Shoulder Pain getting worse. Any ideas?

Question

About 4 days ago I woke up and my shoulder was a little sore when I moved it. Really just moving my arm over my head and stretching for things. I figured I just slept on it funny so no big deal. Since then each day it seems to have gotten worse though. Now it is sore even in a relaxed position and hurts very bad when I use that arm to reach for things or pick something up. I was recently a Paul Bearer in a funeral, but I carried the casket with the other arm. Other then that I have not done anything strenuous that I remember. Any ideas what I could have done to it?

Answer 1

See a doctor now. Only a doctor can tell you what is wrong and how to treat it properly.

Answer 2

I had a similar experience, (except the Paul Bearer bit), and I thought I just pulled a muscle so suffered the pain & waited until much longer before getting it seen to and it was very difficult to treat. If you go now to a physio or physical therapist straight away, you should be able to treat it now. If you leave it, the pain will come and go and in the future you could need surgery. So, get it treated straight away!! It could be tendinitus in your shoulder and that's hard to treat at the best of times.  

Answer 3

Do lots of stretching.

Go to a yoga class...you would be surprised how much it helps!

Answer 4

Even though you used the other arm to carry the casket, you still used the muscles in the other arm and possibly strained them. I'm assuming you are young and do not have arthritis.

If you are not allergic try Motrin (Ibuprofen) or Aleve (Naproxen Sodium) as directed on the bottle. DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN THE BOTTLE DIRECTS AND TAKE WITH FOOD. READ THE LABEL REGARDING DRUG INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER DRUGS YOU MAY BE TAKING. Tylenol is only okay, as it does not have the anti-inflammatory effect the others do.

A heating pad or ice may help a bit, sports creams imo are a waste of money, but they do give some short term relief to some people.

Lastly if in 2-3 days you still have the same pain see a doctor, he may refer you to an orthopedist.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

It could be arthritis or bursitis (spelling??) You should see a doctor.  

You can try some percogelsic, strongest over the counter pain medicine, rest it, use topographical creams like ben g*y, or a heat pack, or one of those pain patches, you can buy them at the pharmacy.  

But I would still see a doctor.

Answer 6

shoulders are tricky, and nothing beats a good physical exam to see exactly what movements give you pain and if there is a lot of popping during movement which could indicate arthritis.  Your age is also important in the differential diagnosis.  If you insist on a quick, not that precise test, you could palpate your own shoulder.  With your opposite hand, push on the front/lateral aspect of your shoulder.  If this produces a good bit of pain, it is possible you may have bursitis.