My arm hurts

[BillyJack]

It has hurt since I moved this past July....meaning throwing around furniture and lifting heavy boxes, etc.

It was my shoulder joint and my elbow. Through "heat therapy" (aka a heating pad everynight for several weeks)....my shoulder doesn't ache anymore. However, my elbow is really hurting.

I wish that I knew what is wrong. I don't have health insurance, so I won't be able to find out.

I might as well be living in the "dark ages". Then they didn't know what was wrong with them. Now I CAN KNOW what is "wrong" with me ~ but am unable to know, b/c I can't "PAY"/afford to know.

[Baitball Blogger]

1. I'm surprised you're using heat.

I would have thought that ice and massages would have been more appropriate.

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. Ice is good for the first day or so -- then heat.

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You may have pulled/torn something. Try to find out if you have an agency known as something
like Information Services (we had one here in Tucson -- I think they may have run out of funding).
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Their only purpose is to direct you to places where you can get help for almost anything.
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I just found out through my doctor (she's a SWEETHEART -- really cares) and a social worker at
the hospital where I was staying that there is a low-clinic that charges on a sliding scale... and that
if I HAVE to... I can afford simple services at the hospital itself (and I had assumed it would be way
beyond my means).
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Check. Don't assume. I just found out how defeatist that can be.
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Your solution may be simple and low-cost (aspirin for awhile or a sling) but you don't want to go
through that hassle without talking to someone knowledgeable.
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Good luck. But get some help on it -- no one here can give you useful advice without an exam --
I don't believe.
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[BillyJack]

3. Thanks. That is what I need is an exam.

I'd bet my problem is a relatively "easy fix", but b/c I can't afford the 'exam', etc. I don't know what to do for myself or receive treatment.

I live with the pain. And it IS PAINFUL.....every *freaking* day. Every time I move that arm.

How many other people "live" with pain that could easily be relieved with some healthcare reform EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.AND.NIGHT

[Baitball Blogger]

4. My daughter was in competitive sports and we were in and out of specialty sports rehab

centers for several years. Ice was always recommended. Also, my hubby just got over a major back problem. Overstressed himself much like the main poster. Again, it was ice, and also lots of anti-inflammatorys prescribed by the doctor. He healed in record time.

Def agree with you on the exam.

[In_The_Wind]

8. We can't offer real medical advice but . . .

all of you've said is very good MFM.

[siligut]

5. Is it funny bone pain?

Which is actually nerve pain. That it was in your shoulder and elbow and now only your elbow makes me wonder if it is your Ulnar nerve, basically it is like carpal tunnel only it is cubital tunnel. The nerve runs up your arm to your neck.

You want to immobilize your arm in the extended position, while you sleep. Take B vitamins, especially B6 and B12. Heat is good. Also an anti-inflammatory medication like Ibuprofen or Tylenol can help.

[BillyJack]

9. This sounds possible this could be it

Because when the pain first started I thought that the pain was radiating from my shoulder down to my elbow. Now that it's just the elbow that hurts....perhaps this could be it. Also, if I should hit that elbow on anything...wow does that hurt - like a funny bone pain.

Thanks for the "therapy" suggestions. I'll try these and see if it helps.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

6. Your shoulder may not be sitting right in the socket

I broke my collarbone a few years back, and ever since then my shoulder is always slipping out. It still moves normally, but it just doesn't feel right, and it's sore all the time for no reason.

I've learned to push it back when it goes out, but to get it really right I need a chiropractor.

[onestepforward]

7. Is your elbow swollen?

Does it look kinda like a tennis ball? If so, you might have tendinitis, but this needs to be diagnosed by a doctor. For injuries like this, resting and not stressing the joint are important. Ice will help with swelling along with over-the-counter pain meds like Motrin.

I totally understand about not having insurance. Do you have a county hospital or clinic that you could go to? I don't know if your city has them or not, but I have a couple of small, neighborhood non-emergency clinics that don't charge as much. I think it was round $45 last time I went.

Sorry you're in this position. It sucks. I know.

[BillyJack]

10. Thanks everyone for the suggestions

My elbow is not swollen and heat DEFINITELY makes it feel much better, rather than cold.

It might be a nerve as someone above mentioned. I will try some of the suggestions to see if that will relieve the pain.

Thanks again to all!

[LiberalElite]

11. 1 more suggestion

Did you look up the "symptom checker" on WebMD?

[Chan790]

12. I hate that thing.

I have psoriatic arthritis. It led me to believe I had MS. If I didn't know the underlying psoriasis was psoriasis, it probably would have suggested I had leprosy.

I have Meniere's disease which affects my balance, hearing, causes migraines; the migraines affect my vision. It told me I had glioblastoma (brain cancer, technically meningeal cancer) or astrocytoma (brain cancer)

Someday I may get MS and/or brain cancer and I'll probably delay medical treatment until it's too late because of the WebMD symptom checker.