Hey guys. Anyone on here suffer with pain / stiffness in the shoulder? I've had it's couple of months now and it's gradually getting worse. Im a side sleeper and it is so uncomfortable at night time I'm hardly getting any sleep, have bought a mattress topper which seemed to help at the start. The pain is in the joint of the shoulder and when I try to take off or put on tshirts I can hardly lift my arm and the pain shoots down the collarbone. Mentioed it to the specialist at my last appointment and was told RA doesn't affect large joints. ☹️ Just wondering if anyone else has this pain?
Shoulder pain: Hey guys. Anyone on here suffer with... - NRAS
Shoulder pain
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Smurf808
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RA does affect large joints! Of course it does!
I had bilateral rotator cuff tears, which is common with PsA. It was extremely painful. A steroid shot into each shoulder fixed it.
I'm not sure why they told you RA doesn't effect large joints?? It generally STARTS in the smaller joints (fingers and toes) but can of course progress to larger joints. My Mom has had RA for 30 years and had a total shoulder replacement due to RA damage about 4 years ago. It's been pain free since surgery.
Hi Smurf, I’m going thru exactly the same as you, so I feel your pain !! My shoulders have been so painful for over six months now, can’t sleep, dress myself etc etc. Rheumy arranged x ray and scan and it appears I have bursitis on both shoulders, plus tendinitis and erosion in the joints. I am now waiting to see surgeon re possible surgery. RA can most certainly affect the larger joints, my spine and neck are severely affected by it, now my shoulders and also elbows, actually pretty much all of my joints affected. I have been prescribed Abu trans patches for pain relief, but find good old Ibrufen gel helps most. If you apply an hour before bed to your shoulders it might help you get some sleep .....
Of course RA can affect larger joints... My onset began in my right shoulder, the side I slept on, so for a while I thought it was just a little bursitis. But then the pain started to shoot down my hand, then my left shoulder, then my knees, hips, jaw, etc you name it. My RA started with big joints and matured into every small joint, I have it everywhere!! I love sleeping on my side but it's impossible. You have to try just sleeping in your back bc you are most likey irritating it more and more. Whenever I try to sleep on my side, not only is my shoulder worse, it must swell internally so that it pinches nerves and I feel it down my arm to my hand.
I really feel for you. When my onset began I had no idea what was happening and as it progressed and got worse, I wasn't sleeping at all. I hadnt had proper sleep for about 3 months. Lying down would cause my arms and hands to become crippled when pain.
What meds are you on? Are they helping?
I wish you all the best!!!
... Mentioed it to the specialist at my last appointment and was told RA doesn't affect large joints. ☹️
Maybe you should have asked, are you a qualified rheumatologist?!
Hi Smurf, I have recently been told that I don't actually have RA but OA and (quite bad) calcification in my joints. I have had the exact pain and stiffness you describe in my right shoulder and had it for about 6 month. After my rheumy doctor told me it's nothing to do with arthritis (without actually checking much at all, just had me move the joint a bit) I was sent to an orthopedic specialist by my GP. He did an ultrasound and it showed bursitis and calcification in the joint that was quite severe. He explained to me that the calcium deposits in the joint rub on the tendons and when you move the room is restricted and the deposit presses onto nerves and tendons. I got an injection in my shoulder there and then, it was taped and 2 days later I was pain free. As this doesn't get rid of the calcium deposits I might have to do this again and/or have surgery to remove them. I also got prescribed physio to help keep things mobile.
Obviously I can't tell if this is the same as it is for you, but it might be an avenue to explore, especially if your specialist is unwilling to accept RA as a cause.
Hope you feel better soon, know how it feels not being able to do much and not sleeping well with it etc.
Hi I'm in a similar situation. I've had a shoulder replacement but having problems with my right one. Ask your GP about an injection and buy TENS machine with an anti inflammatory gel.
It could possibly be an autoimmune disorder called, "Frozen Shoulder." It's associated with R.A. I have it.
Hi Rembrandt, I’ve had frozen shoulder too. After a couple of injections I had it manipulated under GA which solved the problem for about ten years. It’s just begun to be painful again 🙁 I didn’t know it was associated with RA as it was before I was diagnosed.
in reply to Rembrandt2nd
I had no idea it was associated with RD or autoimmune; still got limited mobility in shoulder 15 years later tho much better than before. Funny thing is rheumy did ask about it. Learn new stuff all the time on here, thanks 😀
Unfortunately yes - some days my shoulders are the worst and as for sleeping - I too am a side sleeper (well would like to be!)
It is really reatrictve. Now have front loading bras - can’t do regular ones up because of shoulders. Putting jumpers on and off is agony. Driving is also painful to change gear or put handbrake on or shut the door.
I do wonder about damage but wouldn’t want surgery so just put up with it!
RA does affect large joints. I have pain in my shoulders a lot of the time. I sympathise with the pain you experience in bed. I have always slept on my left side, and this is my my worst shoulder. I generally have one or two injections a year, which usually work for a few months.
