Original injury to arm when a person pulled me from the floor by my arm and it hurt my shoulder. Time helped and it mostly healed. I then tryed to put compression stockings on a persons foot and when I pulled the stocking open to put over the foot, I got a pain in my shoulder which radiated down my arm; it hurt to straighten my arm, but did slowly. Tried again to do stockings( yes, stupid) and it hurt worse. Gave up. Now, doing various little things, sometimes triggers the pain and radiation down arm and makes it painful to move. Have to move gradually to staighten arm. Walking my Great Dane of course does not help it either. I had it xray-ed before the stocking pain inducing event and it did not show rotator cuff problems. It does not hurt all the time, just when I reach,pull,push, or other things and then it hurts; sometimes a little, sometimes alot. If I lean on my elbow and support my chin, when I move then the shoulder/arm pain hurts. It is a habit when reading email and I remember and then it hurts when I move from leaning. All of this pain has happened just since I tried to hold open the compression stockings with each hand pulling them open and holding it open. Does it sound like I could have torn something at that point? All my GP says is: Ice it. I am on medicare and Drs. and Mri. cost me so much more expense, so I am wondering if this sounds like a tear that I should have addressed or just a bicep tendinitis? I am really needing to know what I should do. I have osteoporosis, but not osteoarthritis that I am aware of.Thank you in advance for all and any help.
Q: Shoulder pain radiating down arm when using strength, is it a tear?
Your shoulder pains sound an awful lot like a rotator cuff injury. Quite honestly a good physical exam of the shoulder is all that is need to diagnose a rotator cuff injury. I test the resisted strength of each of the muscles that create the cuff: infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.
An MRI is rarely need unless the exam pointed to extreme weakness in one of those muscles that would likely be due to a full tear. People get partial tears and tendonitis all the time, but MRI's and surgery are usually not necessary for those cases.
Quick, get yourself to a physical therapist in order to use your 2012 physical therapy visits allowed by Medicare. Then you can roll into your 2013 physical therapy visits if necessary. A good physical therapist is probably all that you need to solve your shoulder problems.
You can also read about my recommended shoulder tricks.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD
Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media. Remedy Health Media does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.
8 Causes of Arthritis You Might Not Know About 
10 Surprising Facts About Arthritis 
6 Differences Between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis 
12 Tips for Preventing Osteoarthritis Featuring Content From:
- About Us |
- Contact Us |
- Privacy Policy |
- Terms of Use |
- Security Policy |
- Advertising Policy |
- Advertise With Us
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2013 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
