u/Tachi-taco

I’ve tried pretty much every NSAID I can and no matter how much I take the pain doesn’t lessen at all. I’m feeling so hopeless since I can’t get a cortisone shot because of my age and work has been unbearable with my pain. I got moved to another station with no lifting at all but the pain didn’t go down and my manager was telling other people he won’t move me unless I bring a note while telling me he would move me if I tell him I can’t do it(which I did today). The only reason I got moved today is apparently because my coworker was given an ultimatum that she could switch with me for the day or he would just keep me at my normal station. I feel so horrible because I know she doesn’t like doing my job because she has bad arthritis and only did it so I wouldn’t have to. I don’t know what I can even do at my job with my current pain and it’s getting frustrating telling people all of the things I should be doing which I’ve already tried. It feels like trying things multiple times isn’t good enough for some people and they keep insisting I need to just try ice or ibuprofen or icy hot every time they see me in pain even when I tell them it doesn’t reduce my pain. Everyone thinks they know what’s wrong with me and I’m just so tired of all the doctor’s visits and the advice. I feel so hopeless for the future and like I can’t stop hitting dead ends. I want to be able to enjoy my home life but the pain keeps coming back even on days off. Does anyone have any advice on ways I can reduce my pain? My range of motion usually only gets bad after work but improves after some rest so it’s not really my biggest concern.

Hi everyone! I recently went to my first orthopedic appointment and I’m feeling kind of unsure of the assessment so I wanted to hear if this is normal for frozen shoulder. I’ve had chronic shoulder and neck pain for almost three years now and I’ve been trying to find a possible reason with no luck.

It started a couple months after starting a new job at an automotive glass factory with a lot of tightness and pain in the left side of my neck and trap with sharp pains in my clavicle near my sternum. I went to get it checked out after months of pain when it started to get harder to perform tasks at home (cooking is a big trigger for me but it’s also my favorite hobby) and the pain wasn’t going away with ibuprofen or naproxen. I also noticed it wouldn’t go away while sitting and would get much worse while lying on my back. They sent me home with muscle relaxers and another NSAID but I didn’t feel any difference while taking them and would still get bad pain in my neck and shoulder. The only relief I would feel at night is if I laid on my bad arm and it only worked half of the time.

A year later it was getting even worse and I noticed my range of motion was getting worse and I was getting more pain in my pec/armpit area as well as my bicep. I kept getting really bad sharp pains in my clavicle that would travel up my neck and into my jaw and ear. My ring and pinky fingers also started feeling tingly and numb occasionally and I felt a lot more pain in my shoulder blade near my back and it started feeling itchy constantly. I went to my doctor and got an MRI that showed only mild inflammation in my rotator cuff and very very mild bursitis. My doctor referred me out to pt last October and I did that for a month with no improvement to the pain but my range of motion got better. My physical therapist recommended I stop doing my stretches as they were causing pain and told me see if I could get my neck checked for any issues as that could be causing my pain.

I had a physical in June and brought up my pain again and got an xray of my neck that showed nothing and that’s how I got referred to an orthopedic surgeon. They did X-rays that showed nothing wrong with any of the bones in my shoulder and the doctor did an assessment of my range of motion and determined that I have a frozen shoulder and the only thing he can do is give me topical ointment for my clavicle, ice it (tried it multiple times and it makes the pain worse for me), or put me on restriction at work(I was moved to a position where I wouldn’t have to move around much but still had pain). He suggested a cortisol injection but said he would want to do that as a last resort because of my age (I’m 25). My partner pushed for an emg to see if a nerve could be compressed so I guess we’ll see how that goes.

Right now I’m back in my old position and I still experience a lot of pain and can’t really do any of my hobbies I used to like cooking or gaming. My hand has started shaking when I get bad pain flare ups and I’m worried I’m losing strength in that hand. The numbness comes back a lot more and the pain overall is more intense. Every doctor’s visit leaves me feeling more defeated and I’m exhausted trying the same home remedies over and over to no avail. The only relief I can get is if I lay down in a pillow system my partner got me and even then it’s taking longer and longer for me to recover. My range of motion comes back after I do it but if I move around too much it starts getting worse. The pain will come back if I’m even sitting or standing with my arm laying limp. I want to believe that it could be over but after almost 3 years it’s hard not to feel like giving up.

TLDR; I’ve been having chronic neck and shoulder pain but haven’t had any improvement with PT or medication. Orthopedic surgeon thinks it’s frozen shoulder but I’m having a hard time believing it.