8 months after shoulder Surgery...Symptoms are not getting better..Neck&arm pain?

Hello everybody. I have a long messy story so please bear with me.

Over a year ago: I had chronic shoulder pain over a year ago and found out I had impingement of my rotator cuff muscle. After months of Physical Therapy and rest the pain remained.
My pain was only present in my shoulder at my rotator cuff and only present if I tried to exercise or use my shoulder.

8 months ago (Aug 10th): After a year of rest and some physical therapy, I finally had surgery in my shoulder. My ortho did a subacromial decompression and distal clavicle excision. A bony spur was removed. He said The tear in the supraspinatus was minor and didn't require surgical repair. He also mentioned very minor damage in my labrum that didn't require repair but just needed to be "cleaned up." He says everything went perfectly and the surgery was a success.

I went to physical therapy as indicated after surgery. But about a month after surgery, I started having a burning/inflamed feeling on the lateral side of my neck. This was soon accompanied by tingling pain in my arms (especially forearm and index finger)
I NEVER had these symptoms before my surgery. Nothing even remotely close to this

The RC area itself hurts occasionally, but I am moreso experiencing the tingling pain in my lower arm/forarm and [B]really bad inflammation on my neck.[/B]
(all symptoms are worst the day after physical therapy)

I spoke with my ortho and he RIGHT AWAY said "This has nothing to do with your surgery....its incidental...You have cervical spinal issues. I had a cervical MRI done which stated a minor posterior bulge at c2/c3. My PT and primary care doctor think this is an incidental finding and a spine mri in anyone will find a minor buldge. But my ortho insists this is the problem and it incidentally started happening a month after the surgery he performed...

My ortho said to take the conservative route and have physical therapy/traction therapy done. Im worried and also confused as to why this is happening right after my subacromial decompression surgery.
I followed my ortho's advice and had cervical traction done and continued with physical therapy.
I also went to a neurologist who said my neurological findings are all normal...She gave me muscle relaxants and said I can get an EMG if I want, but she doesn't think its necessary

The most frustrating part for me is the fact that I can't diagnose my problem.
My Ortho thinks its something spine related


It has been 8 months since my surgery and Im still having these terrible symptoms all on my right side (same side as surgery):
-Pain in my shoulder/AC Joint
-Tingling pain in my elbow, forearm, and even fingers...especially worse the day after I use my shoulder
-Neck feels inflamed/painful on the right side
**All symptoms are worse the days after physical therapy**

Also my right shoulder clicks alot when doing PT exercises such as shrugs and front raises.
My AC joint clicks alot and sometimes I feel pain around my scapula

I have been to my ortho, received a cortisone injection, tried cervical traction, active release therapy, and been to 3 physical therapists. I ice my shoulder 3x a day and use heat at night. I have been using NSAIDs and fish oil daily for inflammation.

At this point I am extremely frustrated and depressed. I just want to know exactly what is wrong so I can pinpoint the problem and try to take care of it properly...

I posted my problem 2 months ago and since then I have been to the neurologist and continued PT.
Symptoms are still pretty much the same

There's no question you have a nerve related issue. The tingling/burning is a dead giveaway.

I'd find yourself a good manual orthopedic therapist. This person will check you out to determine if there's tightness in the muscles that may be causing compression. Could be any number of places:

* Neck: Scalene muscles can cause problems. This plus a mild cervical spine issue could do the trick.
* Chest/Brachial Plexus: The nerves from the neck travel under the collarbone and under pec minor. If your pecs are tight or you have some kind of problem with the brachial plexus this could cause the problem. I'd actually ask for an MRI of your brachial plexus.
* Elbow: Your ulnar nerve can get snagged in a few spots around the elbow.

I sypathize with you because your situation sounds similar to mine except I never had surgery. 18 months ago I thought I injured my posterior shoulder area. Many MRIs and doctor visits later and I still don't know what's really going on. I know have a posterior shoulder issue and nervy symptoms on my scapula, around the elbow, and in my fingers.

Find a therapist that can check your whole body out. Sometimes MRI's just don't catch it.

KY

So I went to another ortho, this guy is a shoulder specialist. He read my shoulder and spine MRI. He said my spine MRI is as close to normal as possible. The minor spur I have probably isn't the cause of any problem.
He saw my surgery report and shoulder MRI and noted that my distal clavicle was not cut too much. He says the surgeon only removed a small piece at an angle from the bottom (likely removing a spur).
He thinks my irritation is originating from my AC joint. As a means of diagnosis, he injected me with an anesthetic in my AC joint to see if it relieves the pain, which it did.
For 2 hours I was nearly pain free...but after it wore off the pain was worse than ever. This is making me think that the AC joint may be the problem. For 2 days after the injection the neck pain and referred pain down the arm is MUCH worse (maybe because of the irritation the injection caused at the AC joint)
This shoulder specialist is ready to operate on me, and thinks that shaving off a piece of my distal clavicle will help.

Part of me wants to go for it because the conservative route did not work and I tried 3 physical therapists, massages, ice, heat...8 months has been too long..I am really losing hope and getting depressed

But another part of me is thinking...how can impingement in my AC joint cause neck pain and radiculopathy down my arm? The surgeon said it could be causing irritation up towards the neck muscles which are impinging nerves. I guess that's possible..
But another issue: why did this start AFTER the first surgery?? I never had neck pain or pain radiating down my arm prior to my initial surgery.

