i have been diagnosed with HIV and my t-cell count is down to 250. for the past 2 months i've been haveing shoulder pain in my right shoulder. it feels like it's coming from inside the joint or ligament.

is it common to have joint pain associated with HIV? and how do i get rid of it?

it's getting to the point where i cant even lift my jacket with my right arm.

please help.

Although some forms of arthritis may be modestly increased in HIV+ patients most pain such as you describe in the shoulder would more likely to be not related to HIV. Shoulder problems are common in the general population and rarely would an HIV + patient develop arthritis only in the shoulder. That being said, infectious forms of arthritis due to a variety of micro-organisms may be slightly more common in HIV+ persons so evaluation by your HIV specialist and/or a rheumatologist is recommended to better pinpoint the nature of the pain (such as which shoulder structures are involved which could be ligament/tendon, capsule, joint or bone). KH