# Shoulder impingement



## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Anyone successfully treat it? I have had shoulder pain since I was in my 20's. I used to lift alot, along with work. It's on my "handed" side. 
Started working out again last few years but again nagging pain. Haven't worked out since April and still pain reaching back. I changed sleeping habits because I thought it was the cause, no luck. 

Web Md says 2 Weeks of anti inflammatory message and exercise. Doesn't sound like the answer.


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

Tom M said:


> Anyone successfully treat it? I have had shoulder pain since I was in my 20's. I used to lift alot, along with work. It's on my "handed" side.
> Started working out again last few years but again nagging pain. Haven't worked out since April and still pain reaching back. I changed sleeping habits because I thought it was the cause, no luck.
> 
> Web Md says 2 Weeks of anti inflammatory message and exercise. Doesn't sound like the answer.


And what does the actual doctor say? I'd suggest a D.O. family practitioner, for starters.
Edit: A clinical exam is worth it. No different than us wanting to see a job firsthand.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

I have gone to orthos in past. Always had the impression of loose assumptions.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

You need to find out what is really wrong.

Likely one of or a combination of:

Tendonitis
Bursitis 
Torn Rotator Cuff

Most of the time when a Rotator Cuff is repaired a "decompression" is done of the Scapula to increse the space below it so as not to wear on the cuff.

Ibuprofen & ice can help a great deal. But if it is a Rotator Cuff they don't just heal on their own. You don't want a small tear evolving to a full thickness tear.

Go to a sports minded Orthopedic Surgeon for best results.

Good luck.


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## joeschmo (Sep 24, 2014)

I have the same problem and have been to orthopedics and had mri. It flares up from repetitive use. Working overhead always causes me a week or more of pain. Ibuprofen regimen for two weeks even if it feels ok after a few days. Then I am back in business. My wife is an occupational therapist so I get some freebies when it comes to treatment.


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## joeschmo (Sep 24, 2014)

I believe lifting a lot when I was younger and in the army probably didn't help.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Frequent medication is just harmful. I suppose surgery is the only way and that's out for now.


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## Tashler (Mar 4, 2006)

I started having pain in both shoulders in 1993. Put up with it until 2006. I'm slow. Went to an ortho who said he would rather try non invasive stuff before resorting to surgery. Explained to me that I had impingements and what they are.
Put me on a cycle of anti inflammatories. It was great. For a short period of time. Tried cortisone shots. Again, good for some time. Tried cold laser therapy because the chiropractor said it would help. It didn't. He turned me on to a anesthesiologist who did PRP (platelet rich plasma) which worked well after three treatments. For a while.

Pain in left one was getting extreme several years ago, before my first cortisone shot. It's been bearable since.

Four years ago got an MRI (great fun with claustrophobia) and it showed impingements, but nothing else. In March 2013 I got another shot for the right one as it was getting real bad. Told him surgery might be soon. Told me its only going to get worse with time. I finally realized that everything was treating the inflammation and tendonitis, but not the cause. That would require going in and grinding the chromium, I believe.
Put off surgery because I knew I wouldn't be making any money for 6 months, but it got too bad. New MRI showed partial tear. I felt somewhat validated , a real reason to get it besides pain.
By the time I went for surgery in Sept 2013, I could barely move my arm. 
Impingement, partial rotator cuff tear, full width rotator cuff tear (re-attached to my arm with three screws). Plus they had to clean up just about every tendon in there as hey were pretty much shredded.

DR said it was a mess in there, and at least once a week at PT they would tell me that the DR did A LOT of work in there. And that it is probably the most complex joint in the human bod.

And after all that, it still isn't right. But I'm glad I did it.

Get an MRI. Next best thing to x-ray vision.


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## Framer53 (Feb 23, 2008)

You unfortunately are in a profession where this is more common than most know.

I lived with it and the pain for years i my left shoulder, left handed.
The problem is I had auto accident and I gripped the wheel so hard bracing myself that it ended up causing a problem in both shoulders.

I had surgery on both shoulders, which is scrapping some bone to allow the shoulder more movement.

This was after 3 months of physical therapy.

The surgery ended up being very painful for a variety of reasons not the least of which was a Doc that prescribed a narcotic to alleviate the pain that because of other medication I could not take and live.

My advice is to be very careful in whatever you decide to do aS I ENDED UP WITH ONGOING RESIDUAL PAIN that has not gone away 6 years after the surgery.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Greaaaaaat.  :sad:


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## cdkyle (Jul 12, 2009)

Tashler said:


> I started having pain in both shoulders in 1993. Put up with it until 2006. I'm slow. Went to an ortho who said he would rather try non invasive stuff before resorting to surgery. Explained to me that I had impingements and what they are.
> Put me on a cycle of anti inflammatories. It was great. For a short period of time. Tried cortisone shots. Again, good for some time. Tried cold laser therapy because the chiropractor said it would help. It didn't. He turned me on to a anesthesiologist who did PRP (platelet rich plasma) which worked well after three treatments. For a while.
> 
> Pain in left one was getting extreme several years ago, before my first cortisone shot. It's been bearable since.
> ...


Tashlar, this is very similar to my situation. I first hurt my left shoulder in 2003. Bursitis &/or Impingement. Went to Dr. MRI, said it needed scraped. Did not have it done. Took cortisone shots a couple of times. 

Then I hurt the right shoulder exactly the same. Exact same scenario. Now I have two shoulders hurting. There are good days and bad days. Over the course of the last ten years, it has gotten progressively worse. My range of motion as well as strength has significantly decreased. I went back recently (in the last 6 months) because of the increased pain. 