I will be consulting another ortho this Wednesday. Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any ideas?

Oh man. I can feel the frustration even in your typing. There really could be a lot going on here which is a pretty obvious neuropathy. What about muscle weakness? Im sure each of the 3 PTs did extensive manual muscle testing. If in the neck it sounds C6ish, but also could be median or anterior interosseus nerve. There is more going on than an AC pathology because you dont get radicular or peripheral symptoms from that. Plus your brachial plex or median nerve goes nowhere near there. Dont give up on conservative treatment yet. I know you have tried and are probably at wits end but there has to be someone that can give you some therapy to treat this. I dunno, what kind of surgery were they proposing for this anyhow?

[QUOTE=brollickby06;660069743]I will be consulting another ortho this Wednesday. Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any ideas?[/QUOTE]

Go see a Neuro and get tested "EMG/NCV". I have suprascapular nerve entrapment and it was diagnosed with these test. I got if from surgery on my left shoulder and now 8 months later MRI/w contrast says slap tear and emg comes back with entrapment of the suprascapular nerve affecting the infraspinatus. The emg I had was specific to test the suprascapular nerve and not the one they do for cervical issues. You could have both test done cervical and suprascapular and even request and Epidural in your neck at the levels where you have issues to see if your pain resolves. I am going to get ESI in neck for a bulge and a protrusion and see if my neck pain resolves. I have had a hard time finding a surgeon who will fix my slap tear and also treat my nerve issue. The suprascapular nerve entrapment consists of them cutting the transverse ligament in the shoulder at the suprascapular notch to relieve pressure on the nerve and artery to relieve pressure. The pain in your forearm and index finger I have had before and that is more than likely your neck. Get yourself and elastogel cervical collar and use it at least twice a day and see if it helps your symptoms. This collar is just for cold therapy and not a true cervical collar. And last but not least get some drugs... I was taking Vic. ******** and they did not help and I was given Lyrica by my PM doc and it has helped tremendously.

Myquestion to whom ever my read this is how do you get a chronic a/c separation pain to stop hurting seeing for the last 3 or so years I have had worse and worse pain with ever year and it only seem to get worse with every year that i used it to more and more extreme matter for my life style has to to with this matter i use to surf semi professionally and wake board as and advanced pro wake boarder, granted I never got into the big leagues because of this shoulder problem it slowly took me down as the pain and the weakness in the shoulder got worse with every year i tried to use it and after (doctor shopping) for the last few years to get it taken care of it seems because of my unfortunate problems with the shoulder going bad off and on that i have now been labeled as a complete and under drug seeker only because when it came time to follow up i didn't the proper insurance to help take care of the matter so there i was going from hospital to hospital trying desperately to find a doctor to help me with this matter and when i did finally come across a doctor which ended up being the doctor i have now and that's doctor phil johnson out of fargo ND he too has had over 3 shots at fixing my shoulder so please help me with this matter in any way you can if there's a doc out there that's willing to do it probono i'm willing to follow and rules or instructions i have to to get this shoulder taken care of once and for all IF NOT PROBONO WILL THEN I HAVE SOME MONEY SAVES UP TO GET THIS THIS FIXED JUST NAME YOUR PRICE AND WE SHALL WORK TOGETHER NO MATTER WHERE IN THE USA YOU MAY BE I JUST DO NOT WANT TO live like this any longer what so ever so of you are the doc to do this then please speak out for i will not stop at this matter untill i can once life a comfortable life and thats all im asking out of all this is just some comfort !!! your truly (kiko) francisco trujillo ps i have all the cd for my past mri's, cat scans and xrays like you wouldnt belive so thoughs are not a problem to get ahold of what so ever

I feel your pain, literally. I was diagnosed with severe arthritis of the left shoulder which ultimately lead to something akin to adhesive capsulitis. The loss of ROM and compensation by the scapula along with accelerated deterioration of the cervical discs around c5/c6 causing more pain in the scapula and numbness in the arm/hand. I have had the bone spurs removed and the joint capsule released via arthroscope (2 weeks ago) but am still experiencing a lot of neck pain (on the side - like a tightness), SC joint pain, lat/mid back pain, etc. All of these structures work together to produce complex macroscopic movement and when one gets screwed up it affects all of them. The GH arthritis is permanent as is the deterioration of the cervical discs and I have no idea if I'll be able to get everything stretched out and working normally (or close to it) again. All you can do is keep working at it - strengthen and stretch and do your research.

[QUOTE=brollickby06;660069743]I will be consulting another ortho this Wednesday. Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any ideas?[/QUOTE]

yup. quite a bit in terms of practice working with athletes with pain and shoulder stuff.
if you pm me and let me know where you live, if i know someone close by i'd recommend, happy to do so.

mc

This is a cervical spine issue. C5/C6 area. See an active release therapist.

Hi all who have had related pain and questions to ac joint arthrosis, impingement.

I have had similar issues starting with overuse in my left shoulder while training for an event and doing free style swim. After what was diagnosed as severe inflammation and 9 months of stopping the activity. the pain ceased but I never strengthened the shoulder. I accidentally strained the bicep tendon, rotator when swinging my daughter on the left shoulder at that 9 month point.

