← Return to Shoulder/arm pain related to Parsonage Turner Syndrome

Discussion

Shoulder/arm pain related to Parsonage Turner Syndrome

Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: Jan 30, 2019 | Replies (7)
Comment receiving replies
@ckeys

@nychole3080 Welcome and I am so sorry for the pain you are experiencing—It sounds excruciating. I hope some of the people on our forums can offer suggestions that might help.

For “us” to help you it would be good to provide a little bit more information:

(1) What area of the country do you live in (city/region would be even better);

(2) What kind of medical insurance do you have (Medicare/Medicaid/private insurance/none);

(3) What specialist(s) have you seen (orthopedist, neurologist, physical therapist, alternative options, other, etc);

(4) What medications have you tried, and which ones provide/d any relief;

(5) What, if any, other kinds of alternative medications/treatments/whatever have you tried (Like acupuncture, massage, THC, ointments, Heat/cold etc)?

(6) Do you have numbness in your arm/hand all the time or does it come and go? Jus in one hand or both

LIt sounds to me like you have some sort of nerve damage, but it’s hard to tell.

Jump to this post

Replies to "@nychole3080 Welcome and I am so sorry for the pain you are experiencing—It sounds excruciating. I..."
nychole3080 | @nychole3080 | Jan 11, 2019

Hi. Thank you for responding. To answer your questions:

I live in the Raleigh/Durham area in NC and have private insurance.

I saw a neurologist in August of 2017. He did the nerve testing on both arms and legs which were normal. I've seen the orthopedic surgeon who performed my surgery in Dec 2018 for calcific bursitis. I am currently seeing a PT to restore strength/range of motion post surgery, but he has given notes and feedback to my doctor that what he's observed is not typical of someone who had the surgery I did.

Medications:
Ibuprofen 800mg - very minor if any effect on pain
Naproxen - no effect
Otc tylenol - no effect
Skelaxin - no effect
Norco - most helpful for pain relief but takes long to work, lasts only a few hrs, and doesn't fully eliminate pain
Hot showers work the best during an attack/episode, but pain returns afterward. Ice actually seems to make it more painful. Fully laying my arm on a surface and squatting to move it away from my body feels better as well. I've tried biofreeze, essential oils like wintergreen and peppermint. My PT would like to start TENS soon. Today, he tried massage which felt better. When he was moving my arm for passive exercises, my hand was shaking and I got pretty strong muscle spasms in my triceps.

I don't have any numbness. I do get some tingling in my hands but very infrequently. I mostly have pain.

My PT thinks I have nerve problems as well, but I don't understand the sudden cause or why it's so constant and excruciating. I dread going back to work on Monday.

VIEW AND REPLY