Question: I’m 58 and want to be active again. Five years ago, I began having severe pain in my left shoulder and hip. Since then, I have tried several alternative methods, such as acupuncture, deep tissue massage, trigger point massage, chiropractic, healing meditations, hypnotherapy — you get the picture. I am now 85 percent pain free, but I can't rid myself of the other 15 percent. The pain is now a daily dull ache that increases with changes in the weather. I'm told that I don't have arthritis (MRI and x-rays showed no signs). Any suggestions?

Dr. Hibberd's Answer:

Your pain in the absence of arthritis suggests a disorder of soft tissue or muscle. Ask your doctor to evaluate you for muscular aches. This will usually involve some blood evaluation to include a CPK (creatine phosphokinase), sedimentation rate (ESR), as well as other usual screens of complete blood count (CBC), chemistry, and perhaps a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Muscle aches may reflect overuse, de-conditioning or an underlying medical condition.

Pursue this investigation now until a reasonable answer is found, so you can be more comfortable sooner. If you wish a specialty opinion, a rheumatologist specializes in diseases of joints and soft tissue. Rheumatologists are also the preferred specialists for various immune disorders affecting these tissues.