The result was pain when I slept and emerging non use lifting over shoulder, arm behind the back...frozen shoulder. I had pain in my neck, forearm, elbow area, tingling in my index finger and thumb area. I started with the chiropractor to get things moving and managed to reduce and eliminate neck pain most of the arm/finger symptoms. However the pain was searing in the shoulder waking me up and still I had not regained my range of motion, after 2 months. I found an acupuncturist who was also an OT. He had my shoulder moving within 1-2 treatments.

By the time I saw an Orthopedic Surgeon, they couldn't believe I had Frozen shoulder but xrays and mri's indicated ac joint arthritis and bone spur. Injections were tried, more physio therapy..as I increased my pt strengthening the pain in forearm and finger and trapezoid into neck resurfaced. additionally, inflamation in the joint raised the joint up out of my shoulder for 3 days.

Following this, arthroscopic surgery was recommended, however due to scheduling and not enough info I did not proceed and I am glad, though i still need surgery. 2 additional consults are researching my neck and vertabrae. I desperately would like relief from the pain, and I have gone on to use the shoulder to landscape and play tennis with other vigorous mom duties. Surgeons say this only happens to body builders, I do not know what to say the symptoms are all there.

Anyway, for those of you with neck and finger pain, I highly recommend you find a reputable acupuncturist along with a reputable chiropractor that is linked to an orthopedic and or takes xrays in their office. I wish I had more helpful info but the combination of neurologist with ortho and three physiotherapies: pt, acupuncture, chiro are my solutions. Last but not least if all else has failed: TRY CRANIAL SACRAL PHYSICAL THERAPY, again you need to find a practioner which this is all they do. There is a great article written by Suzanne Hayes out of Raleigh who does this type of Pt, and in the Boston area, Rowe Physical Therapy.

If anyone has had successful results with an ac joint decompression, I would like to hear from you as to whether you had arthroscopic procedure or open incision. I keep postponing surgery hoping to eliminate pain with use and strengthening but nothing is helping it.

Good luck to all, I am not sure whether pain in my shoulder has been worse than dry sockets I had once in my mouth...all I know is that there is no clear cut answer. best, Stephanie

HOw was the suprascapular notch surgery? DId it release the pressure ?

So back in Feb 2012 I had a Grade II Separation and Impingement by Mid-April and not having slept for 2 month I had the surgery. They did something with my Bi-cept tendon, took off a chunk of the colar bone, all done orthoscopically. Well here I am Oct 3 and having pretty persistent pain the past 2 months. Was told to use Icy hot 3 times per day for inflammation because my neck is so sore. My AC joint still hurts and thinking about setting up an appointment. I did the rehab myself and it did feel good for about 3 months no pressure at all now it is all back again. And I took it easy literally did not lift anything for 3 -4 months. I also get the fuzzy feeling in my ring and pinky fingers off and on more or less just gets really warm. If you find out what it is please do share!








[QUOTE=brollickby06;659614053]So I went to another ortho, this guy is a shoulder specialist. He read my shoulder and spine MRI. He said my spine MRI is as close to normal as possible. The minor spur I have probably isn't the cause of any problem.
He saw my surgery report and shoulder MRI and noted that my distal clavicle was not cut too much. He says the surgeon only removed a small piece at an angle from the bottom (likely removing a spur).
He thinks my irritation is originating from my AC joint. As a means of diagnosis, he injected me with an anesthetic in my AC joint to see if it relieves the pain, which it did.
For 2 hours I was nearly pain free...but after it wore off the pain was worse than ever. This is making me think that the AC joint may be the problem. For 2 days after the injection the neck pain and referred pain down the arm is MUCH worse (maybe because of the irritation the injection caused at the AC joint)
This shoulder specialist is ready to operate on me, and thinks that shaving off a piece of my distal clavicle will help.

Part of me wants to go for it because the conservative route did not work and I tried 3 physical therapists, massages, ice, heat...8 months has been too long..I am really losing hope and getting depressed

But another part of me is thinking...how can impingement in my AC joint cause neck pain and radiculopathy down my arm? The surgeon said it could be causing irritation up towards the neck muscles which are impinging nerves. I guess that's possible..
But another issue: why did this start AFTER the first surgery?? I never had neck pain or pain radiating down my arm prior to my initial surgery.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=brollickby06;655794253]Hello everybody. I have a long messy story so please bear with me.

Over a year ago: I had chronic shoulder pain over a year ago and found out I had impingement of my rotator cuff muscle. After months of Physical Therapy and rest the pain remained.
My pain was only present in my shoulder at my rotator cuff and only present if I tried to exercise or use my shoulder.

8 months ago (Aug 10th): After a year of rest and some physical therapy, I finally had surgery in my shoulder. My ortho did a subacromial decompression and distal clavicle excision. A bony spur was removed. He said The tear in the supraspinatus was minor and didn't require surgical repair. He also mentioned very minor damage in my labrum that didn't require repair but just needed to be "cleaned up." He says everything went perfectly and the surgery was a success.

