Shoulder pain can be debilitating to patients who suffer from shoulder issues. Shoulder pain is difficult to treat and incredibly easy to reinjure. It can be hard to know what you're dealing with. It commonly occurs due to sporting activities, slips, and fall accidents or simply through poor posture. To avoid ongoing shoulder issues, the treatment of shoulder injuries should begin right away after the accident.
There are many different types of shoulder injuries out there, each having its own set of characteristics. Knowing the type of your injury can help you prevent further problems and focus on a comprehensive treatment plan to optimize recovery.
If you recently suffered a shoulder injury, you should consider seeking professional help from a pain management NYC specialist in order to ease your discomfort and decrease the risk of further injury. This article will explain the different ways the shoulder can become painful and how physical therapy can help reduce your pain.
Shoulder Pain Related to Overuse
The shoulder is made up of several bones and joints that allow for movement in many directions. The most common cause of shoulder pain is an injury to the soft tissues around the joint, such as tendons, ligaments, or muscles.
These injuries can happen during overuse or strenuous activities such as weightlifting or playing sports. For example, if you're a tennis player who plays every day without taking time off from practice, it's likely that your shoulders will become inflamed and painful over time.
Overuse is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain and is common among athletes and those who engage in repetitive upper-body motions for long periods of time. This type of injury occurs when you use your shoulder for an extended time without giving it adequate rest. It generally requires rest and physical therapy before returning to activity.
Shoulder Pain from Injury or a Fall
A sudden impact or blow to the shoulder can injure the ligaments in the joint and muscle tissue supporting the joint. The pain may occur immediately after the injury or develop gradually over time.
A shoulder injury can happen in many different ways, including:
• Falling on your shoulder
• Getting hit on your shoulder with an object like a bat or ball
• Colliding with another person or object while moving your arms up and down (for example, during a game of racquetball)
• Having something heavy fall on top of you while your arms are outstretched above your head (like when you're changing a light bulb)
• Workplace-related injuries like lifting heavy objects incorrectly
Injury-related shoulder pain is usually caused by trauma to the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the shoulder joint. The most common type of injury-related shoulder pain is rotator cuff impingement, which occurs when the tendons and bursa are inflamed or irritated due to overuse or repetitive movements that cause strain on these tissues.
Rotator cuff impingement can result from chronic stress on the rotator cuff muscles from activities such as throwing a ball or swinging a golf club. It can also occur after experiencing trauma to your arm, such as falling or being hit by another person's elbow during a sporting event.
If you have injured your shoulder, it is important to seek medical attention. You may have torn ligaments or tendons, which need to be treated with physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Shoulder Pain from Arthritis
Arthritis is a degenerative joint condition that causes inflammation and pain in the joints. It can cause symptoms such as stiffness and ache in the joints of the arms, legs, and spine. Arthritis of the shoulder usually occurs in people over 50 years of age. Still, it can occur at any age if there is an underlying cause, such as injury to the tendon leading up to the shoulder joint or if there are factors that cause bone loss (osteoporosis).
If you have arthritis, you may notice a change in your range of motion before you experience any pain. This is because cartilage loss affects your joint's ability to move without friction or grinding. Without proper treatment, arthritis can lead to further damage to your joints and even more severe symptoms such as stiffness and swelling. It can make it difficult to complete everyday tasks like lifting or reaching overhead. In addition, it's common for people with OA to experience some level of shoulder pain as part of their condition.
If you find yourself suffering from shoulder pain for several weeks or months, consult a pain specialist for treatment options. The specialist may suspect that you have osteoarthritis if you have pain that gets worse during certain activities or at certain times of the day (for example, when you wake up in the morning).
The most common symptoms include:
• Pain in one or both shoulders
• Limited range of motion in one or both shoulders
• Inability to move your arms behind your back with ease
Shoulder Pain from Nerve Damage
Nerve damage can result from trauma due to an accident or repetitive use of your arm muscles without sufficient rest between uses (a condition known as neuropraxia). Neuropraxia can also be caused by compression of nerves caused by bone spurs growing on bones near joints. Nerve damage can cause tingling or numbness in your fingers or hands, as well as weakness in your muscles when they are used after an injury.
If you have an injury or trauma to your shoulder, it can cause nerve damage that leads to shoulder pain. Nerve damage may occur suddenly after a direct blow or injury or slowly over time with repetitive motion injuries such as tennis elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Typical symptoms include:
• Pain in the shoulder region (may radiate into the arm)
• Numbness or tingling in the arm
• Weakness in the arm
Treatment for Shoulder Pain
If you have shoulder pain but aren't sure what the cause is, you're not alone. The shoulder joint is one of the most complex joints in the body, and it's common for that complexity to lead to a number of different problems.
Pain in your shoulder can stem from a variety of sources, and it's no fun. Pain may radiate down your arm or across to your back and chest. All of these symptoms could be signs of different problems, so it's important to see a health professional for proper diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible before things get worse and recovery times lengthen.
There are many treatment options available to help shoulder pain sufferers get relief, so don't worry if you're experiencing this problem. Each type has very different symptoms and therefore requires a different approach to recovery. If you have shoulder pain and are eager to get back to normal, physical therapy is one option that could help. Physical therapy can help reduce stiffness, increase range of motion, and alleviate pain associated with the condition.
Recover from Shoulder Pain
If you have been experiencing constant aches or pains in your shoulder area, take a moment to consider whether your condition might be more serious than a minor strain. And if so, you should look into visiting a pain management NYC specialist right away.
Shoulder pain can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. And based on the different parts of the shoulder that tend to get injured, there are many ways the shoulder area can become painful.
If you are experiencing shoulder pain, it's important to learn about the different types of shoulder pain so that you can be sure that you're getting the right treatment for your injury or condition. The sooner you seek treatment for painful conditions of the shoulders, the sooner you'll be able to resume your normal day-to-day activities.