Shoulder pain can disrupt your daily life, from simple tasks like putting on a shirt over your head to pulling a ceiling fan chain.  Whether you’re an athlete or the average Joe, anyone can develop shoulder pain, especially after strenuous activity or a new workout, and it can even worsen with age. But how are you supposed to know when that pain just needs a little rest after being overworked or when it’s a shoulder injury that needs treatment? 

Even though shoulder injuries and the joint itself are complicated, getting shoulder pain relief shouldn’t be a mystery. Find out when you need to call an orthopedic shoulder specialist and when you can safely recover at home. 

Understanding the Culprits: Common Causes of Shoulder Pain

When you have a shoulder injury, there’s a lot that could be going on inside your shoulder, and understanding where and how your shoulder pain occurred could give you some insight into what happened and how you can get shoulder pain relief. Typically, shoulder pain results from one of the following types of shoulder injuries.

Rotator Cuff Tears and Tendonitis

Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles, supported by tendons, that support and keep your shoulder joint in place. These muscles are responsible for helping your shoulder joint move in the way that you want it to move. However, when this group of muscles or the supporting tendons are injured (such as with a tear in the tendon) or overworked (resulting in inflammation), you will likely feel pain in your shoulder.

Rotator cuff tears and tendonitis will result in shoulder pain when you reach overhead. Activities like swimming, lifting, and painting can result in shoulder injury when overworked. While it might not be a constant pain, it will absolutely impact your daily life and be noticeable. You might not have even realized how you hurt your shoulder. Watch this video of Dr. Kamal Bohsali explaining assessment and treatment of a rotator cuff injury. 

Arthritis

Shoulder arthritis, or osteoarthritis, commonly causes shoulder pain because it basically is bone on bone — the cushy cartilage that normally protects us has worn away. Arthritis is common in shoulders because we use them all the time. Although osteoarthritis can occur at any age, it is more common in older adults over the age of 60. This can result in a constant, nagging pain that you feel most of the time.

Acute Injuries and Instability

Unlike arthritis that happens over time, acute injuries are injuries that happen suddenly, whether the result of an impact, trauma, or a new injury, perhaps due to weakened or already damaged muscles or tendons. Acute injuries commonly result in shoulder instability and suddenly cause new pain that hadn’t occurred ever before, and there are a lot of causes and types of shoulder injuries, whether it’s to the joint, tendons, muscles, or a combination thereof.

Finding Relief: Treatment Options

There are a number of avenues you can take to find shoulder pain relief. Shoulder treatment can be simple, and sometimes you can resolve your shoulder pain at home. However, other times, you may need the help and guidance of an orthopedic shoulder specialist to gain shoulder pain relief. 

At-Home First Aid

Treating a new minor ache or pain at home can be done using the “PRICE” protocol. PRICE is an acronym that stands for Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. This involves protecting your shoulder from further upset, such as with a sling or brace, resting it by not using it, icing the shoulder, wrapping it with a compression wrap, and keeping the joint elevated. This can be used for any joint.

Heat should be used in cases of stiffness but not for fresh inflammation. If the joint is stiff and painful, opt for ice first. You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications as indicated to help manage minor pain and inflammation. Following this method should help relieve your pain within a week or so.

Professional Conservative Orthopedic Care

If you’ve tried at-home care and you’re not feeling shoulder pain relief, it’s time to consult a professional orthopedic shoulder specialist. There are a number of shoulder pain treatments that can be recommended that do not involve surgery, from corticosteroid injections to relieve inflammation to physical therapy.

Physical therapy is often recommended to help strengthen and support the supporting muscles to lessen the probability of injury. Additionally, targeted stretches can help loosen up muscles that have tightened. Physical therapy is a great option for many people, before and/or after surgery. 

Shoulder Surgery Pain Relief

Unfortunately, some shoulder pain sources simply can’t be treated at home or with conservative professional care. If the cartilage in your shoulder joint has completely worn away, you unfortunately aren’t going to be able to regrow it. Another situation where you may be faced with surgery to repair your shoulder is if you have a complete rotator cuff tear. You won’t be able to diagnose this yourself — you’ll need an orthopedic professional to order and interpret imaging.

The good news is that many surgical interventions are minimally invasive and require little downtime! You can often get shoulder pain relief in just a few weeks with arthroscopy. Of course, your individual results may vary and will be highly dependent on the severity of your injury, the type of surgery required, adherence to recovery and physical therapy recommendations, and your overall health.

When to See a Doctor

If you’re looking for shoulder pain relief, you can try at-home first aid at first, unless your pain is accompanied by chest pressure, shortness of breath, or dizziness, or it’s from an acute injury with a visible deformity or sudden pain or loss of mobility—those instances require immediate emergent care. 

If you’re seeking shoulder pain relief from at-home care and your pain has lasted a couple of weeks, keeps you up at night, or worsens, you should really be evaluated by an orthopedic shoulder specialist. Overall, the sooner you have your shoulder injury evaluated, the better the outcome. Waiting typically prolongs recovery, and there is never any harm in scheduling a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to relieve minor shoulder pain? 

For mild shoulder pain without a serious injury, temporarily reducing aggravating activity, using ice or heat as appropriate, and following a healthcare professional’s recommendations may help. Persistent or worsening pain should be evaluated.

Should you use ice or heat for shoulder pain? 

Ice is commonly used after a recent injury or when swelling is present. Heat may help with stiffness or muscle tightness. The best approach depends on the cause of the pain. 

How long should you wait before seeing a doctor for shoulder pain? 

Consider scheduling an evaluation if shoulder pain lasts more than a couple of weeks, worsens, interferes with sleep, limits motion, or causes noticeable weakness. 

When is shoulder pain an emergency?

Seek urgent medical attention for shoulder pain associated with a visible deformity, severe trauma, sudden inability to move the arm, or symptoms such as chest pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness, or sweating. 

Need Shoulder Pain Relief from an Orthopedic Specialist?

Early intervention is always the best policy when it comes to treating joint pain and getting shoulder pain relief. Often, the source of the pain is complex, and not having a professional set of eyes examine it can result in more damage, further inflammation or even irreparable damage that requires surgical repair. If you’ve been experiencing joint pain and are ready for shoulder pain relief, contact the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute today to schedule a consultation with one of our physicians or physical therapists.