What can cause pain and stiffness in the shoulder?
Patient: For almost a year I have been dealing with shoulder pain. The pain is often a dull achey feeling that causes my shoulder to be uncomfortable and it often feels stiff. Recently the pain has been more jabby at the top at the bottom of my traps. I ve noticed that my shoulder often makes cracking noises when it gets stretched which aren t painful but are new. I also noticed recently that it is incredibly hard for me to raise it straight up despite it being my dominant arm. It gets stuck and hurts too much to raise it more and needs outside help, but my other arm has no problems with being raised straight up and down in the air Doctor: Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.  You may have a situation called shoulder bursitis. To relieve pain use ice compresses, rest, anti inflammatory and pain medication such as Ibuprofen and Codein prescribed by your doctor.  All the best.