Shoulder Pain Expert in Perumbakkam
Your Trusted Partner in Shoulder Pain
Your shoulders each have two joints, making them the most flexible parts of your body. We are here to provide you with top-notch care and guidance to tackle your problems.
Understanding Shoulder Pain
Causes
Most shoulder problems only affect a small area and should last a relatively short time.
But sometimes the problem in your shoulder could be part of a wider, long-term condition such as, Osteoarthritis or polymyalgia rheumatica
It’s fairly common for people with rheumatoid arthritis to have pain and swelling in their shoulders.
Osteoarthritis is less likely to affect your shoulders than other joints, unless you’ve injured them in the past.
There are several other possible causes of shoulder pain, such as:
- inflammation, where your shoulder becomes hot, red, swollen and painful as a natural reaction to an infection or injury
- damage to the muscles and tendons around the shoulder
- tension in the muscles between the neck and shoulder – this is usually down to your posture in your upper back or neck, and is often linked the way you stand or sit when you’re using a computer or at work
- inflammation in the bursa – a fluid-filled cushion which normally helps the muscles and tendons slide smoothly over the shoulder bones
- damage to the bones and cartilage, which can be caused by arthritis.
Symptoms
- Warmth or redness in your shoulder
- Neck pain, arm pain, or back pain
- A clicking, popping
- grinding sensation when you move your arm
- Muscle stiffness
- weakness
- Limited range of motion
Risk factors
Shoulder pain is often caused by injury or overuse, both of which are more likely for those who engage in sports and other high-risk activities.
Risk factors for shoulder pain include:
- Engaging in constant or repetitive motion of the arm
- Participating in sports such as baseball, football, softball, gymnastics, climbing, or basketball
- Having a history of spine injury, liver, heart, or gallbladder disease
- Being older: it’s more likely after the age of 60, as soft tissues such as cartilage and tendons can degenerate over time
Prevention
It’s not always possible to prevent accidental injuries, but there are ways you can reduce your risk and protect your shoulder. For example:
- Listen to your body’s signals when engaging in an activity; if something hurts, ease off until you recover.
- Warm up before activity, especially activities that involve throwing or hanging from your arms.
- Maintain a healthy weight and activity level, as recommended by your doctor.
- If your doctor recommends it, do exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding your shoulder to protect the joint.
- Use proper ergonomics at work to support your shoulder and avoid repetitive use injuries.
How is shoulder Impingement SSyndrome Diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider will take your medical history and perform a physical examination to check for pain and tenderness. Your provider will also assess the range of motion of your shoulder and your arm/shoulder strength. They will ask if you are involved in repetitive activities that require overhead arm movement, what remedies you have tried to relieve your pain, prior injuries to the affected arm/shoulder and any details about what may have caused your shoulder pain and when it began.
X-rays are helpful to rule out arthritis and may show the rotator cuff injury. There may be bone spurs or changes in the normal outline of the bone where the rotator cuff normally attaches. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound can show tears in the rotator cuff tendons and inflammation in the bursa.
A diagnosis of impingement syndrome may be made if a small amount of an anesthetic (painkiller), injected into the space under the acromion, relieves your pain.
How is shoulder Impingement Syndrome Treated?
The goal of treatment for shoulder impingement syndrome is to reduce your pain and restore shoulder function. Treatments for impingement syndrome include rest, ice, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections and physical therapy.
- Physical therapy is the most important treatment for shoulder impingement syndrome. In most cases, you’ll only need one or two in-office visits to learn how to continue to do physical therapy on your own at home. You’ll learn stretching exercises to improve the range of motion of your shoulder. As your pain lessens, you can begin strengthening exercises to improve your rotator cuff muscles.
- Ice should be applied to the shoulder for 20 minutes once or twice a day. (A bag of frozen peas or corn also works well).
- If your healthcare provider approves, ibuprofen or naproxen may be taken as-needed to relieve pain. For more severe pain, a stronger prescription strength anti-inflammatory medication may be prescribe or a cortisone injection into the bursa beneath the acromion may be given.
- A common sense approach to activities is helpful. Avoid activities in which you need to frequently reach overhead or behind your back. These motions usually makes shoulders with impingement syndrome worse. Stop activities that involve these motions until your pain improves.