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Like you & many others here, I suffered from long term shoulder pain.
Playing energetic badminton for extended periods (don't know why, not really my game at all).
Right shoulder started aching, then it developed into a nagging permanently persistent pain that used to wake me at night.
Tried all sorts including private acupuncture & so called laser treatment but nothing helped.
After several years, it eventually stopped hurting, but I was left with a sub-luxed shoulder with the arm being slightly lower than it should be.
Push for the doctors to do something ASAP, don't do what I did & trust the bastards to have your best interests at heart.
https://wimbledonclinics.co.uk/ac-joint-disorders-dislocation-subluxation/
Keep doing the exercises. My chiropractor (who is also a good buddy) said that without the exercises it would have been a lot longer to heal.
Back then the NHS answer was cortisol injection. My understanding is that that don't actually cure it but just mask the pain for a bit.
My personal learning from it was while doing the exercises. It hurt! If I focused on wanting the pain to go away it hurt more. If I focused on helping my shoulder to feel better then I noticed the pain less.
With the former, weakness in the arm (as well as pain) is common. C6/C7 neck vertebrae issues tend to lead to triceps weakness and higher up (C5/C6) can affect the biceps. There is a weird situation that can cause a crossover of symptoms where C6/C7 does affect the biceps and C5/C6 affects the triceps, but it's not so common. My C6/C7 disc was royally screwed and I had a few years of really intense pain in my neck, across the scapular on the left side of my shoulder/back and also down my left arm. I had the disc removed in 2019, a spacer and supporting rods installed, and my pain has gone from 10/10 to 2/10. Prior to the surgery, I'd gone from easily being able to to 30 press-ups to not being able to do 1. My *right* triceps muscle was simply getting no nerve signal and refused to work. Rather scary at the time, but i reckon I've got about 80% of the strength back. The weakness was on my right side, but the pain was on the left. Bloody awful pain to be honest.
Now, the shoulder pain caused by a shoulder problem. I used to play tennis quite seriously and after many years of playing my acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) was knackered. I had physio and several steroid injections which did little to alleviate the pain and I ended up having the joint excised and the bones fused. Not pleasant, but it actually sounds worse than it was. I still play badminton from time to time and lift weights (sensibly) to maintain shoulder strength and stability. I have had other shoulder issues that were easier to fix. Rotator cuff and bursa sac problems can be resolved with physio, injections, exercise and rest, as long as they're not really severe. Self diagnosis is possible, but a good physio is the way to go. If you want to try some self diagnosis tests, these guys have done a few videos on shoulder issues - They're a bit comedic at times, but worth watching.
Due to my ongoing neck/back/shoulder issues (I've had a fair amount of surgery) I'm always on the lookout for new treatments and exercises. I have to say, this book has been something of a revelation:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1589096428/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A lot of physios are now following its guidance. It simply involves hanging (as apes, our closest ancestors, do) in order to maintain the correct shape and structure of our shoulders. I installed a chin-up bar in my garage and use it most days, simply to hang from. It's not completely cured the problems I have, but it's definitely improved them, a lot. No drugs, no surgery, just hanging. Worth a try.
Hope this is useful.
the left shoulder was very tight. I tried all types of exercise and if I really bared down and ignore the pain with resistance bands etc it would be marginally better for a few hours.
I've been getting some pain in my right shoulder - more the area between the neck and shoulder - for the last couple of months, and a stiff creaky neck a lot like you described. I also tend to sleep on my right side and I feel like I'm aggravating it overnight, but I can't do anything about that.
I think I put it down mostly to having the same routine every single day, sitting here typing - mostly right-handed - and using a mouse. I didn't have very much variety of activity pre-Covid but at least I was walking around a bit, travelling, not always sitting in the same chair!
I haven't tried the GP - mine is also only doing online consultations, basically you send them a message and get one reply, you can't even respond with a further question. It's frustrating and makes me feel powerless and kind of humiliated.
I've had a frozen shoulder in the past and that was different. It went away after six months or so, not as bad as @poopot's.
I think what @crunchman says makes a lot of sense, doing more general exercise and using more muscle groups over a range of movement can only be a good thing. The hanging thing doesn't sound a bad idea either. But I have vowed never to join a gym again, I just hate them...