I went to physical therapy as indicated after surgery. But about a month after surgery, I started having a burning/inflamed feeling on the lateral side of my neck. This was soon accompanied by tingling pain in my arms (especially forearm and index finger)
I NEVER had these symptoms before my surgery. Nothing even remotely close to this

The RC area itself hurts occasionally, but I am moreso experiencing the tingling pain in my lower arm/forarm and [B]really bad inflammation on my neck.[/B]
(all symptoms are worst the day after physical therapy)

I spoke with my ortho and he RIGHT AWAY said "This has nothing to do with your surgery....its incidental...You have cervical spinal issues. I had a cervical MRI done which stated a minor posterior bulge at c2/c3. My PT and primary care doctor think this is an incidental finding and a spine mri in anyone will find a minor buldge. But my ortho insists this is the problem and it incidentally started happening a month after the surgery he performed...

My ortho said to take the conservative route and have physical therapy/traction therapy done. Im worried and also confused as to why this is happening right after my subacromial decompression surgery.
I followed my ortho's advice and had cervical traction done and continued with physical therapy.
I also went to a neurologist who said my neurological findings are all normal...She gave me muscle relaxants and said I can get an EMG if I want, but she doesn't think its necessary

The most frustrating part for me is the fact that I can't diagnose my problem.
My Ortho thinks its something spine related


It has been 8 months since my surgery and Im still having these terrible symptoms all on my right side (same side as surgery):
-Pain in my shoulder/AC Joint
-Tingling pain in my elbow, forearm, and even fingers...especially worse the day after I use my shoulder
-Neck feels inflamed/painful on the right side
**All symptoms are worse the days after physical therapy**

Also my right shoulder clicks alot when doing PT exercises such as shrugs and front raises.
My AC joint clicks alot and sometimes I feel pain around my scapula

I have been to my ortho, received a cortisone injection, tried cervical traction, active release therapy, and been to 3 physical therapists. I ice my shoulder 3x a day and use heat at night. I have been using NSAIDs and fish oil daily for inflammation.

At this point I am extremely frustrated and depressed. I just want to know exactly what is wrong so I can pinpoint the problem and try to take care of it properly...

I posted my problem 2 months ago and since then I have been to the neurologist and continued PT.
Symptoms are still pretty much the same[/QUOTE]


Your story sounds similar to mine. I had 2 shoulder surgeries last year. After the first surgery I developed numbness in my forearm. Doctor doesn't know why. Gets painful when I use it
Torn Labrum, acromioplasty (Internal derangement, left shoulder with tear of glenoid labrum, hypertrophic synovitis, bicep tendinitis, bursitis, left shoulder. Impingment syndrome with tendinitis and degenerative changes of the acromioclvicalur joint). Arthroscopy of left shoulder with partial synovectomy, debridement of glenoid labrum, bursectomy, acromioplasty, and excision of osteophytes in acromioclavicular joint with decompression of the subacromial joint.
Second surgery for torn bicep tendon, which the doctor was hoping would help relieve the numbness also. This was not done arthroscopic so have a bigger scar. The tear was cut and the tendon attached with anchors. Most of the stuff from first surgery done again except the labdum.
Had EMG after second surgery and it was pretty much normal but did mention a possibility of miofacial pain syndrome. Recommended PT, injections, and mild muscle relaxers. I opted just for the PT since my Dr didn't think the meds and injections would work.
My Dr would like more MRI's but this is a worker's compensation case and they haven't authorized any other tests at this point.
This is extremely frustrating!

Have you found any relief or answers???

I am considering a shoulder specialist if I can go but my Dr excellent. He did both my knees and my wrist. So I trust him. He just doesn't have any answers.

[QUOTE=brollickby06;655794253]Hello everybody. I have a long messy story so please bear with me.

Over a year ago: I had chronic shoulder pain over a year ago and found out I had impingement of my rotator cuff muscle. After months of Physical Therapy and rest the pain remained.
My pain was only present in my shoulder at my rotator cuff and only present if I tried to exercise or use my shoulder.

8 months ago (Aug 10th): After a year of rest and some physical therapy, I finally had surgery in my shoulder. My ortho did a subacromial decompression and distal clavicle excision. A bony spur was removed. He said The tear in the supraspinatus was minor and didn't require surgical repair. He also mentioned very minor damage in my labrum that didn't require repair but just needed to be "cleaned up." He says everything went perfectly and the surgery was a success.

I went to physical therapy as indicated after surgery. But about a month after surgery, I started having a burning/inflamed feeling on the lateral side of my neck. This was soon accompanied by tingling pain in my arms (especially forearm and index finger)
I NEVER had these symptoms before my surgery. Nothing even remotely close to this

The RC area itself hurts occasionally, but I am moreso experiencing the tingling pain in my lower arm/forarm and [B]really bad inflammation on my neck.[/B]
(all symptoms are worst the day after physical therapy)

I spoke with my ortho and he RIGHT AWAY said "This has nothing to do with your surgery....its incidental...You have cervical spinal issues. I had a cervical MRI done which stated a minor posterior bulge at c2/c3. My PT and primary care doctor think this is an incidental finding and a spine mri in anyone will find a minor buldge. But my ortho insists this is the problem and it incidentally started happening a month after the surgery he performed...

