Shoulder / Back Pain

I having some shoulder pain and thought maybe someone else might have had similar pain and might shed some light.  The pain is right along the shoulder blade on my left (lead) side and just to the inside of it.  It doesn't necessarily hurt when I am playing golf - actually it seems to loosen up a little.  But it is a mild burning pain that hurts off and on all day every day.

Also, the pain isn't always in the same place.  The area I described above is by far the most common place, but also can hurt in the trap area and toward the neck, down the arm a little and occasionally even on the front of the shoulder.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Thx.

Is there numbness in your hands, or tingling sensation? Cause it sounds like a nerve problem, if you pinched a nerve, or have something like a bone spur that puts pressure on the nerve it can cause pain all over the place. By the sounds of it, its a nerve problem, just when you say down the arm.

I would go see a doctor

Yeah, nerve sure sounds like a possibility.  Haven't had the tingling or numbness though.

I am going to the Dr. soon. Gotta get an appointment, then a referral, then another appointment, etc.  But it has been worrying me so thought I'd see if anyone had insight in the meantime.

As an athletic trainer and a physical therapy student it sounds like most of your pain is a result of poor posture. The doctor will more than likely refer you to a PT or you can skip the doctor and go straight to a PT as most states do not need a referral any longer

So - as a physical therapy student - it doesn't sound like a rotator cuff tear?  I was hoping to hear it didn't sound too much like it.  Put my mind at ease until I can get to the doctor.

When you say posture - are you talking about when hitting balls? or just in general?  I have terrible posture in life, but pretty good posture at golf.

A rotator cuff tear can vary in severity and therefor pain as well. But , you will usually know when you have even a slight tear. The pain will be a sharp pain, thought of as a "knife" in your shoulder/upper arm. A severe tear will absolutely limit your use of your arm and golf would be virtually impossible as tasks around the house will be too painful to go through.

This sounds like either a nerve issue due to a disc (herniated, bulging, etc.). Either way, go to your doctor to get that peace of mind that you're looking for.

As long as you check your allergies and make sure you can take the medication without any adverse effects - look into Bayer Back and Body . It has caffeine in it though, so be careful if you're sensitive to caffeine as it can keep you awake if taken too late in the day.

I have 2 bulging discs and 1 herniated disc in my lower back (L5, L6 and L7) which causes excruciating Sciatica pain and this medicine helps dull the pain a bit.

Wow, sorry to hear about those disks!  I haven't experienced nearly the kind of pain you describe.  I am not actully bothered with playing through the amount of pain I have - I just didn't want to be making anything worse to the point of doing real damage.  The reason I'm so worried about it is that it just hasn't seemed to have gotten any better over the course of a month or more.

Thanks for the info.  I'll try that Bayer.

No problem! Yeah, the Bayer worked wonders for a lot of people that I know. I'm 28 and banged up from years of football and being obsessed with how my yard looks, so I have basically had nearly every pain killer (prescribed and OTC) known to man in my body. I regularly play with older guys who complained of aches and pains and they tried it and love it too.

Still, make sure you get that wing checked out so that you are 100% sure you're not doing any harm hacking away on the course! Good luck buddy and keep us posted!