Ended up at ER yesterday when the shoulder pain I’ve had for a few weeks became unbearable. I’m making an ortho appointment today.
Anyone else had scapular-area bursitis? I’m in freakin agony in any position but flat and laying on ice pack.
Thx for any input on what possible treatments are and how long recovery is; I may have the “cracking” type, there are crunch noises happening.
And, of course, expressions of sympathy gladly accepted! 
Oh my yes. I have a torn rotator cuff (“complete full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons with a reactive subacromial bursitis.”) and bursitis is part of the package. I did this at the end of July, and my doctor gave me permission to go back to work just yesterday.
Aside from the torn tendons and the lack of mobility and strength that goes with them, the bursitis was so bad I could feel the crunching up my neck and into my ear. Corticosteroid injections have done wonders for that. It doesn’t look like I’ll need surgery, but I’ve been in physiotherapy for a few months and it’s not over yet. Good luck.
Oh man, I hope mine isn’t as complex!
The pain is amazingly awful, like being stabbed with a red-hot knife. The Percocet and Toradol just minimally help 
I had bursitis caused by a bone spur. The spur was rubbing on the bursa (in the shoulder). Orthoscopic surgery ground the spur off and I was all better. That was a few years ago. Unfortunately, it seems to be back 
I had it right below my kneecaps; painful as hell. I ended up getting ultrasound treatment that worked relatively quickly and I haven’t had any recurrence of it. Good luck 
I also have bursitis in my shoulder and my doctor has informed me that I’ve received my LAST cortisone shot and will need to have an actual diagnosis done. I am a terrible patient and should have listened long ago, but apparently I’m charming and persuasive and have managed to get him to give me my “last shot” three times now however he has put his foot down at last.
The pain can be exquisite at times, I know it’s bad when it hurts so much it makes me laugh. Which my wife finds extremely odd but both my father and I laugh when something hurts really bad, maybe we’re wired incorrectly.
“Exquisite” is exactly the word I used to describe the pain to ER doc! There’s something oddly . . . clarifying about it.
I get it in my heel sometimes. The day after Thanksgiving, it was so bad I couldn’t even think well enough to do anything.
My mother’s had it in both shoulders. She had the shoulder “manipulated” in both cases–forcibly breaking the bursae while under sedation. One of those procedures went pretty well. The other one messed up the anesthesia somehow, and she was miserable.
So…get a good anesthesiologist!
Thanks for the replies! I’m headed to the ortho this morning, so hoping for a definitive diagnosis and relief. Last night was rough, couldn’t get comfy in any position
I have this, too, on my very crunchy arthritic knee. The bursa is so swollen that it makes the knee twice as large as the other one.
My insurance doesn’t pay for PT. Last time I went I paid out-of-pocket and had to stop after 3-4 sessions because I simply couldn’t afford it.
I had it in the elbow once and that was bad - I would imagine the shoulder worse, as it’s harder to keep immobilised, for one thing.
When I was suffering with it, my elbow swelled up to the point I couldn’t put it down my shirt sleeve. I had my arm in a sling and one time, I sat down awkwardly into the seat on a train and bashed myself on the window ledge - it was so painful, I actually lost my sight for half a minute.
I’m back!
Turns out to be related to an old rotator cuff tear I had years ago. I reinjured it and there’s a bunch of swelling/general yickiness. Doc did 3 cortisone shots in region and week+ of pain meds.
Pain is worse now, he said to expect it to get worse due to cortisone for a day or two.
So back to my ice pack and TCM 
Transcendental Medication? 
Hope you’re back to swinging the battle axe in no time!
Yup, old movie are certainly transcendent! (Except for the war ones . . . boring!)
I have an arm sling I’m gonna try out today, its supposed to minimize joint movement and help with pain.
Thanks for giving me a forum – literally – to complain!