Neck and shoulder issues

Hello everyone first time here.

Had my first MRI today (never wanna go through it again either) I'm a metal fabricator and about a year ago I started having shoulder problems. It started as a aching pain at the end of a workday and progressed to a sharp pain throughout the whole day, left shoulder was the worst of the two. I've dealt with the pain through ibuprofen and aleve and a prescription of hydrocodone after a couple trips to doctor, she said it was probably an arthritic shoulder and referred me to an orthopedic doctor. Two weeks before my appointment I was welding in an awkward position, bent at the waist looking up and to the right. After two hours I came up from laying a weld and my neck was starting to stiffen up so I cracked my neck and within minutes I had a searing pain from my left side of neck that ran up into the left side of face and head. It was so painful I got dizzy and kinda freaked for a hot minute. I did settle down and made it through the workday. Since then my left sternocleidomastoid muscle has been swollen to varying degrees. I've also had stiff neck, pain that radiates into the shoulder blade and down into my left arm. My left hand shakes a good bit which as a welder isn't good, I also get numbness like my arm is asleep and recently my left leg is weak and gets spasms/twitches and my bicep and forearms cramps and spasms as well.

I have seen the orthopedic doc for the shoulder and received a steroid injection which has helped in that area but all the other symptoms still exist. He referred me to the spine docs in his practice and I went for a cervical spine MRI today and go back for the results and pain management on Friday. Has anyone dealt with any of these symptoms and learned the cause. Just wondering what to expect. My career is kind of up in the air right now and it has me worried as I make a good living and love what I do. Any thoughts would be nice. Thanks

Welder,

I've had shoulder pain a couple of times in the past that was coming from my neck and steroid shots relieved the problem temporarily. Injections in those joints is not a cure but a test. The more permanent relief comes from having the nerves ablated (burned). That procedure is no worse than the shots. Neither is a big deal for me, and I'm an old grandmother. I don't get anesthesia or even an IV.

My doctor for those procedures is one of my pain docs, an anesthesiologist by training.

I figure it's well worth a try, much better than surgery! I could drive and do anything I wanted right after the procedure. If it doesn't work, then surgery is still an option.

Thank you all for your input, I appreciate it very much and will talk with my doc about your suggestions. I'll know more tomorrow morning when I get the results of the MRI. I have not nor will I ever crack my neck again. It is comforting to have found this site though. In researching my problem everything I found was very clinical and there was no input on how people with similar issues dealt with it. Thanks again. I will update once I find out what's going on

IamaWelder please do look here on the front page, we have a couple of different people that have had neck surgery just recently.

I do urge you to consult with a board certified neurosurgeon for your neck problem.Those drs deal with nerve related problems as a specialty.

Let us know what happens......Susie

I would talk to my GP and see f he has any recommendations. To speed up the process you could look online at your insurance company & see who is on their list that would be covered for you to see too. Most specialist want a referral so try the GP.

Susie

I recently had fusion of C3-4 due to a fall on my head that crushed 6 vertebrae and a bone spur, which did most of the damage, also a burst disc.

I have continued pain from a lower part of my neck, radiating down my arm, and am pursuing facet joint injections for that. Since having good results from other injections and nerve ablations, I prefer that route rather than have surgery unless it's a last resort or another emergency. The neck surgery is not simple, has risks, and the side effects are not fun.

In addition to another surgical opinion, I would suggest getting a second opinion from another pain doctor, an anesthesiologist by training, as to whether surgery is the only option. Not every doctor is qualified to inject the neck. My insurance doesn't require me to get a referral. Take with you all your reports and CDs of imaging. You should be able to get these free for another doctor's use. I make copies to have on hand for future doctors' use.

Hello,
I had pain in my neck since 2011, after a year of different tests & playing with pain meds to find something that actually help some, I went & saw a neuro Surgen & he ordered a discogram & found I had among other things a bulging disc & bone spurs. We did a anf surgery June 2012, to shorten this up, I have had continued excruciating pain still. Went to p/t, had muscle therapy, nerve blocks, ablations, trigger point injections & nothing helped. I decided it was time to find another neuro & get another opinion on what was going on. Had X-rays, MRI, bone scan & another disco. Well the fusion didn't fully fuse, after the 1st neuro said it did by looking at X-rays that he only took raceing forward & to the side, no flexion of my neck or anything, my new neuro had me do X-rays with my neck flexed & we could see a void, so we did the other test. Now I could be faceing another surgery & have been in massive pain for the last year & a half & taking the max dosage of Percocet I can have along with nerve pills, muscle relaxers.
Any one out there have a similar issue. My quality of life is 0, my marriage is on the rocks & it is all out of control. If I didn't have anything to live for, I probably would have ended it a long time ago.
Needing some answers & support from people who have been in my shoes.

Thank you IamAwelder!
I do hope this forum can help me some how.

Straydog, I thought that new topic was what you were wanting me to do. It's locked so I guess I don't understand what you are asking me to do.

As a healthcare professional I am so glad that you will be seeking alternatives to the first opinion. I had c5/6 ACD&F December 2012 due to an injury. Although the arm numbness and tingling have subsided, I woke up with severe mid/upper back pain. And it continues today, even after multiple injections.
One thing I can tell you of my experience with surgery is that the doctor told me 2 to 4 weeks recovery time and it actually turned into 5 weeks before I could return to work, and then only on 'light' duty for another month.
I agree with the forum moderator and find out others experiences with the results and side effects of the various treatments. I plan to before I undergo any further surgeries or treatments that involve long needles..

When I read the first post I said this sound almost exactly like my symptoms. I have been diagnosed with a compressed nerve at c5-6, the shoulder pain is terrible.

I have had previous surgery (ACDF) at c6-7  4 years ago and was going to have another one in FEB. I had a more urgent medical problem come up, so the neck surgery has been delayed.

I have had the Epidurals for 2 years and they have helped, but they could not find the problem until they did a diagnostic epidural at c5-6, that made a big difference. After being on the epidural merry-go-round, I was looking foward to a more permanent solution.