Popping shoulder--no pain

[Uncle Enrico]

I woke up one morning two weeks ago and found my left shoulder popping
multiple times when I raise my arm or move it laterally or medially.

There's no pain however.

I'm 59, and physically active. I've been swimming for the last 8 months and
enjoy it very much. Since the popping, I've stopped swimming but resumed it
yesterday and found the shoulder popping annoying, but painless as usual.
The crawl stroke causes popping, but the breast stroke does not.

I would like to hear from anyone with experience with similar symptoms.

[Uncle Enrico]

Well, it's been over a month and much has happened.

First, the popping shoulder went away and then a large mass appeared beneath
my left scapula seemingly connected to the muscle tissue. It can only be
seen when I fully extend my left arm, or when I move my scapula laterally.

A large bulge pops out from underneath the scapula's bottom blade and then
pops back when I retract the arm or shoulder. There's no pain associated
with this. The mass is well defined. The only discomfort is the crowding I
feel in that area.

My orthopedist brelieves it's a cyst but ordered an MRI to rule a cancer.

I endured the MRI in a 3.0 Tesla 3 magnet machine--a claustrophobic tube
affair. Was taken out at 35 minutes for a contrast dye injection and put in
for another 15 minutes. I'll get the results Monday. I had to endure a 15
minute panic attack in the machine, but the heart settled down and I got
through it.

So...either a cyst or a cancer. No apparent tear of any rotator cuff.

This was the shoulder on which I fell in a recent bike accident. Connection?
Who knows?

Post by Uncle Enrico
I woke up one morning two weeks ago and found my left shoulder popping
multiple times when I raise my arm or move it laterally or medially.
There's no pain however.
I'm 59, and physically active. I've been swimming for the last 8 months
and enjoy it very much. Since the popping, I've stopped swimming but
resumed it yesterday and found the shoulder popping annoying, but painless
as usual. The crawl stroke causes popping, but the breast stroke does not.
I would like to hear from anyone with experience with similar symptoms.

[Uncle Enrico]

Spread the word. My "mass" turned out to be a "chronic hematoma" developing
into a symptomatic mass mimicking a soft tissue tumor a month after my bike
accident. Why the bleed? I've been on aspirin therapy for six years.

Here's the article that convinced me I had a chronic hematoma before a
surgeon read the MRI and agreed:

http://www.jco.org/cgi/content/full/19/11/2971

Any older guy who rides bicycles a lot and takes daily aspirin is a
candidate for this. They're going to fall eventually, and it's likely
they'll fall on their shoulder.

My referring orthopedist thought I had a cyst. After the MRI he thought I
had a muscle tumor.

It has been four days since I stopped daily aspirin therapy and the symptoms
of the mass are disasppearing with a rapidity that is stunning. I am
convinced I won't need surgery. By the way, no doctor advised me to stop
aspirin therapy.

Beware of taking Ibuprofin for symptoms like this because the mass will rise
like bread dough with yeast. Go with Tylenol or its generic.

Post by Uncle Enrico
Well, it's been over a month and much has happened.
First, the popping shoulder went away and then a large mass appeared
beneath my left scapula seemingly connected to the muscle tissue. It can
only be seen when I fully extend my left arm, or when I move my scapula
laterally.
A large bulge pops out from underneath the scapula's bottom blade and then
pops back when I retract the arm or shoulder. There's no pain associated
with this. The mass is well defined. The only discomfort is the crowding I
feel in that area.
My orthopedist brelieves it's a cyst but ordered an MRI to rule a cancer.
I endured the MRI in a 3.0 Tesla 3 magnet machine--a claustrophobic tube
affair. Was taken out at 35 minutes for a contrast dye injection and put
in for another 15 minutes. I'll get the results Monday. I had to endure a
15 minute panic attack in the machine, but the heart settled down and I
got through it.
So...either a cyst or a cancer. No apparent tear of any rotator cuff.
This was the shoulder on which I fell in a recent bike accident.
Connection? Who knows?

