Medical Questions » Arms Questions » Question No. 70
| Question: | I have pain in my left arm between the elbow and shoulder. It is not only stiff, but agonising, particularly at night. The doctor calls it supra-spinatus tendonitis, and has prescribed Feldene, but these are not helping. What else can be done? |
| Answer: | Supraspinatus tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendon that runs across the top of your shoulder to help move your arm away from your body.
If this tendon becomes strained, stretched or damaged, it swells and does not work effectively. Sometimes tiny flecks of bone form in the tendon if it has been inflamed for a long time, and these can be seen on X-ray.
Inflammation occurs when tissue is damaged. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, it becomes swollen and painful. This in inflammation, and any attempt to use the thumb worsens the pain. In your situation, any attempt to move the arm causes pressure on the tendon, and intense pain.
The treatment includes anti-inflammatory medications such as Feldene, rest (most important), physiotherapy, and injections of cortisone around the tendon. |
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