Shoulder bursitis - weakness down to wrist??

Firstly, I would suggest a proper assessment of the shoulder, to arrive at the correct diagnosis. 
“Bursitis” of the shoulder can often be caused by other things (impingement of the tendon through the shoulder joint, instability of the shoulder, neck problems to name a few), and the cause should be assessed and corrected if possible. If you have neck problems (even if you don't have neck pain) you could have a weakness in your forearm and wrist as well. 

Severe enough shoulder pain can also inhibit the muscles of your arm, causing you to feel “weak” at the wrist.

I believe cortisone should only be used as a last resort before considering surgery, as it only dulls the pain (and reduces inflamation) and does nothing to actually correct the problem in the first place. 

Hope that helped somewhat.
Good luck! 

Bursitis on its own will not cause the weakness you described. There may very well be some concurrent condition such as nerve irritation from the neck or upper back. This really needs to reassessed to determine to cause of the weakness. Particularly, don't keep putting up with it if it is worsening.

Following up Vitali and Dr Sher's comments, it very much sounds like you need a full examination from an appropriately trained musculoskeletal specialist - ie. physiotherapist/ osteopath/ chiropractor.

As Vitali mentioned, bursitis on its own will not cause the weakness down to the wrist. Likely the neck/ upper back and the nervous system through this region is quite irritated. Self-management strategies - ie. specific exercises - are likely to found on initial consultation that, when completed regularly help the problem to get better faster.

In Australia, you do not need a referral to consult with a physiotherapist/ ostepath/ chiropractor… So I encourage to you follow up with a musculoskeletal specialist listed above.

All the best, Neil

If you have a shoulder problem ie bursitis, then you may have weakness of muscles around the shoulder because you haven't been using the shoulder because of pain. 

However, as mentioned above, weakenss down the length of the arm will not be caused by bursitis.  The neck often refers pain into the arm and cause weakness in certain muscle groups.  You need to have your neck ruled out as the source of pain. 

A McKenzie Physiotherapist is able to perform a mechanical assessment of both the spine and peripheral joints. 

The finding of weakness all the way to the wrist is more commonly associated with dysfunction of the nerves controlling the region, it has been mentioned above that the neck could be the source of pain, but it should also be noted that other structures in and about the shoulder could cause these symptoms.

In cases of shoulder impingement syndrome with a large inflammatory response, inflammation can affect the nerves in the area. Thoracic outlet syndrom is another condition which may affect the nerves or blood vessels passing through the shoulder girdle; this is particularly common in individuals who sleep or work with their arms above their head.

Hope you get this cleared up soon!

Bursitis
Bursitis can be severe and troublesome and persistently disturb sleep and activities. I agree with the other practitioners that you need an assessment to find out an accurate diagnosis before you look at treatment.

If you do have a true shoulder bursitis diagnosed on ultrasound, with no tendon tears , then a cortisone injection may be the most appropriate and effective choice of treatment.
You will still need to look at why the problem developed. Poor posture, poor ergonomics or over use of the shoulder.
Helen Potter

Definitely you need proper assessment and diagnosis because the shoulder is arguably the most complex joint in the body. If bursitis is diagnosed (and after this amount of time I would suggest it may not be the only problem) then an injection of cortisone could be really helpful in settling that part down, but you will also need physio treatment to help you address retraining of your muscles in the area (rotator cuff). inhaled steroids for asthma and cortisone injection for bursitis will not interact - you are perfectly safe. ‘Weakness’ down the arm may be due to 1)inhbition due to pain; 2)lack of use; 3)irritation of nerves from the neck/upper back (cervical/thoracic). Dont put it off any longer, go and see someone!

Everyone before me has given good advice. Cortisone should be the last resort. Seek out some one who specialises in shoulder problems. The weakness in the wrist may come from the shoulder, however if it is coming from the neck make sure your practitioner really know the neck and how to work on it.

I concur with the opinions provided above that a thorough history, and physical examination are definitely needed in this case. Bursitis is almost never the cause of shoulder problems, rather it is commonly a symptom related to some other shoulder issue. It's kinda like having a runny nose when you have a cold; the runny nose does not cause you to have a cold, it is the cold that causes you to have a runny nose. 

In my experience cortisone injections for shoulder conditions only tend to help in about half of my patients who have had them. People need to know that cortisone does not try the cause of problems, it only treats symptoms. I for one would much rather get the cause of my problem resolved than simply treating the symptoms. 

Lastly, I doubt that the weakness in your wrist stems from your shoulder bursitis, so be sure that whoever examines you checks the entire kinetic chain (hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder and neck). You need to rule out if there are any neurological components to your weakness. If there is you need get this problem addressed as soon as you can.

Hope this helps.

Dr Adam Gavine