My ortho said to take the conservative route and have physical therapy/traction therapy done. Im worried and also confused as to why this is happening right after my subacromial decompression surgery.
I followed my ortho's advice and had cervical traction done and continued with physical therapy.
I also went to a neurologist who said my neurological findings are all normal...She gave me muscle relaxants and said I can get an EMG if I want, but she doesn't think its necessary

The most frustrating part for me is the fact that I can't diagnose my problem.
My Ortho thinks its something spine related


It has been 8 months since my surgery and Im still having these terrible symptoms all on my right side (same side as surgery):
-Pain in my shoulder/AC Joint
-Tingling pain in my elbow, forearm, and even fingers...especially worse the day after I use my shoulder
-Neck feels inflamed/painful on the right side
**All symptoms are worse the days after physical therapy**

Also my right shoulder clicks alot when doing PT exercises such as shrugs and front raises.
My AC joint clicks alot and sometimes I feel pain around my scapula

I have been to my ortho, received a cortisone injection, tried cervical traction, active release therapy, and been to 3 physical therapists. I ice my shoulder 3x a day and use heat at night. I have been using NSAIDs and fish oil daily for inflammation.

At this point I am extremely frustrated and depressed. I just want to know exactly what is wrong so I can pinpoint the problem and try to take care of it properly...

I posted my problem 2 months ago and since then I have been to the neurologist and continued PT.
Symptoms are still pretty much the same[/QUOTE]

Your story sounds similar to mine. I had 2 shoulder surgeries last year. After the first surgery I developed numbness in my forearm. Doctor doesn't know why. Gets painful when I use it
Torn Labrum, acromioplasty (Internal derangement, left shoulder with tear of glenoid labrum, hypertrophic synovitis, bicep tendinitis, bursitis, left shoulder. Impingment syndrome with tendinitis and degenerative changes of the acromioclvicalur joint). Arthroscopy of left shoulder with partial synovectomy, debridement of glenoid labrum, bursectomy, acromioplasty, and excision of osteophytes in acromioclavicular joint with decompression of the subacromial joint.
Second surgery for torn bicep tendon, which the doctor was hoping would help relieve the numbness also. This was not done arthroscopic so have a bigger scar. The tear was cut and the tendon attached with anchors. Most of the stuff from first surgery done again except the labrum.
Had EMG after second surgery and it was pretty much normal but did mention a possibility of miofacial pain syndrome. Recommended PT, injections, and mild muscle relaxers. I opted just for the PT since my Dr didn't think the meds and injections would work.
My Dr would like more MRI's but this is a worker's compensation case and they haven't authorized any other tests at this point.
oh and shoulder is not progressing. Still painful. No lifting or anything over 10 pounds. Painful at all times. Sometimes more than others. Depends what I do
This is extremely frustrating!
Oh and shoulder still not better. still painful depending what I do. No lifting or anything over 10 pounds. Limited range of motion.

Have you found any relief or answers???

I am considering a shoulder specialist if I can go but my Dr excellent. He did both my knees and my wrist. So I trust him. He just doesn't have any answers.

Hi, Did you ever find out what was wrong? I have familiar issues but with hand numbness. Thanks !

Have you found any relief or answers???

Did you shoulder / neck ever get any better , I had Arthroscopic Subacromial Decompression surgery done about 5 weeks ago. / I have had shoulder pain for about 5 years now. I have been to many doctors and they all said the same they could not find anything wrong. . I started with pain in my upper left arm, later it moved to my shoulder / and upper arm. And about the last year, my neck was hurting also I was getting muscle spasm in neck on the left side same side as the rest of my pain. I went to a doctor in dallas , texas and he found it. He gave me a steroid shots in my shoulder and my pain ( all of it went away ) for about 5-6 days it was great. So they did it again just to be sure. So I got surgery Still have a lot of pain in my shoulder and my neck - but the doctors said it has only been about 4-5 weeks it will take time for it to heal. started physical therapy first part of this week. when I do my workouts it is painful but it gets better . ready for it all to be over.


[QUOTE=brollickby06;655794253]Hello everybody. I have a long messy story so please bear with me.

Over a year ago: I had chronic shoulder pain over a year ago and found out I had impingement of my rotator cuff muscle. After months of Physical Therapy and rest the pain remained.
My pain was only present in my shoulder at my rotator cuff and only present if I tried to exercise or use my shoulder.

8 months ago (Aug 10th): After a year of rest and some physical therapy, I finally had surgery in my shoulder. My ortho did a subacromial decompression and distal clavicle excision. A bony spur was removed. He said The tear in the supraspinatus was minor and didn't require surgical repair. He also mentioned very minor damage in my labrum that didn't require repair but just needed to be "cleaned up." He says everything went perfectly and the surgery was a success.

I went to physical therapy as indicated after surgery. But about a month after surgery, I started having a burning/inflamed feeling on the lateral side of my neck. This was soon accompanied by tingling pain in my arms (especially forearm and index finger)
I NEVER had these symptoms before my surgery. Nothing even remotely close to this

The RC area itself hurts occasionally, but I am moreso experiencing the tingling pain in my lower arm/forarm and [B]really bad inflammation on my neck.[/B]
(all symptoms are worst the day after physical therapy)

I spoke with my ortho and he RIGHT AWAY said "This has nothing to do with your surgery....its incidental...You have cervical spinal issues. I had a cervical MRI done which stated a minor posterior bulge at c2/c3. My PT and primary care doctor think this is an incidental finding and a spine mri in anyone will find a minor buldge. But my ortho insists this is the problem and it incidentally started happening a month after the surgery he performed...

