Shoulder, upper arm...somethings going on

There are many ways that I might have injured my shoulder or upper arm. Might have been from lifting heavy containers and putting them on a shelf at work, could be lifting wet bales of straw and moving them around the garden, could be brought on by my lifting weights or many other options. It's been going on for at least 6 weeks now because I'm not helping it get better. Here are the symptoms.

If I do nothing, I feel fine. The only time I feel anything hurtful at all is when I use my arm as if I'm going to scratch the middle of my back (going under not over), crossing the arm in such a way as removing a t-shirt over your head. Those two movement can nearly bring a shout of alarm from me. I shoveled snow today, no problem. It is also a problem when the arm is straightened up over my head and moved about 2 o'clock and definitely 3 o'clock. Straight up isn't a problem. Any ideas? Maybe tendonitis, maybe I pulled something? Does this sound like rotator cuff to anyone? AACK! Gene wants me to have it checked out...I want to self treat if possible, but know that I won't just let the arm dangle and not use it. LOL

Definitely does NOT seem like the shoulder, but something in the upper arm that connects to the shoulder.

Where exactly is the pain? I've had 2 surgeries on the same shoulder so I'm relatively familiar with the different problems that can happen in the shoulder.

It feels more like it's on the top of the arm, a deltoid muscles. Definitely not a tricep or bicep. I'd say running a 2-3" length of the deltoid, so not really in the shoulder. Make sense or should I try to find a picture?

No, that makes it clear. That's definitely not the rotator cuff or labrum, which are the 2 major things to be worried about in the shoulder. Sounds soft tissue related to me. I'm not going to advise you what to do one way or the other, but rest and NSAIDs would probably go a long way toward fixing it if that's the case.

Yeah, my big thing was I didn't want it be some sort of cartiledge surgical thingy. To put a lid on Gene, I'll probably have to go to my sports med guy and have him look at it. It just irritates me that they xray, mri and all this crap, and then it still ends up that if you just let it dangle for 6 weeks you'll be fine. LOL I feel jaded! It does feel soft tissue to me as well. Irritating!

Thanks for your thoughts!

I agree with Jim - I had tendonitis in the rotator cuff/labrum area and this sounds different. I got out of the pool for a while and it went away, but it never stopped me from doing much except maybe push-ups . I hate getting things checked out too, but it is probably worth it if it restricts you some.

Couldn't take it any more and went to my sports doc. Believe it or not, he's telling me that it's Rotator Cuff tendonitis and that he doesn't believe that there is a tear, nor does he want to give me cortisone at this point. I'm heading to PT for the next 3 weeks and then see him after that. This has been very difficult to figure out where the pain is but when there is pain....it is there! It usually happens now when I put my arm behind me or across from me. He ruled out any sort of 'frozen shoulder syndrome' so I'm happy about that.

On to recovery and some day I'll be able to undo my bra in the back again.

4 weeks of PT to strengthen some of the shoulder blade muscles and I should be good to go.

Looking back, you've been at this a LONG time now. Hope the PT does the trick. Can't even imagine how you get a sports bra on and off