Post by Uncle Enrico
I woke up one morning two weeks ago and found my left shoulder popping
multiple times when I raise my arm or move it laterally or medially.
There's no pain however.
I'm 59, and physically active. I've been swimming for the last 8 months
and enjoy it very much. Since the popping, I've stopped swimming but
resumed it yesterday and found the shoulder popping annoying, but
painless as usual. The crawl stroke causes popping, but the breast stroke
does not.
I would like to hear from anyone with experience with similar symptoms.

[e***@yahoo.com]

I'm so happy for you.!!!!!!!

[Uncle Enrico]

Post by e***@yahoo.com
I'm so happy for you.!!!!!!!

Thank you. Me too! The size of the mass continues to decrease though at a
slower rate. The only noticeable feature is a slight outward displacement of
the left scapula when I raise my arm. Thankfully, there's no pain or any
other symptom. I'm hoping for a total reduction within the next three to
four weeks.

My doctor thinks I can do well with an 81 mg. aspirin Mon, Wed, and Friday
because of my weight loss and good lab reports.

If you're riding a bicycle, be sure and wear a helmet. Imagine dealing with
an intercranial hematoma!

[Uncle Enrico]

I want to caution anyone on daily aspirin to consult with your physician
before ever thinking of stopping aspirin. Studies indicate that persons
stopping aspirin have a three-fold increase in stroke risk.

After four days of no aspirin, I'm now taking a half dose of aspirin each
day and plan to gradually increase the dose, hoping to avoid restarting
bleed in the hematoma. I estimate that the mass is now less than 50% of its
former size.

Post by Uncle Enrico
Spread the word. My "mass" turned out to be a "chronic hematoma"
developing into a symptomatic mass mimicking a soft tissue tumor a month
after my bike accident. Why the bleed? I've been on aspirin therapy for
six years.
Here's the article that convinced me I had a chronic hematoma before a
http://www.jco.org/cgi/content/full/19/11/2971
Any older guy who rides bicycles a lot and takes daily aspirin is a
candidate for this. They're going to fall eventually, and it's likely
they'll fall on their shoulder.
My referring orthopedist thought I had a cyst. After the MRI he thought I
had a muscle tumor.
It has been four days since I stopped daily aspirin therapy and the
symptoms of the mass are disasppearing with a rapidity that is stunning. I
am convinced I won't need surgery. By the way, no doctor advised me to
stop aspirin therapy.
Beware of taking Ibuprofin for symptoms like this because the mass will
rise like bread dough with yeast. Go with Tylenol or its generic.

Post by Uncle Enrico
Well, it's been over a month and much has happened.
First, the popping shoulder went away and then a large mass appeared
beneath my left scapula seemingly connected to the muscle tissue. It can
only be seen when I fully extend my left arm, or when I move my scapula
laterally.
A large bulge pops out from underneath the scapula's bottom blade and
then pops back when I retract the arm or shoulder. There's no pain
associated with this. The mass is well defined. The only discomfort is
the crowding I feel in that area.
My orthopedist brelieves it's a cyst but ordered an MRI to rule a cancer.
I endured the MRI in a 3.0 Tesla 3 magnet machine--a claustrophobic tube
affair. Was taken out at 35 minutes for a contrast dye injection and put
in for another 15 minutes. I'll get the results Monday. I had to endure
a 15 minute panic attack in the machine, but the heart settled down and I
got through it.
So...either a cyst or a cancer. No apparent tear of any rotator cuff.
This was the shoulder on which I fell in a recent bike accident.
Connection? Who knows?

Post by Uncle Enrico
I woke up one morning two weeks ago and found my left shoulder popping
multiple times when I raise my arm or move it laterally or medially.
There's no pain however.
I'm 59, and physically active. I've been swimming for the last 8 months
and enjoy it very much. Since the popping, I've stopped swimming but
resumed it yesterday and found the shoulder popping annoying, but
painless as usual. The crawl stroke causes popping, but the breast
stroke does not.
I would like to hear from anyone with experience with similar symptoms.