Quote:
Originally Posted by kyoun1e
Folks,
I'm wondering if I'm a good bet for some kind of neuropathy. I've been battling shoulder and now elbow pain for a year + and have seen several orthos, physiatrists, chiropractors, etc. with no help or relief. It's just now, one year later, that a recent shoulder specialist indicated that I may have "nerve" issues.
Here's a little history:
* Initial Injury: About a year ago, I felt something "give way" in what I thought was my back or traps. I felt like it was a muscle pull in my trap area. Didn't think much of it and ignored it for 2-3 months. This then morphed into more of a posterior shoulder pain.
* MRI Results: Got an MRI which showed posterior partial tears in my capsule ligaments. Orthos didn't think much of it.
* Original Diagnosis: "Scapular Diskinesis." Something that PT should solve they said. Given a very low "significance score" in terms of the injuries.
* Physical Therapy: Made it worse. New burning type pain on my scap and armpit joined the party. This pain seemed to seep into my upper arms at times. I also felt some wierdness in my fingers. This drove me to get both a cervical MRI and EMG.
* MRI/EMG Results: Zippo. As a result, Neurosurgeon's continue to boot me out of their office.
* New Symptoms Soon After: Twitching muscles around the scap. This then blew up all around my body (after searching the internet and finding that this is a symptom of ALS...great), but was most prevalent around my right shoulder blade and mid back area.
* New Symptom Most Recent: Severe, ACUTE elbow pain. I was about to have arthoscopic surgery on my shoulder and all of a sudden I couldn't bend my right elbow without getting excruciating, debilitating pain. Funny though, it's fine if I have my elbow at my side, but if my elbow is positioned away from my body and I bend the arm...BAM! This pain petrifies me. This pain is located above the elbow, not below which makes me believe it is NOT tendonitis related. I also believe it is more towards the inside of the elbow, but the outside of the elbow (and tricep) get into the act.
* Latest Diagnosis: Went to a shoulder specialist at Beth Israel in Boston and he didn't think anything was structurally wrong with my shoulder and thought my issues were more nervy. Now I'm on neurontin and seeing some improvement in the elbow issue.
After doing some research online, it seems like a lot of what's going on could line up with Thoracic outlet syndrome or maybe ulnar or radial nerve entrapement. At minimum, I feel like there's got to be something going on in terms of nerve compression.
Does this at all lign up with anything specific?
Do any of you share the same symptoms I have?
I'm really at a loss. I feel like I need to start over. I was just about to have shoulder surgery, and now with this new elbow pain I'm thinking that's a rotten idea. Who should I seek out at this point? A neurologist?
I need to start "Book 2, Chapter 1" of this ongoing saga.
Thanks.
KY
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I have long standing shoulder issues. In the course of seeing numerous doctors, some have suggested Brachial neuritis. At the same time, the ortho who did surgery on my shoulder also tells me that there is a nerve bundle associated with the shoulder. I have had the excrutiating elbow pain which appears on the outside of the elbow. It hurts so much that I can't bend it when its flaring up or even if its just doing nothing, like in a neutral position, and then at other times its fine. Bizarre to say the least, but its been happening to me for over ten years now. I also get a lot of nerve pain of a burning nature in the upper part of my arm of the affected shoulder. After reading your post, this hit home with me, FWIW, I had glenoid labral tears with shoulder instability and my shoulder would dislocate and render my arm useless. This came from a car accident and I guess that is why the nerves are all messed up, but this is what I've been able to deduce from all the doctors whom I've seen. I seriously went through a bunch of doctors before getting the proper diagnosis and a competent doctor to get it fixed, but I had a long time of suffering with this before they got it right. I don't know if my story helps you any, but its something for you to research ref. the brachial neuritis. Best of luck to you and take care.