My ortho said to take the conservative route and have physical therapy/traction therapy done. Im worried and also confused as to why this is happening right after my subacromial decompression surgery.
I followed my ortho's advice and had cervical traction done and continued with physical therapy.
I also went to a neurologist who said my neurological findings are all normal...She gave me muscle relaxants and said I can get an EMG if I want, but she doesn't think its necessary

The most frustrating part for me is the fact that I can't diagnose my problem.
My Ortho thinks its something spine related


It has been 8 months since my surgery and Im still having these terrible symptoms all on my right side (same side as surgery):
-Pain in my shoulder/AC Joint
-Tingling pain in my elbow, forearm, and even fingers...especially worse the day after I use my shoulder
-Neck feels inflamed/painful on the right side
**All symptoms are worse the days after physical therapy**

Also my right shoulder clicks alot when doing PT exercises such as shrugs and front raises.
My AC joint clicks alot and sometimes I feel pain around my scapula

I have been to my ortho, received a cortisone injection, tried cervical traction, active release therapy, and been to 3 physical therapists. I ice my shoulder 3x a day and use heat at night. I have been using NSAIDs and fish oil daily for inflammation.

At this point I am extremely frustrated and depressed. I just want to know exactly what is wrong so I can pinpoint the problem and try to take care of it properly...

I posted my problem 2 months ago and since then I have been to the neurologist and continued PT.
Symptoms are still pretty much the same[/QUOTE]

Have you managed to find a solution to your pains? I also had a decompression on my right shoulder and have since had literally unbearable aches, pains and tightness in my neck (scalenes mostly) scapula area and still some weakness in my shoulder (I'm 2.5 months post-op).

I've been doing physio, been to a massage therapist, all that you mentioned and also seen a chiropractor who said the surgery caused weakness, instability and compensation which has tightened my neck and back muscles. I feel great after seeing him but it's short lived and expensive.

Really looking for some help as I've completely lost my physique and motivation towards all my passions in life all due to this persistent problem - please help!!

Here i have problems with my right shoulder (ac joint and a very very minor slap 2 tear).
The problem is that i am also having pain in the scapula area+teres minor/major.
Does anybody with those problems in the shoulder are having those pains also??

I'm new to this forum, but I have been searching everywhere for pain related to subacromial decompression with distal clavicle excision surgery and this thread is exactly what I have been looking for.

Ok, on 5-1-2014 I had the decompression and clavicle surgery. This surgery was performed due to a type 3 impingement. Over the past 10 years I have been going to doctor after doctor trying to get some relief from the excruciating pain and the not being able to lift my left arm above shoulder height, it would just stop at a certain point and go no further, even when forced. So doctor after doctor and all of them wanted to do injections, therapy, and anti inflammatory meds. So after 10 years of pain I found a surgeon that did my surgery.

Now just over 2 months after surgery the pain is still unbearable at times, still cannot lift my arm past shoulder height and still sleeping on the couch in the recliner. My doctor refuses to write any more scripts for pain and is now trying to pawn me over to a pain management doctor, which is fine with me except for the part about the meds. I don't want meds, I want to be out of pain without narcotics, or any other meds. That was the whole point of the surgery to be out of the pain I was in for the past 10 years. And honestly the only thing that takes the pain away is the ******** 10 that I was originally prescribed after surgery.

I received a registered letter in the mail that I had to sign for basically telling me that there is no possible way I am still in so much pain this far post op. And that I have been asking for refills when I have only had 2 refills since the surgery. And that the only way that I am getting any narcotics is to go see the pain management doctor that just so happens to be part of my surgeons prqctice. But like I said, I don't want meds even though the ******** is the only thing that allows me to be somewhat pain free and allows me the use of my arm. I also know that non of his staff talk to each other because in the letter it says that he wants to see me as soon as possible because he is concerned of infection. Well before I received the letter I had already called up to get a first available appt which is this friday.


I agree with the doctor that I shouldn't be in this much pain this far post op. And I don't want to take a bunch of tylenol and destroy my liver.

So it seems that I'm not the only one who is still in major pain this far post op. Pain is so bad that I can't even put a full gallon of milk in the fridge without struggling.

I am hoping the surgery didn't make my issue worse, because before the surgery I had better range of motion and I was in constant dull deep internal ache. Now it's less range of motion with deep internal major pain. I have been to 19 physical therapy sessions so far since the surgery and even the therapist is wanting to know why I am still in so much pain.

I'm having some similar mystery shoulder pain. I've been to a GP and 4 orthopedic surgeons and just keep getting told to do physical therapy. Even after telling them it's my separated shoulder so I have been doing all kinds of PT on it for 30 years. Pain is so bad that I have to spent 20 hours a day in bed - reclining is the only position that doesn't hurt. I got an MRI and had to take a ******** just to get through it. Even the perc didn't kill the pain. I'm totally disabled by it. I was very active working out with weights for years. I used to get this pain when I rode a bicycle and was able to control it with 30-50 pound dumbbell shoulder shrugs. Not any more. The symptoms fit that of suprascapular neuropathy as far as I can see. I only have been told that it is not ac arthritis by one doc. Another doc gave me a cortisone shot that helped just a little for a week. Next week I get to see another orthopedic surgeon - it takes 2 months to get in to see one. Hopefully he will have some answer.