Yes i get shoulder pain they said it was arthritis had steroid injection but did not work so just living with the pain i know how you feel
Yes i do but did have frozen shoulder years ago so who knows; swim 4 times a week which helps a bit. My rheumatologist said same only hands & feet (yes i know!) only to be contradicted later by specialist nurse at meeting: it can affect any joint/system (again, i know!) but doesn't exactly inspire your confidence when not all singing from same hymn sheet, does it? 😃 mine started with extreme breathlessness and hip i couldn't walk on: neither attributable to RD according to rheumatologist: i beg to differ but that puts you in awkward position of disagreeing with expert. No solutions I'm afraid but do sympathise.
Funny I was thinking of writting the same post can hardly move arm for the pain
Yes, mainly my left (my preferred side-sleeping position) & I empathise. I've had 2 lots of steroid injections into the joint which has helped but of course eventually wears off. Something to mention at your next Rheumy or nurse appointment. RD does definitely affect the larger joints, in fact your shoulder joints should be included each time your Rheumy performs the DAS 28, 4s-dawn.com/products/rheuma...
I had surgery for torn rotator cuff and bone spur in February. My surgeon said he found evidence of RA in the joint. Had the other shoulder done 2 years ago. It's a long process to heal and regain full movement with physio but it's worth it. The constant pain has gone after 2 years and I can do everyday activities again. Keyhole surgery so no unsightly wounds. My surgeon said thousands of people live with the pain of a torn rotator cuff but it will never heal so best have surgery sooner rather than wait. He said if I waited it would be 100 times more difficult for him but 1,000 times more difficult for me - in terms of pain, recovery and outcome. I suggest get a good consultant and an accurate diagnosis to make your decision.
I have the same sympons in both shoulders the first was diagnosed in 2011 as 2 complete tears in the rotator cuff muscle in the left shoulder and in 2012 my son thought it woud be a joke to startle me as i came out of the dining room which made the right shoulder tear in the same way. That pain was worse than the first i was sat holding my shoulde not being able to move and was white in the face accofding to the wife, i had to tie my arm to my body with a belt so i couldn't move it. I knew straight aeay what had happened but that was confirmed the same way as the first after an mri scan. Neither shoulder was repairable and was told it was degenerative and more than likely happen to the remaining muscles so now i take more caution even though i can barely lift my arms. i also have osteoarthritis in both shoulders which makes them even more painful but injectionsevery 6 months help releive the pain for a few weeks.
Kids eh?
My shoulders have been bad for 15+ years but the right is considerably worse. At the time I got excruciating pain in my shoulder that would eventually ‘click’ and ease off.
After physio (which helped the pain but was stopped due to the potential for soft tissue damage) I was referred to a shoulder specialist who said I had a torn cuff and something else which I’ve forgotten - but that made a total replacement contraindicated. I was told there wasn’t much they could do without a high risk of leaving me worse off.
I put up with it for years, have severely restricted movement in right shoulder and couldn’t sleep on that side.
A couple of years ago (for unrelated issues) I started going to see a personal trainer 2 / 3 tines a week and doing weights, resistance, type stuff.
Although my shoulder is still not very mobile the pain has improved massively and I can now sleep on that side again. It still hurts if I move it too far and it does make exercising more difficult / painful, but I can definitely recommend loosening / exercising the shoulders as a way of reducing pain and increasing mobility. And that’s after 15 years of avoiding any kind of strenuous effort with it.
All the best.
🙏🏻
I was told a reverse joint op was the only option in my case but the specilist said he didn't think it worth wile. I also had physiotherapy but made matters worse so the physio stopped it after a few weeks.
Obviously I don’t know what your shoulders are like compared to mine, but sounds like a similar situation regarding surgery (not being a good option).
Can definitely recommend some exercise - and I appreciate how difficult that can be, believe me. It’s made such a difference for me in terms of reduced pain. Gently at first with lots of loosening and stretching. Increasing the strength in my back, upper body and shoulders seems to be the thing that has helped the most. I don’t go crazy and don’t push the weights too much, but regular exercise has definitely helped - which was a bonus as that wasn’t the main reason for doing it.
PFKAAde, are you able to post a link to the exercises that you are talking about? I would like to give them a try.
Hi sharon6768
I don’t have any links to hand as I have been seeing a personal trainer who earns her money by coming up with a structured program of exercises!
However I don’t think it would be that hard to find plenty of pointers on YouTube etc. A lot of the upper body stuff i do is on the machines at the gym and they have fancy names like ‘upper body frontal row’ etc, but I think the key thing with all exercise is to find a balance and not just concentrate on one single part of the body. As such a PT might be a good place to start, even if only for a couple of sessions to give you some pointers.
I really think it is just doing ‘something’ and getting the joint moving again as well as loosened up a bit. I guess if you have current inflammation of the joint this may affect things. I didn’t do anything while i was still in the ‘acute phase’ (for want of a better description). But I was left with a damaged joint and this got worse over time until I started exercising.
