[Seagirl]

#9470

I woke up in a great deal of pain in my left shoulder in Feb 2013. My rheumatologist (who I see for fibromyalgia) referred me to an orthopedic doctor. He determined that my pain wasn’t from an injury but from my neck due to an MRI. He sent me to his colleague, a neck specialist. After reviewing the MRI, an exam, sending me to get an EMG, and sending me to get a second opinion on the fibromyalgia, he said that my shoulder pain was caused by a pinched nerve due to foraminal narrowing. I also have 2 places in my neck where the vertabrae have fused together (he says it is congenital). And he said I have arthritis. I have limited range of motion in my neck and tweak my neck out at times causing intense pain that can lead to a migraine level headache. I have had allergic reactions to several medications and every anti-inflammatory I try makes me sick to my stomach. He said he doesn’t see any nerve damage. I said I don’t want surgery. He said, “Then you’ll just have to live with the pain”. He said, “There’s something else going on that I don’t understand.” I feel like I have hit a brick wall and don’t know what to do to deal with the neck pain that I’ve had for over 20 years that can give me headaches, and the shoulder pain I have from the pinched nerve. What do you think?

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#9476

Fibromyalgia can rarely cause local intense pain but many other problems can also cause this pain. Obviously, an inflamed nerve can produce shoulder pain. This nerve can be inflamed from compression in the neck (radiculopathy), compression in the shoulder (thoracic outlet syndrome) or from inflammation due to a virus or autoimmune phenomenon (Parsonage Turner syndrome). All of these can be found on this website.

You have congenital cervical fusion (Klippel Feil syndrome-see website). This might cause your neck to be tight but will not cause the shoulder pain. Shoulder problems such as rotator cuff syndrome can also cause shoulder pain.

Neck pain stems from degenerative discs or facets generally. More uncommon, a pinched nerve can also cause neck pain.

If you are unsatisfied with the answers you have obtained from the doctors you have seen, it might be helpful to gain another opinion.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

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