Before I was diagnosed with RA, I had fallen, and hurt my shoulder. Same issue, could not raise arm. My orthopedist diagnosed it as a rotator cuff injury. Celebrex and physical therapy was prescribed. Good luck.

I have had a similar thing happen. It was years ago and I had done something inane & whammy it felt like my entire arm was frozen. Dr at er said a bone spur had broken off and lodged in my shoulder. I got my first Cortison shot, I guess it dissolved whatever it was immediately. Good luck getting through it. Trish

That is how my RA began. Right frozen shoulder. Could not move it an inch. Agonizing. Went to the doctor, put me on pred. Few months later it happened again, referred me to my rheumy. I have had this happen in both shoulders at the same time, you are pretty helpless. sorry you are going through this. You might need a course of prednisone??

this is how my RA started. It started aching and within 12 hours it was excruciating and I could not move it. I went to the ER and they said it was "weird" ($200 copay for that) then it traveled back and forth between hands for three weeks and was suddenly gone. I put it down as a "weird" delayed reaction from my radiation (unrelated cancer treatment the month before). It returned in my thumb in February and now diagnosed with RA. luckily it was going on in my shoulder when I went to the doctor.
Good luck and feel better!

I have problems with my shoulders as well. Doesn't take much to set off the pain. Years ago, when it started, an MRI showed inflammation of the bursa. So since then I've just said my "bursitis" is acting up. I was just recently dx'd with RA so I'm still learning what's part of it and what isn't.

Rcross, I agree it's hard to tell what's part of it and what's not. I have had 3 rotator cuff repairs and 1 achilles tendon repair. Were they the beginning of RA who knows? I also have an artificial hip. My shoulders are horrible, ortho has told me they both need total replacement. I don't think I'm going that route. They both felt great when I was on prednisone, I've weaned off and now both shoulders and knees are bothering me and I don't know whether it's ortho problems or RA.

My shoulder was the beginning or I should say first sign something was wrong somewhere.
could not move it at all. Cervical herniations & then RA. Its just acting up again as of the past 2 wks.
I used moist heat & iced. I moved as much as I could so it would not freeze up on me. I was orginally diagnosed with bone spur, arthritis, tendonitis & bursitis, via the ortho surgeon.

It does not take much to aggravate when there are pre existing conditions, If this persists you need a good exam done, Myself I'd not wait longer then a week or so. We simply don't know what shape we are truly in.
X rays do not always cut it & that is the go to test.
I hope its nothing major. Perhaps just inflamed.
Blessings. Sammy

This was my first symptom also. Right shoulder started to hurt after a yoga class. Within 12 hours it was was excruciating. Could not do anything. By the time I could get to see a doctor 24 hours later it was suddenly gone. Weird. Then a week later the same thing happened to the other shoulder. Same thing. Now I know it was not an injury. a week later both my hands completely froze into a curlednup position in the middle of the night. I was freaked out. My first diagnosis was palindromic rheumatism but that quickly changed to RA as the symptoms became more constant. I've read of a lot of people who started with the shoulder pain. I still have some problems with my shoulders but never any where as awful as that first experience. Feel better soon.