I tore my right rotator cuff and biceps tendons in a work related injury almost 2 years ago.
Had first surgery in Mar 2013. Had several months of PT and 5 days of work harding before i was forced back to work.
Retured to work, worked about 4 months and the pain continuously got worse. Went back to Drs. Had another Mri. Both were tore again
Had second surgery in Dec 2013. Dr. Fixed cuff again and re-anchored my biceps tendons. Also told me that he move tge anchor in my arm down more and that i should be pain free.
Went back to work Feb 2014. Worked about 5 months. Pain came back and continuously got worse. Returned to Drs. Explained my sisituation to him. He told me that there was nothing more that he could do for me. Dr. Sent me for a Flexible Capacity Test to determine if i had a disability rating. Dr. Did not reexamine me, or send me for another Mri. Just referred me to a,second opinion Dr.
I seen the second opinion Dr about a week later. The Dr examined me, ask me a few questions and said that be could help me. He did not send me for a Mri. Either. He wanted to do exploratory shoulder surgery on me.
So the next week when i arrived at work in the morning i let them know that i was going to have th have yet another surgery. That night i was terminated on some B.S fighting issue. ( like id try and pick a fight with only one arm to defend myself with.) They told me: WE JUST DONT HAVE ROOM FOR YOU HERE ANYMORE.
Now im jobless, had the 3rd surgery Aug 2014...
Been though several months of PT. Pain will not go away. Now i have alot of pain and new symptoms. Severe headache spells. Headache all the time..starts in the back of my neck at the base of the skull and goes all the way,to front of head behind eyes. Eyez get throbbing and really blood shot. Neck pain in the right side, right shoulder blade pain. Hands get very cold and numb sometimes~
I have told PT Dr about these issues and he has some other excuse for all my symptoms.
Noticed a sharp pain in the front of my right shoulder about 2 weeks ago after starting some new exercise.. Told him about that, he said just scar tissue breaking up.
Now, cant sleep in bed again, sharp pains in shoulder, but great ROM.. Shoulder blade hurts like hell. Head is killing me. My hands go so cold i wear gloves indoors sometime.
Now my left shoulder is hurting me too. I figured this would happen since ive been doing everything with my left arm and shoulder for 2 year now!!
Went back to Dr last Tuesday, 3 weeks early to let him know about my pain and that i was miserable. They examined me. And told me that my issues WERE NOT COME FROM MY RIGHT SHOULDER OR ROTATOR CUFF. THEY FIXED MY SHOULDER....
Dr. Ordered a EMG test. He said that worker comp probably will not pay for that test. Now, still wait to hear from,worker comp. Dr would not give me nothing for pain. No muscle relaxers, no know. Said to just keep working hard at PT. Im miserable and im pissed off. He didnt even send me for anothe MRI knowing my shoulder history.....
It seems like if i walk for a while it starts hurting, if i sit down to long it starts hurting. Any arm movment it hurts. PT is killing me and they are trying more strengthening exercises. They arm pulleys, trap pull downs, some sort of weird pushups.. I waz in so much pain last week i got sick to my stomach. Dr, PT Dr, is not listening to me at all..
Im in alot of pain and miserable here. I cant get comfortable, cant relax, cant sleep/rest.
Can anyone please help me out here??????
Sincerely: Hurting Southeastern Indiana man

]I tore my right rotator cuff and biceps tendons in a work related injury almost 2 years ago.
Had first surgery in Mar 2013. Had several months of PT and 5 days of work harding before i was forced back to work.
Retured to work, worked about 4 months and the pain continuously got worse. Went back to Drs. Had another Mri. Both were tore again
Had second surgery in Dec 2013. Dr. Fixed cuff again and re-anchored my biceps tendons. Also told me that he move tge anchor in my arm down more and that i should be pain free........
Went back to work Feb 2014. Worked about 5 months. Pain came back and continuously got worse. Returned to Drs. Explained my sisituation to him. He told me that there was nothing more that he could do for me. Dr. Sent me for a Flexible Capacity Test to determine if i had a disability rating. Dr. Did not reexamine me, or send me for another Mri. Just referred me to a,second opinion Dr.
I seen the second opinion Dr about a week later. The Dr examined me, ask me a few questions and said that be could help me. He did not send me for a Mri. Either. He wanted to do exploratory shoulder surgery on me.
So the next week when i arrived at work in the morning i let them know that i was going to have th have yet another surgery. That night i was terminated on some B.S fighting issue. ( like id try and pick a fight with only one arm to defend myself with.) They told me: WE JUST DONT HAVE ROOM FOR YOU HERE ANYMORE.
Now im jobless, had the 3rd surgery Aug 2014...
Been though several months of PT. Pain will not go away. Now i have alot of pain and new symptoms. Severe headache spells. Headache all the time..starts in the back of my neck at the base of the skull and goes all the way,to front of head behind eyes. Eyez get throbbing and really blood shot. Neck pain in the right side, right shoulder blade pain. Hands get very cold and numb sometimes~
I have told PT Dr about these issues and he has some other excuse for all my symptoms.
Noticed a sharp pain in the front of my right shoulder about 2 weeks ago after starting some new exercise.. Told him about that, he said just scar tissue breaking up.
Now, cant sleep in bed again, sharp pains in shoulder, but great ROM.. Shoulder blade hurts like hell. Head is killing me. My hands go so cold i wear gloves indoors sometime.
Now my left shoulder is hurting me too. I figured this would happen since ive been doing everything with my left arm and shoulder for 2 year now!!
Went back to Dr last Tuesday, 3 weeks early to let him know about my pain and that i was miserable. They examined me. And told me that my issues WERE NOT COME FROM MY RIGHT SHOULDER OR ROTATOR CUFF. THEY FIXED MY SHOULDER....
Dr. Ordered a EMG test. He said that worker comp probably will not pay for that test. Now, still wait to hear from,worker comp. Dr would not give me nothing for pain. No muscle relaxers, no know. Said to just keep working hard at PT. Im miserable and im pissed off. He didnt even send me for anothe MRI knowing my shoulder history.....
It seems like if i walk for a while it starts hurting, if i sit down to long it starts hurting. Any arm movment it hurts. PT is killing me and they are trying more strengthening exercises. They arm pulleys, trap pull downs, some sort of weird pushups.. I waz in so much pain last week i got sick to my stomach. Dr, PT Dr, is not listening to me at all..
Im in alot of pain and miserable here. I cant get comfortable, cant relax, cant sleep/rest.
Can anyone please help me out here??????
Sincerely: Hurting Southeastern Indiana man....

