Suggest Remedy For Sharp Pain In Shoulder

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 Answered on

Fri, 13 Nov 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello - I have significant pain, both sharp pain and dull ache, in my right shoulder regardless of movement. Ice does not help, heat does. No injury that I can pinpoint. I travel a great for work and am always lifting luggage into overhead bins and below airplane seats. The pain can hit at any time. My PCP has done x-rays that came back negative and started me on Relafan with no relief after one week. He is pretty sure an MRI is next and is concerned this may be rotator cuff injury.

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (21 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Impingement syndrome of Rotator cuff

Detailed Answer:
Hi there.

Welcome Welcome to Healthcare.

Thanks for the query.

If you have pain in lifting weights and lifting the stretched arm from the side, it goes in favour of Impingement syndrome, where there are bony spurs that rub in the Rotator cuff make Supraspinatus and can cause tears and degenerative changes.

Heat usually helps in degenerative conditions. Am MRI will be useful but got can also get a less expensive investigation like Ultrasound of the Rotator cuff with comment on the Subacromial space.

Physiotherapy to strengthen the Rotator cuff muscles is required. If there is lot of Bone spurs, if may need to be removed by key hole Arthroscopy surgery.

I hope I have answered your query.

I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Regards,

Dr. Aashish Raghu

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj