I have debilitating shoulder pain, acupuncture, physio and doctors may have caused permanent damage?

I have been suffering with Shoulder pain on and off since I was 14 years of age (5 years). The doctors originally sent me for Physio-therapy which had no effect other than making the pain within my shoulder worse and if not anything introduced me to new pains within the same region. When I went back to the Doctors they told me what the Physio had done had actually made it worse and sent me to a specialist pain hospital to try and determine what to do. AGAIN I was sent for more Physio-therapy but to no avail as this again made it worse, but this Physio did also offer to try acupuncture, which I accepted. For 6 months after a few rounds of Acupuncture I felt a definite improvement in my shoulder but after 6 months the symptoms came back. This is when I decided to go back to my doctors and ask for more acupuncture as it seemed to have worked to some extent. The doctors I attend told me they already had a qualified GP in the Doctors who could perform acupuncture and therefore I wouldn’t need to go back to the lady I had, had previously. The woman I went to was originally very good, but one day she put a needle in around my elbow and I felt it hit the nerve as it was incredibly painful but I also felt a sudden rush of pins and needles down my arm and couldn’t feel part of my hand properly. I raised my concern with the doctor explaining that it was in the nerve to which she pushed it further and asked ‘is that through’!!! Since then my injury has become practically debilitating as its a 24hour constant plain that seems to have only gotten progressively worse, the lady also used acupuncture needles in my neck and now I get pain there which I never had before. This happened over a year ago now and another Doctor I went to see believed it was permanent nerve damage but I just wondered what you could recommend.


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Ayman Darrag
1:52 pm

From your story i do not see there is a specific diagnosis they where dealing with

The treatment is actually a right diagnosis not just dealing with pain..
Shoulder MRI and special tests should be done to give the exact cause.
Nerve conductiom velocity test is necessary to prove the permanent nerve injury or not..as it could be healing but slowly ..
Thanks.

Ahmed Fawzy
6:35 pm

In my opinion first step is to do a nerve conduction velocity
To determine id damage is permenant , or you can wait 3 weeks for wallerian degeneration to occur and further 1 day for every milimeter length of your arm

Second physical therapy should focus on streching the upper shoulder capsule and strengthening your arm depressors (like latismus dorsi )
Exercise like resisted exercise in flextion and abduction will make problem worse

Physical therapy can be helpfull if your physical therapist understands body biomechanics

Good Luck

MAHAVEER PATIL
6:05 am

hi
first thing to be done is get to a diagnosis.
you should be treating the cause of the pain,not the pain itself.
so,get a MRI done and see whats wrong.
once the diagnosis is done,further line of management can be thought upon.
consult a orthopedist.
thanks

shw12
6:27 am

HI
ACTUALLY,ACUPRESSURE,PHYSIOTHERAPY WILL NOT CAUSE ANY DAMAGE TO SOFT TISSUES PER SE.
BUT THE UNDERLYING PATHOLOGY NEEDS TO BE FOUND OUT .
A LOCAL STEROID INJECTION INTO THE PAINFUL AREA WILL HELP.

shalini p
8:29 am

hello there
it may have damaged the soft tissues to some extent.
many times calcium or uric acid crystal deposition can cause such pain.
get mri done