Question
QUESTION: Dear Scott.I would appreciate any feedback you can give me,and thank you for this service. I have pain in my shoulder blades/ top of shoulders going down to chest,upper left arm to elbow,chest pain and middle chest pain that radiates to middle back,upper back pain.At night it is worse when lying down,and more so when lying on my sides.I wake immediatly every night,am not sure if this is due to the shoulder pain or not?.I can move my arms in any direction absolutely fine,and no pain,its just i have this constant pain in the areas ive descibed. Thank you again for answering this .Sue

ANSWER: Sue,

Pain that wakes you at night can be a sign of bone metastatic cancer.  If your condition has been getting progressively worse, then you must consult with your doctor immediately.   More likely, you have one or more of these potential conditions: 1) neck osteoarthritis, or degenerative joints, causing pressure on the nerves that exit your neck and go down your arms, 2) short, tight, irritated muscles along the front of your neck, just above the clavicle, that can cause the pain pattern you describe, 3) shoulder bursitis, which will ache at night.   Since there is so much that I don't know about your conditon, given the limited information provided, this is the best I can offer.   A skilled doctor of chiropractic should be able to quickly diagnosis this.  

'Best,

Dr.G

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Doctor,Thank you for your prompt response,that is very kind of you. I do apologize,i am 39.When i wake at night ,i don't think its the pain,but i just know that my shoulders hurt more when i awake from the sleep. I Cant say how long i've been experiencing this ,But i did forget to mention that when i do exercise fully,or walk briskly up hills,the chest pain becomes worse, radiating down both my arms and front of my neck and jaw , then i have to stop and it goes away quite quickly GOES . I will see the Doctor,Thank you for your time and advice,Sue

Answer
Sue,

You definitely want to see your primary care doctor (internal medicine) for a cardiac work-up.  It is not uncommon for women in your age group to have cardiovascular disease.   You should get a stress test to see what your heart is doing.   If you have a completely negative cardiac exam, and your PCP thinks your condition is musculoskeletal, then find the chiropractor.  

Good luck,

Dr. G