Hello @amywood20. I'd like to share my own brief experience with shoulder pain, an MRI and what happened after. I would like to add I am not a medical professional and am speaking strictly from my own experience. Although I don't have back issues, I had been having a lot of shoulder pain with specific movements and was experiencing some loss of strength as a result. I had an initial exam that deemed it was likely a pinched or irritated nerve, so I did have an injection which helped mildly but caused more discomfort than anything. I then had an MRI that showed a pinched nerve. Based on my own manipulation test and strength test they deemed I also did not have damage. However, during my operation for a nerve release they found a pretty extensive rotator repair. It surprised them because of my strength and mobility, but they thought it was a possibility as an MRI doesn't always conclusively show everything.

@jenniferhunter had issues with her C5-C6 area as well. Perhaps she could share her experience with this and whether or not it caused any shoulder issues. I'd also like to invite @grandmar and @jkgraham393 who also talked about cervical issues and may be able to share if they affected their shoulders.

@amywood20, your providers said your issues may be caused by your back, but have they discussed any other possible causes like a pinched nerve or the possibility of a more extensive tear? Was there a possible specific incident that caused the shoulder pain to start? In my own experience, I was told that I likely tore my shoulder in small increments as I couldn't remember a specific time of extreme discomfort or pain.