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Chronic shoulder pain, undiagnosed

Posted , 3 users are following.

tracie43945
tracie43945

When my son was 16 years old, he was in a 4 wheeler accident. He was with an adult friend of ours. He lost consciousness, but only for a minute or two. The ambulance came to get him, x-rays of his shoulder were taken (impact was on his right shoulder). His shoulder was dislocated, his upper humerous, collar bone and shoulder blade were all fractured (we have copies of the x-rays). My son is now 24 and still in chronic pain from this shoulder. After the accident he went through PT, which didn't really help except for the ultrasound. We have tried everything any doctor has ever said to do, to no avail. He has had to go to ER a few times to get pain pills with which he gets enough pain relief to sleep. No doctor will put him on any narcotics because they say they don't see anything wrong with his new x-rays, just some tendon damage, which evidently shouldn't hurt?? He cannot function anymore, has talked about drinking the pain or committing suicide. Does anyone else have any advice?? He has an appt with a new doctor, in a larger town I moved to a few years ago. We are praying for some help and relief. Any advice??? Thank you!!

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • richella_40978
    richella_40978 tracie43945

    Posted

    I am so sorry for your sons pain. Has he seen an orthopedic surgeon? Although he was quite young when this happened, it could be that in the following years, whatever injury or tissue damage he sustained could have gotten worse due to "wear and tear". I would think a doctor could do an arthroscopic scope to see what's going on there. Shoulders are a difficult place to heal. I would ecourage lots of reading. Sometimes knowledge is power and can help explain different causes and issues regarding shoulder pain. (I feel it was beneficial to me before snd since my surgery).I wish your son the best.
    • tracie43945
      tracie43945 richella_40978

      Posted

      My son went to an orthopedic doctor who said everything looks in place.. The are we are from is known for their horrible medical services..I have examples, starting with Daniel's treatment right after the accident...we now moved to a better place and he will hopefully finally get better care. He has never had, nor has an arthrocope. Thank you!

  • richella_40978
    richella_40978 tracie43945

    Posted

    I am so sorry for your sons pain. Has he seen an orthopedic surgeon? Although he was quite young when this happened, it could be that in the following years, whatever injury or tissue damage he sustained could have gotten worse due to "wear and tear". I would think a doctor could do an arthroscopic scope to see what's going on there. Shoulders are a difficult place to heal. I would ecourage lots of reading. Sometimes knowledge is power and can help explain different causes and issues regarding shoulder pain. (I feel it was beneficial to me before snd since my surgery).I wish your son the best.
    • richella_40978
      richella_40978

      Posted

      Me again, I just want to add that tissue and tendon damage cannot be seen on regular xrays but an MRI will show issues, as well as a CT scan with dye ( I think that's what it is called), even if they are not conclusive. Even my doc was surprised and not expecting to see the tear he saw in my shoulder when he did the arthroscopic scope and repair. So again. Good luck and I hope something can be done to help your son.
  • anna49209
    anna49209 tracie43945

    Posted

    I am sorry to hear about your son's situation. I understand chronic pain can make you feel like you're losing it. Do not stop the pursuit fot the right doctor to get pain relief. I had to basically fight for a referral to orthopedic shoulder specialist. All of the x-rays and CTs up until then showed nothing wrong. I finally got an x-ray from a C-arm and that uncovered the issue. My the ball of my shoulder socket was collapsing from the inside. Every study before missed this. This resulted in my shoulder being totally replaced.

    I know this can make you to feel helpless, but you have to push the matter. Push for the C-arm x-ray, if that test does not work, push for an arthroscopic scope. Keep pushing to find the right test to get it resolved. Also some doctors will overlook certain tests due to the patient's age. Nonsense! I was 28 when I had both of my shoulders totally replaced.

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