People often have a hard time doing the things they love due to the pain and discomfort of living with chronic shoulder pain. This can be very difficult for any person, but there are some measures you can take to alleviate your pain and return to living your life.
You should speak to a physiotherapist about your shoulder pain, as this specialist can help identify the source of the problem and offer treatment options.
Living with chronic shoulder pain can be a miserable experience. Read on to learn more about how physiotherapy can help with your shoulder pain.
Types of shoulder pain
There are a few types of shoulder conditions.
1) Arthritis of the shoulder is a common condition. There are many different types of arthritis that can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the shoulder joint. The treatments available may depend on what type of arthritis is causing the problem.
2) The other type of shoulder pain is nerve-related pain, which can be caused by pinched nerves or even an injury to a nearby nerve.
3) Bursitis is a common type of shoulder pain, characterized by inflammation and swelling of the space between the bone and shoulder joint fluid. This can cause pain and stiffness in your shoulder.
4) Shoulder impingement syndrome is a condition that occurs when the rotator cuff tendon and bursa of the tendons of the rotator cuff become swollen and irritated. This causes the tendons' passageways through the shoulder joint to become overcrowded, causing pain and reduced range of motion.
5) The last and a similar type of shoulder pain to bursitis is frozen shoulder pain. This primarily occurs when the main muscle that covers the shoulder joint is inflamed. This causes the shoulder joint to become stiff and limits most activities. This can be severe to the point where even lifting your arm up to take a drink of water, as simple as it sounds, becomes unmanageable.
People with frozen shoulder often complain of pain over the front and outside part of their shoulders. This is also called shoulder bursitis or subacromial inflammatory type shoulder pain.
Physiotherapy to help with shoulder pain can be effective, because it helps you recover quickly from your injury or condition, allowing you to return to more physical activity if you wish. It's important not to rush back into harsh physical activities, once you can freely move your shoulder and gain a full range of motion without pain.
Steps to recover from shoulder pain
Before physiotherapy can begin, you will be required to undergo an assessment by a physiotherapist who will determine the cause of your shoulder pain and what course of physiotherapy would be best.
If you are experiencing any discomfort when it comes to physiotherapy treatments, make sure to let your physiotherapist know so that adjustments can be made. This may include attempting less strenuous movements.
Physiotherapy for shoulder pain is advantageous, because it can help you get back to doing some activities you love, while also helping you feel more comfortable and confident with your body.
If left ignored, shoulder injuries can be difficult to fix on your own, and physiotherapy can help you identify the problem and provide treatment much faster than you would on your own.
Physiotherapy techniques for shoulder pain
There are many physiotherapy techniques that physiotherapists can use to help relieve your pain. Some of these include:
- Ultrasound therapy
- Cortisone injections
- Electrotherapy
- Acupuncture or dry needling
- Soft tissue massage
- Stretches
- Kinesiology tape application
- Resistance band exercise
- Ice and heat physiotherapy applications
Regular physiotherapy treatment sessions will help enhance your shoulder function and increase mobility. If you're in severe pain, physiotherapists can also offer cortisone injections to reduce inflammation around the shoulder joint.
4 exercises to use for a shoulder fix
If you are looking for exercises to help ease your pain, here are four of our favourites
1) Shoulder extension stretch - with the band
2) Sidelying external rotation - starting position and full range,
3) YWT raises - high or low position,
4) The Iron Cross - step-by-step instructions.
You should speak with a physiotherapist about your shoulder pain, as this specialist can help identify the source of the problem and offer treatment options.
How to sleep with shoulder pain
Sleeping with shoulder pain is not the most comfortable situation. If you are experiencing shoulder pain or have ever experienced shoulder pain, you probably tried different positions, treatments, and everything possible to get some restful sleep. But what if there was a way for you to sleep more soundly?
There are positive solutions for people who can't sleep on their backs. These include sleeping on your front, which allows the weight of your upper body to shift slowly onto your stomach or side, which can help alleviate pain throughout the night. It may also be helpful to sleep on your back with a pillow that supports your arm under it at about 45 degrees; this will take away some pressure from the shoulder joint.
All these options are important for shoulder pain sufferers who can't sleep on their backs. Sleeping in any one position with arm pain is better than not sleeping at all!
If you're still having trouble getting through the night, consult your physiotherapist about other strategies you can try.
What medications should you take for shoulder pain
Anti-inflammatory drugs for shoulder problems may be used to help reduce the inflammation of the soft tissues in the shoulder. These medications are typically ibuprofen or naproxen, but can include prescription medications such as celebrex. These types of medications are not intended to treat the pain itself, but are generally used with physiotherapy treatment plans and short term pain relief only.
As taking medications can have unpleasant side-effects, there are many natural options available to you. Make sure to speak with your physiotherapist before starting any self-treatments, as they may interfere with physical therapy exercises or other treatments you may receive.
Surgery for shoulder problems
If physiotherapy doesn't work for you or you can't afford treatment, there are other options available to you. In extreme cases, surgery may be needed to repair damaged shoulder tissues or remove any bone spurs formed from calcium deposits. You should speak with a physiotherapist before having any type of surgery to better understand the procedure and if it's right for you.
Act now to rid your shoulder pain today with physiotherapy.
A physiotherapist can use their knowledge to help relieve your shoulder pain and get you back on track to enjoying the activities that are important to you. There are plenty of things that can be done to reduce discomfort while waiting for it to get better on its own, so don't let yourself suffer needlessly!
The most important thing for shoulder pain is to take charge of your condition and not wait until it's unbearable. If you're suffering now, make an appointment with a physiotherapist.
Book a consultation with one of our Physiotherapists at The Medical today …..
