaine or had lido used for numbing before like haveing stitches or any other types of procedures and did not react,you wont with the patch. you get much much more when lido is used for numbing procedures than is even possible with the lido patch itself. whileit does kind of absorb into the skin,it stays pretty much in that particular area only covered by the patch and does not go down too far. thats why i am kind of wondering why you were Rxed the lido? it can help tho with certain types of pain and depending upon what is actually causing it. i would place one over the most painful areas and see how it goes. and rememebr,you can cut them to fit better too,just make certain to do it before you take that backing off,its just alot easier.

the worst case scenerio i think would be what i had in my shoulder,and actual complete tear in a tendon not just the inflammation of tendonitis. i had about five different things that needed fixing or clearing in my rotator cuff areas. two of those things were actual tears. the thing about tears is you WANT to catch them BEFORE they become a complete tear not just the partial which is much easier to fix and rehab vs having to have them reattach a retracted piece of tendon to another,which is what my surgery was all about for the most part. getting things fixed BEFORE you get to the point where your ROMS get much worse because a simple tear became complete would be the worst case scenerio for what i would think anyways. partial tears are much easier to repair and less painful post op and don't require as in depth of rehab either. so you DO want to have that MRI BEFORE your ROMS really get bad just to see whats going on in there,not after the fact,ya know what i mean?

i would simply explain that part of things to your doc and really demand that MRI now vs after things hit the fan so to speak? i wish i had done this. unfortunetly it was not until i DID feel that tendon let go and suffered alot of pain and loss of ROMS that i brought this to my primarys attention,despite having problems with that shoulder for many many years. i should have asked earlier but i had so many other medical problems occur that it just never came up. do it now not later. you just need to know whats going on in there now,not when things become ten times worse,ya know? this would be really in your best interest to just do now. trust me on that one. i learned the hard way and have had a very long road of recovery and much more pain than had we found the partials earlier. i do wish you luck and hope your doc will just refer you for that MRI now. please keep me posted hon. FB
 
just wondering what you ment by "where can all that pain go to"? not quite sure just what you are asking there? what is wrong with your "bad" arm? depending upon just how much you actually can use what you call your "bad arm' it can effect the opposite arm only becasue you are having to rely upon it much more when the other one isn't working for you or is too sore to move,you know what i mean? this happened when i was post op after my rotator surgery,and it happened to another woman who was going thru this same thing here on these boards. we had our surgeries at the very same time,so at least we could compare notes.

honestly,the best way to really just see whats wrong would be to have that MRI. no other test would simply show the inside of whole area. it saves time and hassle too just knowing right away what the problems are. have you had one done on your "bad" arm/shoulder yet? FB
 
hey lynn,if you are actually getting reocurring tendonitits,it really does need an MRI to really see what is causing all that inflammation. tendonitis in many cases when it keeps comming back,is becasue there is 'something' that is causing inflammation in there that could be a tear. you are very right about what an x ray will only pick up and the need for an MRI to really "see" whats up in there. i also had tendonitis along with a complete tear of the very top tendon and also a smaller tear in the one directly underneath it too.

my 'initial' problem with my shoulder started way back in 89 when i was lifting weights too, it had reocurring problems along the way and did keep getting worse and worse til finally last year right about this time,i simply snapped the rest of that tendon when attempting to just lift my purse off the top of my fridge one morning. that was it,instant agony and loss of some of my ROMS. had an MRI a week leater that showed alot of underlying damage and wear and tear injuries. an MRI is really the only true way you will know just what is actually wrong up there. the thing is,the longer you wait to simply find out what is wrong,or wait like i did til my tendon completely tore,the repair work is much more extensive and alot more painful post op too. i REALLY do wish i had had that MRI a few years ago at least,before i had to have the very extensive repairs i did. my shoulder was a big mess by the time i actually did that snap of that tendon. you really just need to find out where you are at NOW when any problems can be fixed arthroscopacly vs having to make the bigger incisions and more in depth repairs. like i said,i really do wish i had just asked for that MRI much much sooner. it would not have been as bad as i what i had to go thru if i had. at least you will know exactly what you are dealing with now. just advice from someone whos been there done that. just speak to your docs guys and get it looked into now vs when something worse takes place. you WILL be glad you took that proactive approach,trust me. good luck and please keep me posted. FB
 
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