Falling and Shoulder Pain

@suzanne2 I do know shoulder pain too. I had a SLAP tear from reaching behind me from the driver's seat of my car and yanking on something in the back seat. That was painful, and so was the physical therapy. It was only after weeks of pain that they did an MRI and found the tear. At another time, my other shoulder developed some instability and it was going too far forward in the socket. It hurt to put on a jacket and try to get my arm into the sleeve. I saw an orthopedic doc who did an MRI after injecting gadolinium into the shoulder capsule. The imaging showed that the shape of the labrum was a bit different from being squashed by the head of the humerous moving abnormally. However, that injection created an even bigger problem because my shoulder socket became inflamed and any movement of my arm hurt. It even hurt to breathe because of the slight motion of the shoulder. All I could do was put my arm in a sling for a couple months and wait for the inflammation to subside, then I had a frozen shoulder and needed a couple months of physical therapy to get that moving again. The PT was forcing my arm to move up above my head a bit more each visit as I laid on the table. I also did some strengthening exercises. Eventually, I got past that.

There could be some soft tissue damage in your shoulder which needs to heal and it may take a few months to get through it. A physical therapist is a first step, and they can do a lot of good. It's usually after the therapy fails to help, that surgery could be considered. Chris mentioned me because I have done a lot of physical therapy and myofascial release which is a gentle way to stretch out facial restrictions. My shoulder was too far forward because of overly tight muscles in the front of the chest and because of slouching posture over the years, and MFR can get things back where they should be aligned and moving better. When our bodies get stuck and don't move properly, there is a problem waiting to happen. MFR can also help after injuries after the injury has healed. I am working on this right now with my ankle. I dislocated and broke my ankle 7 months ago, had surgery and a cast for 6 weeks, and then started physical therapy. My therapist uses the myofascial release to work on the surgical scar tissue restrictions and to ease the muscle tightness from the injury. Muscles are meant to work in opposition where some pull a limb or joint forward, and others pull it backward. If one side stops working because of injury, the other side can develop spasms and knots and even pull things out of alignment. After the injured side heals, it can be strengthened through resistance training so it can work properly in opposition again. The tendons and ligaments take time to heal. Here is our discussion on MFR and there is a provider finder on the myofascialrelease.com website. MFR is a gentle stretch, not aggressive which is why it works. If the stretch is too aggressive, the body resists to protect itself and nothing is accomplished. With a slow easy stretch, the fascia slides and reorganizes itself.

Hi Suzanne2, I am Sunnyflower. I am so very sorry for your shoulder injury and pain. Ouch!! I am behind on these messages so please forgive if you have already had this taken care of. I think there is always a possibility you may have some soft tissue damage such as tendon or ligament tears. Possibly some nerve involvement. If I were you, I would definitely see a doctor, especially ortho. You may be able to call and ask for a referral or, go to an Urgent Care or ER for the pain and they can call in an ortho to evaluate you (ER more likely), or refer you to one. That can bypass having to be seen first by your PCP to get the referral. If you decide to try calling first, ask for an MRI to make for a more productive ortho or doctor visit, ahead of the visit. . Protocol usually demands an X-ray first. My doc gives me referrals without seeing me first. I 'm blessed in that way. All the best to you and please know that I will be praying for you. Blessings, Sunnyflower @erikas

@lotsofpain I did get prescribed Norco. My doctor said he could only do 14 pills for. 7 days, with no refills. He advised me to just take one st bedtime. That way I could have them for 14 days to sleep. Anyone else get such a restricted prescription? It is not like I ask for pain meds all the time. My pain level is high and it may be 2-3 weeks before I hear from PT! He said he was following the law. He said people get addicted after 7 days.

Best advice I can give after 2 shoulder surgeries is to go to you doctor - don’t wait. And icing it is probably better than heat until you can be seen. Have you been seen in Orthopedics at Mayo? Perhaps you can request a video conference there.

@carolasc yes I have seen an orthopedic hand surgeon and a hip surgeon at Mayo. If I do not see an improvement by January I have considered a video visit with a doctor there.

Hey Jennifer, long time! I'm way out of the loop. Girl, you are an accident waiting to happen! We're twins! I have to laugh b/c I thought SLAP was the name of the injury b/c so many parents get it from reaching into the back seat to slap their kids while on the road LOL! Oh my. Labrum tears are no joke! Really good info here and I so hope and pray you are much better and will completely heal in record time w/ no residual problems. Take care and many blessings, Sunnyflower @suzanne2, @artscaping

Go to an ortho immediately for am exam and imaging. You can't know what's going on unless you get a full exam and x-rays or an MRI. If you're hurting, something bad is happening. Steroids will likely help, but you could need surgery.

Hi everyone, my problem is that I keep on falling over I'm a 55 year old Male who is in pretty good health. Other than the falls. The last time I fell was on Christmas eve at work, I work in a supermarket, Grocery store. I was on my knees attempting to put a 2 kilo case of chocolate on a shelf then the next thing I know I'm flat on my back in agony (this by the way was due to a fall down a flight of stairs the week earlier which resulted in 2 broken ribs and soft tissue damage to my right shoulder.)

Hi @mickeymoose, a warm and hearty welcome to Mayo Clinic. I am so sorry that you are dealing with periodic falls. How terrible to be in pain from falls that you cannot predict.

You will see that I moved your inquiry to a discussion in Bones, Joints and Muscles here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/shoulder-pain-1/
that was already started on falling and shoulder pain. I did this so that, as a new member, you can connect with other members who are experiencing the same signs and experiences. You can hit the reply button from your email notification in order to navigate to the new area.

@mickeymoose, Have you had a chance to speak with your physician about possible reasons you may be falling?

@mickeymoose How recent have you kept a log of blood pressure.. when you went to the Doctor for the broken ribs, they are certainly painful... did they take your blood pressure? Fainting particularly as you move from a kneeling position to standing up rapidly... can cause fainting spells...