Medical Questions » Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments Questions » Question No. 699
| Question: | I have calcific tendonitis of my shoulder that was very painful initially, but has settled to pain when lifting my arm above my shoulder. I have been told there is no treatment. Will it ever go away? |
| Answer: | If the tendons that run across the top of yout shoulder are repeatedly overused or strained, they are damaged and develop small areas of hard callus (calcification). These ateas can ptevent the tendons from sliding smoothly as the shoulder moves, and pain results.
The tendons usually affected are those that move the atm away from the side of the body and up to horizontal.
The problem often subsides slowly over several months or years, but may give some trouble almost permanently.
The treatments available are anti-inflammatory medicines, physiotherapy, steroid injections, and as a very last resort, an operation to remove the lump in the tendon. If your general practitioner is unable to help you, request a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.
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