One of the most common joint problems among people worldwide is shoulder pain. Several factors contribute to shoulder injury or pain. This is because a shoulder is a delicate body area where ligament tissues, muscles, bones, tendons, and fluid-filled sacs work together to help it function normally.
With all these delicate functions, a shoulder is usually prone to get injured or malfunction, which can lead to pain in the area. This pain can interfere with the shoulder’s movement significantly.
While shoulder pain or shoulder joint pain is most prevalent after age 60, other age groups are not an exception.
You can treat shoulder pain at home, but medications, physical therapy, or surgery may sometimes become necessary.
Table of Contents
Causes of Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain may be because of the joint itself or problems with the soft tissues around the joint. The most common reason for this pain is rotator cuff syndrome. This condition mainly involves swollen tendons (Tendinitis).
Another reason for shoulder pain is impingement syndrome, a condition characterized by the rotator cuff caught between the acromion and humeral head.
Shoulder pain may also arise from an injury in another body area, such as the biceps or neck. This pain is called referred pain, and it doesn’t get worse when you make shoulder movements.
Other reasons for shoulder pain include:
- Torn cartilage
- Osteoarthritis
- Bone spurs
- Tendon inflammation
- Bursa sacs inflammation, or bursitis
- Pinched nerves in the neck or shoulder
- Torn rotator cuff
- Dislocated shoulder
- Shoulder instability
- Frozen shoulder (a condition characterized by the stiffness of tissues around the shoulder joint)
- Repetitive motion of the arm
- Injury due to too much shoulder movement
- Injury to the spinal cord
- Fractured shoulder bone
- Heart attack
Playing specific sports can also increase the risk of injury and pain in the shoulder. Athletes need to be particularly careful when playing the following sports:
- Baseball
- Tennis
- Handball
- Volleyball
Osteopathy Treatment for Shoulder Pain
Regardless of what caused pain in your shoulder, osteopathy can help treat the discomfort and help you with your shoulder’s complete range of painless motion. This helps reduce shoulder pain due to the following problems.
- Acromioclavicular joint injuries
- Rotator cuff injury or tears
- Tendon impingement
- Postural dysfunction
- Acute soft tissue injuries
How can osteopathy help with shoulder pain and injury?
All osteopathic procedures follow highly personalized treatment protocols that primarily depend on the reason, location, and severity of pain. The shoulder pain treatment provided at EuroMed Clinic Dubai mainly involves a thorough analysis of your lifestyle factors, which helps our osteopaths identify activities and triggers that cause pain.
Osteopathic treatment is a gentle therapy that uses massaging and muscle manipulation to alleviate tension and inflammation in the shoulder area. One treatment session kickstarts the recovery process, which continues for the following days.
Osteopathic treatment can be used as a standalone shoulder pain-relief solution or may be combined with other treatment methods. Our osteopaths often prescribe pain medication after a therapeutic session to ensure a quicker recovery. They may also suggest exercises to get you on the recovery track.
Shoulder Pain FAQs
What should you not do with shoulder pain?
You may need to avoid the following exercises if you have shoulder pain:
Throwing balls above the head
Swimming, mainly due to the overhead strokes when moving forward or backward
Lifting weights in a way that pressure comes onto the shoulder and rotator cuff
How should I sleep with shoulder pain?
Sleeping on the back with a pillow nested between the shoulder blades is one of the ways to relieve shoulder pain or rotator cuff pain. This technique also helps prevent morning shoulder pain, the discomfort arising due to the flatness of the body during night sleep.
What is the fastest way to cure shoulder pain?
Putting ice on the shoulder area for about 15 minutes provides quick but temporary relief from shoulder pain.
How do I permanently relieve shoulder pain?
It is generally recommended to get your shoulder checked by a skilled osteopath or physiotherapist for long-term or permanent relief. They prescribe a treatment solution based on a thorough diagnosis of your condition.
Aside from physical therapy or osteopathic treatment sessions, you may be prescribed NSAIDs or corticosteroids. Sometimes, your practitioner may recommend wearing a cervical collar to prevent neck movement leading to further irritation.
When is shoulder pain serious?
You must contact emergency services immediately if you feel severe pain in the shoulder, especially when this pain's point of origin is the neck, chest, or jaw. Moreover, pain after falling on the shoulder may indicate a torn rotator cuff or shoulder dislocation.
How long can shoulder pain last?
The duration of shoulder pain depends on a case-to-case basis. Generally, there are two classifications of shoulder pain – acute and chronic. Pain that goes away before six months is classified as acute shoulder pain. On the other hand, shoulder pain exceeding six months is chronic.
Book an Appointment
Shoulder pain can cause a significant disruption in day-to-day tasks. While this pain might subside without any medical intervention in some cases, you never know whether your condition falls into that category. Therefore, your best bet is to consult a skilled practitioner rather than wait for the pain to subside.
At EuroMed Clinic Dubai, we offer shoulder pain treatments from the hands of expert osteopaths who analyze everything thoroughly to devise the most appropriate treatment plan. Please fill out the form below for more information or to book a consultation.
Check Out Our Specialists Profiles
Aziza Zubeidi
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioner OsteopathyAziza Zebeidi is an osteopath with over 17 years of experience. She has served at some prestigious clinics in the public and private sectors. Recently, she has started incorporating capnometry in her treatments, elevating patients’ experience.
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