"It started with a new office chair..."

In WAPO, a patient's harrowing story:

"Within a couple of months of getting the new seat in late 2003, a sharp, electrifying pain shot through my upper left arm whenever I raised it, picked something up, rolled over on my left side in bed or even tried to brush my hair..."

Things go from bad to worse. He still struggles with pain and functional impairment.

"Yet it's hard for my colleagues and my friends to understand how debilitating it is, since it is an invisible pain -- without cast or sling or conspicuous impairment.

At my annual physical in August, my internist urged me to go on disability until the shoulder heals. That's not a viable option. I've now turned to the rehabilitation specialist as the lead doctor to deal with the pain. If and when the pain diminishes, then I have to decide what to do to get the shoulder to work again..."