Now the doc says the left one needs a total reconstruction. I still haven't done anything. I'm just too afraid of the consequences. But, now I wish I would have sucked it up (financially) ten years ago when I could have gotten by with a scrape job.


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## Tashler (Mar 4, 2006)

Took me a long time realize we were just treating the symptom, not the cause. I was extremely apprehensive about it-NO money at all coming in on my end. No disability, nothing. Six months, and people still said I went back too quick.
If the DR is pro surgery from the get-go, I'm concerned. But with what you're going through, I would say go for it. Mine is not perfect, but it is a hell of a lot better than t has been in years.

And, as it has been said, if it is damaged, it would fix itself.

Hate to say it, especially since I put it off so long myself, but deal with it, quit putting it off. And really do the PT. Don't halfheartedly do it. Want to get it back in shape. I kept trying to lift heavier weights, but it isn't good to do early. Wanted to do dips in their assisted dipping and chin up machine. They thought I was nuts. But I knew I had to get back to work, and I don't sit at a desk. And when I got back to work, I made sure I lifted at least as much as the other guys. Need to pull my own weight.

Get it done. In the end you will be better off physically, and I doubt you'll regret it.

Just wish I had used my time off to read more. And learn Sketch Up.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Tom M said:


> I suppose surgery is the only way and that's out for now.


While I'd do my damnedest to find a reasonable alternative to surgery, if that's what's really needed, bite the bullet and go for it. I can't count the number of guys I've seen suffer for years because it wasn't "convenient" to do it now.

It's never convenient.


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## fourcornerhome (Feb 19, 2008)

A cortisone shot fixed mine. One shot about 15 years ago and I have not had a problem since . My shoulder has a hooked acromion which was part of the problem, along with the abuses of work.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

I've had a complete full thickness tear repaired in each shoulder.
There is no alternative to surgery for torn rotator cuff.

Pain before surgery was significant. Narcotics helped but what a way to live.

Surgery, well was no cakewalk. Pretty painful. Knee surgery is worse.
Now days a Morphine drip via a fish line size catheter is inserted into the shoulder and left for 48 hours. I'm told it is a godsend after surgery.

First 36 hours is the worse. After that it gets batter fast.

It is absolutely critical that you have a hot shot sports ortho surgeon and an equally hot shot PT. My PT started right after I woke up in my hospital room.

I am not 100% pain free but it is manageable with aspirin & ibuprofen.

Do not hesitate to have the surgery.


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## Tashler (Mar 4, 2006)

The pain thing is funny. Had a friend who had an impingement done. Pretty much had to get high on oxy to deal with the pain post op.Said when the nerve blocker wore off he was like a cat on the ceiling.

Had another who had a full width tear. He was on pain meds before surgery.

Nerve blocker killed all feeling and movement from my ear to my fingers. Dead. Wore off at 1:30 AM. But just for the shoulder. Everything else was dead for days.

It was never incredible pain, but I knew taking the oxy would dull it and let me sleep and cope. Trying to open those child proof bottles without waking anyone up with one arm was an experience.

And, since it hasn't been mentioned yet, if you get surgery, owning a recliner is a must. Sleeping in a bed was just about impossible for several months.

I had to start home PT the next morning, passively moving it. Very necessary. But I didn't have a tube in me, nor any morphine. A decent pain threshold and half a bottle of oxy and ibuprofen will get you through.

Heck, I was making myself breakfast and washing dishes the next day. Boy needs to eat. After three weeks I was mowing the lawn and blowing leaves with my arm in a sling.

Tom, I don't know where you are in Bergen Co, but my surgeon has offices in Wayne and Lincoln Park, and he is a shoulder guy. Same day procedure was done at Chilton inn Pequannock. 

But guys, don't keep putting it off. Won't heal itself. It is never convenient. And will probably just get worse.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

100% spot on about the recliner...:thumbsup:


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

6 months of recovery would be financially brutal.


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## Tashler (Mar 4, 2006)

Tell me about it. That's why I didn't do it until I couldn't use it. Felt tons better to find out that it was damaged. Wasn't putting my family through this just because I couldn't take the pain.
Director at the camp my son and I volunteer at in the Adirondacks had a scared look on his face when I told him I was going to do it. Afraid we would lose the house. I never thought about that. But we made it.
You can't collect disability? I couldn't because I'm an LLC, no employees. So I don't carry WC, but I also can't collect.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

Tashler said:


> Tell me about it. That's why I didn't do it until I couldn't use it. Felt tons better to find out that it was damaged. Wasn't putting my family through this just because I couldn't take the pain.
> Director at the camp my son and I volunteer at in the Adirondacks had a scared look on his face when I told him I was going to do it. Afraid we would lose the house. I never thought about that. But we made it.
> You can't collect disability? I couldn't because I'm an LLC, no employees. So I don't carry WC, but I also can't collect.


Please I wish. I decline comp coverage as well. Plus I'm not health insured eitherf or the first time in 17 years. Expenses skyrocketed & work was spotty up until 6 months ago.


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## Tashler (Mar 4, 2006)

I'm very lucky that my wife has a decent paying job with health benefits. IIRC the surgery cost us just over $300. 
Guess I didn't realize how fortunate I was until then.


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## Tom M (Jan 3, 2007)

I was paying over $8 bills a month solo plus a $2500. Deductible. Got on the woman's healthcare then she lost the job. Decided to clear some debt & get ahead on other expenses before getting back on that one.


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

My ortho said I had a big bone spur that helped cause the tear of my rotator cuff. It was removed. You need a good ortho and MRI.

Yes recovery sucks.........no income...........6 months to a year for recovery. (light duty after 12 weeks) Had both done 8 yrs ago.


Good luck.


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