I have had a chronic shoulder issue for years. I have tried every known method that I had access too with little success until recently. Standard Physical therapy methods did not work at all. I also tried a variety of different massage techniques with limited relief (including active release massage, rolfing myofascial massage and craniosacral).

I recently had an MRI but it didn't reveal anything that would require surgery. I do not get the tingling sensation down my arm anymore (this only occurred for a short time when I first strained the shoulder). However, I get a burning throbbing pain if using the arm a lot and constant dull ache making it hard to even sleep. My scapula is restricted and will give a popping sensation when I move the arm and the fascia is restricted throughout the arm. What seems to help somewhat is getting acupuncture, but the sensation will come back after a week or two after the treatments.
In addition, this past year I started getting trigger point injections for the first time. The type of injections I get are called Prolozone (Ozone). Unfortunately there are very few doctors that currently offer this type of treatment. The relief doesn’t last beyond a few weeks, but when I combine it with a new form of massage that I found – I have finally starting to improve tremendously for the first time in years. The massage technique is designed specially for frozen shoulder, it is called the Niel Asher Technique. You can find practitioners on Frozenshoulder dot com. Please note, I am told that not all practitioners on that website are certified with Niel Asher Technique, not sure why that is. In between treatments, at home I use a foam roller on a massage table which helps a bit as well. As a sad note ALL of these treatments are out of pocket (I live in the United States). Hope someone can offer more info or possibly benefit from the info I posted.

I had surgery for an old shoulder injury 6months ago now & am still in horrific pain everyday but not at the shoulder site but in my forearm.
I returned several times to my Ortho, who quickly stated it has nothing to do with the surgery.
After being on every kind of pain killer from ******** to Oxi's of which none worked, I finally got some relief on Lyrica.
I have been diagnosed with Nerve Pain by the E.R dept after my 3rd visit.
My (right) shoulder injury was an old injury that over 5yrs I had suffered more than 50 dislocations, so when it was repaired the ligaments were plaited & double anchored & my shoulder feels weak but no pain at all.
Yet after the surgery my wrist felt crushed & still feels bruised 6mths on, An area of my wrist/forearm from thumb up 15cm up & only 5cm wide, feels like I have a local in some areas ( skin is numb ) cold surfaces feel wet to touch & other areas are tight & prickly. When I extend my arm I feel like im tearing or pulling something inside.
Who do I go to see that understands or can diagnose what has happened?

Anyone have some advice Please

My journey started getting elbow injections about 5 yrs ago until I had to have surgery on my right side for a tare and inflammation to be cleaned out in November of 2014. Within 3 months I experienced my right shoulder had got tight and developed capsulitis and had to have release done in January. I have had 18 weeks of rehab and developed impingment in both shoulders in the outside deltoid muscles and make it very hard to do anything over my head and lots of weekness and fatigue in both arms. Dr said we can do injections but as you can understand I am not interested in injections anymore . Any thoughts why surgery on my elbow would trigger so much different pain and problems in my shoulders? The left shoulder hasn't even had surgery and the impingment is as bad as the right side. Just about to start rehab for my 3 set . Will this get any better with rehab and stretching or am I wasting time?......Thanks

I am so glad I read this. I had the same exact surgery with the same exact results! My Dr. Won't listen to me and I am being forced to work "light" duty in a grocery store and today I wanted to kill myself.My arm feels like it's going to explode and my hand goes ice cold.Im 5 months out and I kept saying I don't think I'm healed yet and was just told to do pt which makes my arm worse! So comforting to know I'm not crazy and this has happened to someone else, I'm stuck in an L&I claim so I can't get a second opinion and all the crying and frustration I've had with Ot is just killing me. I'm reading your post to my manager and my doctor and maybe someone will take me seriously.I can't even have pain meds due to Washington stupid laws I'm at the end of my rope.Thank you google and thanks for sharing your story which is also my story

Same problem here no meds so much pain

Hi I believe you may have trigger points which can mimick nerve pain down the arm. Seek out a physical medicine and rehab/pain management specialist who performs these trigger point injections. Dr Travell marked out trigger points which are taut bands of muscle fibers which can be quite deep, very painful and can cause numbness and tingling in distant areas from the site of injury. Alternatively you can try acupuncture or have a physical therapist put deep pressure on the trigger points, However the best thing is to manipulate them with a needle.
good luck.