I've had three MRIs, one of the rotator cuff, one of the rotator cuff with contrast, one of the cervical neck. My first MRI said I had a partial labrial spinatus tear from the 9 to 11 position. I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon who looked at the filmes and didn't agree with the 9 to 11 position and said it was posterior and that would be 1 to 3. I followed up with a MRI that had contrast and it came back no internal derangement was seen and all the various aspects of the rotator cuff were reported to be intact.
Before I did the second MRI for cervical and only had the first report that said I had a partial labral tear, another orthopedic injected the joint with cortizone for relief. It worked for about two weeks. After the injection's effects wore off, I found I was in some of the worst pain I had been since the initial injury.
The injury was at that time about a year old. I had, after nearly a year of time letting it heal on its own, decided finally to try to find out what it's problem was.
I have been in physical therapy which is helping. It's improved, no question, but really I'm basically back to square one after recovering from the injection. My PT said I would be back 85 to 90% which is probably what I was at before I started exploring this.
There's always something I wish I could tell my doctor. He's now saying it's a partial "frozen shoulder" or encapsulitis (I could be close or wrong on that term). My strenght is decent. I can raise my arm to my front above my head. Rotating motion causes a sharp pain that seems like it is deep and near the bone. I can't fasten a bra. I reach my arm back to put it in a jacket. I can't swim. I can't rotate it with the thumb facing down.
I guess since my arm was in better shape before the cortizon shot and I suffered a setback, I'm questioning this newest diagnosis. I mean, wouldn't the cortizone shot have helped me restore movement to it and not inflammed it. It felt heavy and swollen when I first started PT.
Do I need to go back and get another MRI of the arm muscle?