Hope that’s a bit useful and sorry I can’t post a specific link.
Thank you and I will talk to one of the trainers at the gym tomorrow.
Sorry to hear of your pain and the ridiculous response from your specialist. I have lots of pain in my shoulders. I had an MRI done of the rt shoulder and it showed a lot of stuff going on there. Perhaps you could ask to have a closer look taken of yours? Whatever the case, I sure hope you can get some relief soon.
I dont so much have pain but definite should stiffness and if I try and relieve it by rotating my shoulders it feels like I have coggs inside my shoulders that are sticking and I can feel each time it moves to the next cogg. Makes a terrible noise in my head but don't think anyone eles can hear it xx
RA dies affect large joints have had a reverse right shoulder replacement and on my left shoulder have rotator cuff tear which I'm seeing physio with. Hope you get sorted go back and ask for x ay
I fell over in February and landed on my right shoulder. Then believe it or not, ten days later I had another fall and fell on my left shoulder hurting that one. I have had X-rays and nothing is fractured but I have ruptured two tendons in each shoulder. The pain has been excruciating and is all down my arms to my elbows. I can't manage to dress and undress myself and even washing is hard.
I have been having some physio but it seems to be making it worse for pain, although I am getting more movement back, as I can now lift my arms, whereas before I couldn't do that. Gel rubbed onto my shoulders does nothing. I was sent to see an orthopedic surgeon who deals mainly with arms and shoulders and he has referred me for scans and will see me again. He says that an operation probably won't work because my tendons will be weak and thin and would probably tear again very quickly. I am hoping that I soon get the scan and can see him again and maybe get some injections.
I already have severe pain in my back, knees and neck and this is really getting me down now. I have been told that I have severe osteo arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, possible psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Larger joints not affected?? I don't think that is quite right, with all due respect. I have issues with my shoulders as well, but some of that is muscle too..
RA certainly affects my shoulders and they were assessed at my last appointment.
Another thing that used to affect me severely before I had RA, was statins, so much so that I had to come off them several years ago. I have recently started a mild dose of Rosuvastatin and so far, so good.
Hi I have this all the time have been told it will ease and keep taking the inflammation tablets
I have had bilateral shoulders replacements due to osteoarthritis, tried everything else and I thought the consultant was joking when he told me. However left one was done in 2015 and right one in 2016 and I can now hang my own washing on the line and even fasten my bra behind my back. I stayed awake for both operations and wrote a blog about my experience.
Yes I do and my shoulder swelled too. I’ve been told by rheumatologist that any joint can be affected. Ultrasound scan showed inflammation. The reason they’re only interested in hands/feet is because they’re easier to monitor
I get frozen shoulders. It will continue to restrict movement until felt with. I had X-ray quidditch cortisone injection three years ago. It is now getting to a point when I need to repeat it and do other shoulder as well.
It worked great for me. The pain improved over night.
Hi there, I too have started with pain in both my shoulders and sleeping for the past month has been impossible taken to sleeping tablets! Have been recommended Turmeric vitality organic capsules which i've been taking for 8 days just reduced the naproxen and pain killers to see if there is any improvement first night without sleeping tablets tonight so will see how it goes!
Will let you know if they have any effect - fingers crossed
Yes, my was due to the sheath lining of the muscle around the shoulder. Was giving a shot three months ago with great relief with better movement. I still have a little pain when I pull the covers over with my right arm but quiets quickly. Hope this helps
My shoulder pain started after having the flu jab in my left arm - might be a coincidence but have been in pain ever since. Started in left shoulder then moved to right shoulder; although pain remains in both shoulders, now worse on right. Turning over in bed is pure agony. Have to have really hot shower to get shoulders to move in the morning. Fingers crossed (if only I could) that the addition of Sulfasalazine will help to improve the condition. Here's hoping - and good luck to you too....
Hi ,
I am going through exactly the same as you at this moment and have had it before it is caused by the RA and my Rheumy gives ne a steroid injection in the shoulder which does ease it for quite a while and I think maybe you should ask for this as it sounds as if it might help. Good Luck 14penny
Yes - my OH has this and it’s been diagnosed as a frozen shoulder. He’s a surfer and before his RA he had had problems with his shoulders which his physio told him were rotator cuff issues, but this time it’s been worse and physical, gp and chiropractor have all agreed on frozen shoulder. He’s had all sorts of therapies including a steroid injection but about 12 months down the line the only things that really seem to improve it are time and the right exercises. It is starting to get better now but he’s still not back to surfing yet. Don’t know whether it’s due to his RA (he’s on MTX and Benapali) but I suspect it is. Good luck with yours.
Oh I can relate. Over the years my left shoulder has been so badly affected that I did hit rock bottom. I couldn’t move, wash myself, drive or sleep. I would spend the nights in tears. And somehow I managed to tear my rotor cuff in my last flare up (a year ago). It was really difficult getting my Dr to believe that the flareup happened first! However since starting Benepali 11 weeks ago my shoulder is the best it has been in years. I have full movement and rotation.
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