Hi i have terrible shoulder pain and wrist pain, i am taking diclofenac but its not strong enough, the shoulder pain is 'impingment' and the doctor says the wrist pain is a sprain .
these are both recurring problems and i have to use my left hand/arm now. i am unable to work but i try to do half a day a week as i can't stop yet (am 32 and a gardener)
does anyone have experience of a shoulder surgery or injection? how long does this take on the nhs?
regards
H
you could try physio?? and a steroid injection rather than surgery >?
Impingement meaning something is pressing on one of the nerves from your neck ? Pain Clinic should cover all the options. Get GP to refer you. Have you had a scan ? Neck and shoulder pain are really sickening things. Best wishes.
Thanks Calceolaria & Summer :-), I will ask about the pain clinic, hadn't thought of that,
I had physio before but i didn't find it much help unfortunately. I might try acupuncture..
Gp was talking about nerves in my arm & talking to a surgeon, but i am not really wanting to go that route yet, i've just had surgery for someting else!
I think impingement is where the bones in the shoulder rub together when theres not enough space in the joint , so i've just read.
I think its from over-use, so i guess i will have to give up gardening for a while . The pain at night is the worst 
I'll ask about getting a scan ,
many thanks , H
I'm going to go for physio privately & maybe acupuncture, i'm sure the wait would be ages on the nhs. Really wish i had health insurance !
I hope you are having pain free days, i think it will be sunny tomorrow
H
Make sure you go to a good physio if going privately. i went that route some years ago and paid £ 60 for a one visit of useless advice. Unfortunately as you mention the NHS can mean a lengthy wait for an appointment,but I was later lucky to see a physio who worked part time with the British Judo Team and he was exceptionally helpful.
Massage is nice - make sure you explain what is wrong before they start. Tens units, quite cheap at Lloyds Pharmacy, have a digital model which has a programme for shoulders. Rotten luck being a gardener too !
Your private Physio should loan you a tens if he/she thinks you are suitable. Ask about it. Physio can also do massage, sports type.
Have you had an MRI scan of the shoulder yet. My MRI scan showed that I had a tear in a shoulder tendon and inflamation in the bursa. I have been told that it will take 18 months to heal.
Look up erythromycin and inflamation on google. There is recognition happening that this antibiotic is very useful in reducing inflamation and pain.
Hello. I have shoulder problems too. I've got trigger points in my shoulder muscles that cause pain in all sorts of places, and cervical ribs that sometimes cause some irritation on the nerves to the arm & fingers. I've tried all sorts of things & am having private physio at the moment. There is some improvement in parts of my shoulder movement and I'm getting a few days with little or no pain after treatment. But it doesn't take much to get the pain going again. I carried some very very light shopping about yesterday and have suffered since.
I am torn between gritting my teeth and persevering because I know this problem is so chronic (I've had pain for almost 8 years) and won't go away over night, and giving up on it for the same reasons! Frustration strikes again!
But anyway, that is how it is for me. I hope you find the physio helpful.
Hi
Thanks your your replies it's very helpful!
Calceolaria - Thanks i will ask about a tens machine when i go for physio. 
John smith - i've not had any scans yet. yet another thing to pester the gp for! 
Did they tell you what caused the impingement? I've been reading up on it and it seems there could be many causes of it, and that if physio & injections don't work, then arthroscopy is a good route.
My gp, didn't seem to think injections would be good for me, not sure why..
So basically at the moment, i'm trying total rest ( its hard to resist the urge to garden!) and nsaids. phsio booked for a weeks time. i might try hydrotherapy? anyone tried this?
tea drinker - thanks for your message, I totally understand the frustration of trying some small exercize then feeling the pain back again. I thought i was pacing myself just doing a few hours gardening a week, and if it keeps returning should i just push through the pain? I don't know, i guess i have to be realistic and accept some change in my work though. .
frustrating indeed!
i hope you are having relatively pain free days, best wishes,
yes I do I have it in my left shoulder all the way down my arm I know what you are going though I have had it for clost to 12years and it sucks
Oh yes' I know about shoulder and neck pain's, and also the ones that travel into the brain , sharp stabbing pains that leave you in severe pain and certain movements of your arms if you stretch out, also right at the tip of the shoulder's there is a pain that travels down ttthe inside of the arm, and round the back of the biceps, but the area I think that is the worst is that part right between the shoulders that sends signals upwards .
But what I do is try and not stretch out your arms and keep your elbows tucked in, and you'd be surprised how much you can do and also if you do stretch out then lock your elbow as it works for me as it takes the movement out of the shoulders.
I know how frustrating it can be because my arms just flop down, just like my legs drop like a ton of bricks, but I can lift them up ok, it really is so strange, and I really can't understand it.
But tortoiseshell, shoulder pains are a nightmare, and I sympathise with you, I do hope what I said about trying not to stretch out your arms and keep your elbows in, then I think you may find that your pain might be less than normal best wishes
Thanks for your replies , i can't type much , i will go to physio and hopefully get bett pain meds,
Thanks
Hi I have just had arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder for impingement problems. This was after having failed steroid injection (it hadn't helped). Now 3 days post operation. The pain is subsiding. I have it in both shoulders. Good luck with your problems. X
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