I see that no one has mentioned carrying a purse(probably heavy) with a strap over your shoulder, some switch sides often as they can feel it getting heavy. I always had it on my right shoulder, no more & even after about 5 yrs of not doing it some movements make my shoulder ache. Last Christmas I was cleaning house & lifting things when my left arm went limp, I do mean limp. I couldn't hold a pencil. Hurt no matter how I moved it with my right arm. Ended up sitting for several days with arm on pillow on my lap to make it tolerable. Nights were a nightmare. I had a little pillow smaller than a sofa pillow & put my arm on that at night & used heating pad(before bed), then later Ben Gay, &Tylenol to finally get some sleep. Each time it would get somewhat better & I could get my hair up in ponytail(I'm in my early 70's) & think I was getting better when I would reach up or back & it would start in again & I'd be sitting doing nothing but going through pile of magazines to see if anything I wanted to cut out before I got rid of them. I was really forced to do almost nothing as it would just hang there, sharp pain which I am pretty sure means it's a pinched nerve but if adjusted it on pillow pain would go away. Gradually it has gotten much better but have to be very careful & now I tend to get warning if reaching will start getting pain so I have to stop. Never taken a statin drug, long past menopause so I attribute it to overworked use as was caretaker for both parents & now that they are gone trying to get my house & yard in order. So if you can't sleep grab a pillow to see if it might help by raising arm or laying arm across it, try different pillows from small to larger. Use heating pad for 30 minutes or so at a time. Try different creams or Capsaicin .1% cream but it will burn like crazy & don't get it in your eyes(flush them with lot of water if you do) & be careful what you do & lot of times it will get better on it's own. As for bras fasten the back closure when you have it around in front & then get it around to back & put arms through & up. LOL Hope everyone gets some relief!

hi i am glad there is hope haha. i am very young i like to say;) i am actually a stay at home the repetative motion i believe to have trigger the same symptoms as u amy was picking up my 2 year old son. now i have different conditions that maybe predisposed me to the DeQ i havent been diagnosed yet lol sorry about all the happy its a nasty annoying pain. but i am relieve to know it can get better without pills surgery etc i already have different diagnosis for chronic painful conditions my doctor got really sad i could see she was feeling so powerless...she really hasnt been able to help so while i see her a lot there is so much pain i have i dont disclose i been in lot of pain for months both hands like u i cracked them except the left one got really bad i coulnt move it didnt swell until next day or2 however swelling was minimal hardly apparent but nurse mentioned swelling can be inside.. well i want to thank u because with all the responses u got it has sort of energized me into well taking control of this so after about 7 or 8 months since first symptom of this new condition i will tell my doctor i got a brace 4 days ago some improvment but my right thumb and wrist got worse thanks i hope u continue to get better however i have just 1 advise for u get s diagnosis and document this in the future this might be of great value. i was a hard worker i loved my job i can't work now but i wish i would have done just that u see i will soon max out and with no other income or help things will get harder mainly for me.. GO TO THE DOCTOR hope 2 hear from u good news ;)

Sounds like a tendonitis or something. I used to get that when I would reach to the back seat in the car to deal with my children. Maybe you're usually not the driver, but reach back there for something? Can you take NSAIDS? Try to put ice on it a couple times a day if possible and see if that helps.

EllenP123 , I have been mulling over what to post since I read the above last week. I am sure you did not intend it to be humerus but I laughed reading that you" went to bed 49 and woke up 100". I have been struggling with horrific leg pain for over two years. I daily think holy moly how in the world do people with chronic pain function.Although I have been dealing with my leg pain for months I am not going to categorized it as chronic. My first reaction to my leg pain was to see an ortho specialist who dx the leg pain as stress fractures since I had carried over 900 pieces of granite over a two week period. Yup I counted them. The M.D. gave me a few packets of celebrex that was given to him by the pharmaceutical sales rep. I told the Doctor I am allergic to Aleeve. Alleeve makes me swell and I gained five pounds after three doses. I was smart and had removed my wedding band . It took a good week to reduce the swelling since Alleve has a long half life. Those who are allergic to aleeve are recommended not to take celebrex. I questioned the Medical Doctor who assured me I was misinformed. I took one dose on the way home since the leg pain was horrific. Within two hours I was a mess. It felt as someone was squeezing my heart. I did not need to be hospitalized but monitored . I no longer take Motrin since this is a sister NSAID of celebrex and Aleeve. My point is there are some majorly hubris doctors out there who screw up at your expense. I have had a few nights where I cry cause the leg pain is horrible. No position soothes the ache . I have tried rest, aspirin, warm soaks, ice packs, massage therapy,accupuncture and a dose of darvocet . I came across a book a few years ago about how the body is aligned in two parts. While attempting to find a position to relieve the pain I massaged my toes, foot pad, achilles tendon, tibia ,fibula, knee,thigh, hip ,butt and lower back with a tennis ball. What I figured out is that the pain is in my knee area but when I massage the upper thigh and achilles the pain goes away. A few years a go I had tennis elbow from shoveling the driveway for five hours. When I massaged the shoulder blade and my pectoral muscle the elbow pain disappeared. Pain is not simple . One must identify the source. For me the pain is due to overused muscles and menopause. I am tiny but can llft 60 pounds with ease. If you gave me 62 lbs I balk. I think for some the pain we are experiencing is the lose of estrogen so our tendons get brittle. I too went to bed feeling great and awoke with the crippling pain. What i found that works is to take care of yourself. Take breaks when doing your chores. Swim. Stay active. Place down pillows under your hip and knees at night. Take calcium with magnesium DAILY eat bananas three times a week. The potassium helps with any cramps MAssage your legs from toes to butt with a rolling pin or tennis ball. Make sure you stretch the ham strings( the rear thigh leg muscles). So after two years of several medical visits, accupuncture treatments and masseuse visits for me I figured out what works for me. Some who go into menopause never experience leg pain whereas others are crippled. I was 45 when the periods stopped. My male ob gyn said this was impossible. Sorry but not everyone is a text book case. I have had some wonderful male physicians but at this point in my life I need someone who is informed on a women's life cycle. THe key is to enjoy life. Drink the coffee if it makes you feel good. You will need to experiment with your diet , and supplements. I found that black cohosh did squat. Eating the bananas and religiously taking my calcium with Mg helps. You are not alone. Pilates helped too!!!!!! My mind is racing since I need to get my chores done. A sip of wine at night helps some. For me a little rhum took the pain down a notch. My best solution is the stretcthing and staying active. I am still in pain at times but I can manage it.