Rotator cuff tendonitis but my pain is so extreme i cant control it?!


Question: because of this ongoing pain problem, (about 5 years total) ive gotten 2 mri's and taken so much ibuprofen that i nnow cannot take that and now have to take a lot of prescribed prilosec to help my stomach. ive been prescribed tramadol and celebrex, but sometimes, like tonight, it only takes a bit of the pain away. hydrocortizone shots dont have any affect, im in agony, what are some other remedies, becides icing it? by the way im only 25, why am i falling apart, ( i have tendonitis in several other major joints of my body)


Answers: because of this ongoing pain problem, (about 5 years total) ive gotten 2 mri's and taken so much ibuprofen that i nnow cannot take that and now have to take a lot of prescribed prilosec to help my stomach. ive been prescribed tramadol and celebrex, but sometimes, like tonight, it only takes a bit of the pain away. hydrocortizone shots dont have any affect, im in agony, what are some other remedies, becides icing it? by the way im only 25, why am i falling apart, ( i have tendonitis in several other major joints of my body)

This is an ongoing problem, as you say, for 5 years. Most likely your problems is not being caused by a tendonitis, which means inflammation of the tendon, but rather tendonosis, a degeneration of the tissue of the tendon. Tendonditis is usually an acute condition and if not taken care of can move into tendonosis, a chronic condition. Tendonosis does not involve inflammation but rather involves microtears in the tissues and changes at the cellular levels.

If you continue to receive treatments aimed at correcting inflammation they are going to fail. That is the reason the cortisone shots are not having any effect as they contain a steroid which is an anti-inflammatory. There are other OTC medications that you can take however since your problem most likely is not being caused primarily by inflammation you do not need to take ibuprofen. You could try acetaminopen (Tylenol) which is an analgesic but does not have any anti-inflammatory properties. It may also be easier on your stomach. Just make sure you do not go over the recommended dosage!

You say you have had 2 MRI's - what have they shown. They should show chronic changes in the tissue while inflammation should be a minor part. Do you have any full thickness or partial thickness tears. Partial thickness tears are usually more painful since some of the tissue is still intact. Have you seen an orthopedic surgeon? Have they ever done an MRI with contrast - also called an arthrogram? The physical therapist you saw - was he/she experienced in shoulder injuries and orthopedics? Did he/she perform a full evaluation which should take anywhere from 30-60 minutes? What kind of treatment were you receiving from the physical therapist? If there are any restrictions in your mobility and ROM that should be addressed. Then it should progress to light resistive and strengthening exercises that load the tendon, lightly at first and then as you gain strength and the tissue strengthens progress the resistance.

You also mention that you have tendonitis in other areas of your body. Have you had blood work done? This would check for a rheumatoid factor and other things to rule out auto-immune causes of your symptoms such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, etc. If you had not had blood work I would ask for it.

The longer a condition stays in a chronic state such as yours the more difficult it is for it to correct. This is because of changes that happen at the cellular level and with the nerves as they become hypersensitive.

In regards to the pain that you are experiencing with therapy it is normal to have some but the therapist should take care by making sure the treatment is appropriate for the stage of recovery that you are in so that it is not aggravated to the point where you can't continue. If they are not they may be a little too aggressive for what you are ready for. Also, make sure you give them your whole history so that they are aware of everything as this may change their treatment. They can and should also refer to your another provider if they are not seeing the changes they should expect to see.

Lastly, while I understand that you are in pain, you have to remember that this problem has been going on for 5 years. It is not going to go away in a day, a week or a month. It may take several months for you to get better - as long as the right treatment is being administered. Just make sure the providers that you are seeing are experienced in shoulder injuries.

I know I have heard of some type of surgery for this problem, but I cant remember the name of it, has your doctor discussed surgery with you? If not have a chat to him about it, the only other thing that could help is stronger pain killers from the doctor. Be careful with tramadol, its highly addictive, once it stops helping the pain I would reccomend not using it and trying another pain killer.
Sorry i cant be of much more help!
Hope you feel better soon!

OMG when you find out let me know. I was in a car accident and was diagnosed with tendonosis ( a bologna junk term). I take so many Alleeve Ill probably get some kind if liver disorder, but you know docs are so worried about making addicts. I go to physical therapy and have had shots and everything. I am going Monday and asking they refer me to a pain specialist, that might be something for you to look into also.

If you have access to a jacuzzi that might help , it does me when I can get to one. I had a physical therapist make me worse too and then went to another that was doing great , so well he was smart enough to say , that i need a pain management doc before he would go any further.
As for the opiates I do not blame you . I have been going through severe withdrawal the past few days. I can deal with it and can stop taking them but my body knows it. That's another reason to see a pain management doctor. I hear that even the ones that use opiates rotate them and mix them with other therapies to help avoid addiction.





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