Tendonosis in Rotator Cuff

[TrudieC]

I have been spending thousands of dollars on massage therapy due to what I had thought was shoulder and neck pain from TMJ (diagnosed when a teenager).  The pain in my shoulder and neck has been getting worse and worse and I finally convinced my doctor to do an ultrasound and x-ray.  It ends up I have tendonosis in my rotator cuff.  I would very much like to hear from any other people with this problem.  How was it treated?  Did you ever get any improvement?  What do you do for pain relief?

Thanks, Trudie

[BPRescue]

Per Trudie’s comments, Tendonosis was diagnosed.  This is not inflammation, but rather degeneration of the tendons.  It is frustrating for doctors to just throw out opinions without paying attention and or basing said diagnosis on more detail.

My frustration is likely similar to Trudie’s, and to be honest extreme because doctors continued to ignore some of my symptoms, or pin the tail on the donkey as it were. 2.5 years after my first doctor appointment I am still trying to resolve shoulder and arm pain that is so bad I get hardly any sleep and also have limited arm movement.  One are is worse than the other, but the neck hurts 100% of the time; again for the past 2.5 years.

I finally had an MRI after insisting on it and being sent to many different doctors with all just prescribing advil and other pain killers.  As with Trudie, they found tendonosis and two torn tendons.  I will update later, but for now I will be getting cortozone injections along with physical therapy to see if it resolves the one arm.  Until then, I still have the other arm and neck pain…

Careful with advil.  Per my doctors I have been prescribed more than 1200mg per day; for years; along with tramadol and others.  I have tried to cutback on advil, because I know it is doing other damage as proof by taking  omeprazol.  Before being prescribed this medication I begun to have an upset stomach all the time and cut back on eating.  Again, after a few visits of telling my primary physician, and the orthopedic doctor, I was given this for ulcers.  It has helped, but I fear all I am doing is damaging other organs of my body. So, advil did not help the tendonosis; clearly…

Trudie, if you get anywhere please respond and I will do the same.  My frustration with doctors is extreme right now; it seems the ones I am running into want the quick exit and or are quick to just say; not my issue, go fish…  Is there someone out there who will own this and resolve it?  Time will tell…

[dr_simran]

Hello TrudieC,

The symptoms reflect that there is some severe form of inflammation due to repeated strain. Take some pain killer like ibuprofen and diclofenac.

Consult an orthopedician for the further course of action.

Best