What causes persistent shoulder pain with mild tendinosis and no tear?

[HarperEH]

I’ve been dealing with a nagging pain in my shoulder for months, specifically when I try to lift my arm overhead or behind my back. My doctor mentioned it might be related to the rotator cuff, but the MRI showed only mild tendinosis and no full tear. I’m just confused why the discomfort is so persistent if there’s no major structural damage, and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this kind of lingering issue.

[Luke67]

I had something similar years ago, and the MRI showed mild tendinosis but no tear. They talked about the rotator cuff and I still felt pain when lifting overhead for months. I did a short PT stint focused on scapular control and gradual ROM. It helped somewhat but never fully settled. Some days are okay, others flare after reaching up to grab something from a high shelf. It was frustrating because there was nothing major on the scan, yet the ache lingered.

[Adam.S]

For me the pain would wake me at night when I rolled onto that shoulder. I tried resting it for a bit, then cut back on overhead moves and kept things slow. It faded in fits and starts over several months.

[Kyle30]

Do you think maybe the real issue is something else like nerve irritation or how the shoulder blade sits? I keep second guessing myself.

[Jerry_T]

I drifted into thinking about desk setup and posture, and then back to bicep stretches, but the pattern kept changing. I kept a small log for a while and noticed the pain tied to sleep position and late-day loading, then I dropped the log and lost track.