How To Treat Shoulder Pain?

Any pain in or around the shoulder joint is shoulder pain and treating shoulder pain involves strengthening and soothing inflammation.

Easy Remedies to Follow at Home to Treat Shoulder Pain

Here are some ways you can take care of yourself and treat your shoulder.

Anti-Inflammatory medication

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDS) helps to treat and relieve pain and lower inflammation. Over the counter drugs include ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. Reducing inflammation is important in tendonitis, rotator cuff injuries, arthritis and other shoulder injuries.

Compression

Wrap the shoulder with an elastic medical bandage to help reduce swelling and pain. Use a cold compression bandage or a regular bandage. You can also get a shoulder wrap from our physiotherapy or can call one of our physiotherapists at your home. Make sure not wrap it too tight. Don’t need to wrap too tight to block the blood flow. In case, you feel your arms and hands feel numb then just loosen the bandage.

Cold Compress

Cold compress helps in reducing the swelling in the shoulder. Cooling also help to numb sharp pains. You can apply an ice pack for about 20 minutes, upto 5 times a day. Do not apply a cold pack directly to the skin instead use a soft towel to wrap the cold pack in it and then apply.

Heat Therapy

Heat helps to relax the tense muscle and helps in soothing a stiff shoulder. It can help with arthritis in shoulder and with muscle pain. Use a heating pad or hot water bottle or heated gel pack.

Muscle Relaxants

Muscle relaxant can help if you have spasm or muscle tension around the shoulder joint. Common muscle relaxants are tizanidine, cyclobenzaprine, and baclofen.

Pain Medication

Medications such as aspirin and acetaminophen can help ease pain. This helps you cope up with the injury and get good sleep as you recover.

Sometimes pain medications can cause side effects such as heartburn and stomach upset. You should talk to a doctor if you are taking them for more than four weeks here at the Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic.

Rest and Change in Activity

Change or stop the activities that has or are causing the shoulder pain. Move the shoulder gently  as this helps to make the muscle stronger and flexible.

Shoulder Exercises and Streches

Regular exercises and stretches can keep your shoulder flexible and strong. Few things to remember before going to start with exercise

1. Stop any exercise if your shoulder pain is increasing.
2. Exercising incorrectly can worsen the pain so watch your form.
3. Make sure warming yourself up before exercise

Pendulum Stretch for range of motion

This exercise uses the weight and momentum of your arm to encourage moment at shoulder joint, while maintaining the inactivity of the repaired and injured muscles. 

1. Stand beside a table with the hand of your unaffected shoulder on the table, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend at the hips approximately 70 to 90 degrees and let your affected arm hang down towards the floor.
3. Shift your weight side to side,and let your arm swing freely side to side.
4. Shift your weight forward and backward, while letting your arm swing freely front to back.
5. Once you feel comfortable with these movements, move your body so that your arm swings in a circle, being careful not to use your shoulder muscles to create the movement. Keep the circle small for less than 8 inches.
6. Continue for 30 seconds. Each day and increase the time until you can do 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Repeat this 5 times per day.

Overhead Shoulder Stretch

1. Sit or stand for this shoulder stretch.
2. Intertwine your fingers in front.
3. Bend your elbows and raise your arms above your head, and you can also place your hands on your head or behind it.
4. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together to move your elbows to your back.
5. Continue for up to 20 repetitions then Repeat 5 to 10 times a day.

Causes of Shoulder Pain

Some common conditions that involve shoulder pain include:

• arthritis
• bursitis
• muscle strain
• rotator cuff injury
• Tendinitis
• frozen shoulder

Diagnosing shoulder pain helps you and your doctor choose the best treatment and home remedies also for you.

When to See a Doctor?

You will need treatment along with home remedies if you have a serious shoulder injury or pain. See your doctor if you have any of these following:

• Repeat problems – If you have shoulder pain more than one time
• Pain – Especially if the pain does not get better with rest and medications
• Stiffness – If you cannot lift and rotate your arm normally
• Weakness – If your shoulder, arm, or hand is weaker than the uninjured side
• Separated or Dislocated Shoulder – If you have a dislocated shoulder or if it feels like your shoulder could slide out

You can Contact us at Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic and we will send our physiotherapist to your place in Ahmedabad. We are the best physiotherapy clinic in Ahmedabad. Contact us at +91 98986 07803.

Author: Nitesh Dhameliya

Physiotherapist, Ahmedabad Clinic Name : Samarpan Physiotherapy Clinic Nikol Nava Naroda Branch 11, Vedant Bunglow, Opp. Radhe Bunglow Part -2 Haridarshan Char Rasta, Nikol Naroda Road Behind. Shalby Hospital, near Fortune Circle, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382330