Shoulder Pain Introduction
We know how complicated it can be to find answers. That’s why we’ve compiled all you need to know about shoulder pain in one place. It doesn’t matter if you’re unsure where to start or what symptom-relief exercises will help the most. We have it all here for you – your shoulder pain survival guide.
Spoiler alert:
Before anything else, we want to start by saying that if you feel a sharp pain around your shoulder blade (and let’s assume that you don’t have any broken bones, cancer, or serious injuries), there is no reason to delay because this 4 Step Shoulder Blade Recovery Program can help you with that – 100s of previous shoulder pain sufferers are living, breathing proof that this field-tested pain relief and rehab guide works!
You work hard and you deserve to know how to stop that pesky shoulder pain, whether it be at the gym, while gardening or while getting ready for your next big date. The first thing we need to do is determine whether or not the pain is coming from the joint itself (such as an inflamed tendon) or from the surrounding muscles and ligaments. This can be done by taking a look at how much movement is affected, where exactly the pain is located, and whether or not there is swelling present.
When it comes to knowledge about shoulder pain, we’re not about to sugarcoat this for you.
Shoulder pain can really suck. If left unabated, it will occupy your every thought, can disrupt plans and leave you feeling like you’re drowning in an ocean of despair (if a little dramatic). Ouch.
But you know what a bummer is?
The pain around the shoulder is a complex experience that doesn’t necessarily cease despite the best efforts of pharmaceutical medicine. Chiropractors, physical therapists and physiotherapists, on the other hand, are trained to recognize and treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions—including conditions affecting your shoulders.
So what causes shoulder pain? And how can you go about treating it?
The answer lies in understanding the anatomy and biomechanics of your shoulder. This will help you pinpoint where your pain is coming from and whether there is anything you can do about it.
- The collarbone (clavicle)
- The upper arm bone (humerus)
- And the scapula (shoulder blade)
The head of the humerus fits into the socket of the scapula, and together these two bones provide an extremely large range of motion in this joint. The shoulder joint is a joint with high mobility and low stability.
The shoulder muscles consist of the following muscle groups:
The 4 Rotator cuff muscles – infraspinatus, subscapularis, supraspinatus, and teres minor.
- Pectoralis major.
- Pectoralis minor.
- The deltoids.
- Trapezius.
- The serratus anterior.
What Is Shoulder Pain? A Brief Overview
Shoulder pain is a common complaint that according to population surveys, “affects 18-26% of adults at any point in time, making it one of the most common regional pain syndromes.”
The condition can be characterized by persistent and disabling symptoms which can impede an individual’s day-to-day activities.
Additionally, symptoms can be gradual in onset or sudden, sharp and acute in nature. If it is acute, sudden onset pain it can be suggestive of an injury such as dislocation or fracture rather than inflammation or irritation of tendons and ligaments around your joint (which would cause gradual onset pain).
That’s not all:
Ultimately, the frequent and widespread occurrence of shoulder pain represents an enormous economic and social problem. When the pain caused by shoulder injuries is not treated, there are substantial economic costs involved—disease management and treatment, increased absenteeism from work, and decreased productivity.
Lastly, there are ways to help shoulder pain that don’t involve expensive medical interventions or invasive surgery. If you’re suffering from shoulder blade pain, check out our guide!
And soon you’ll be pain free just like Just like Dawn Harper – she has this to say
What’s amazing is I didn’t have to spend hours and a lot of money to get better. I got myself out of pain by simple movements. I’m an avid runner and fitness enthusiast, so I’m super grateful to be rid of this pain and get back to doing what I love!
Causes of Shoulder Pain
There are three main causes of shoulder pain:
- Trauma – This can include an injury from sports or work, or an accident. Fractures of the bones of the shoulders, shoulder dislocation, rotator cuff tear, and nerve injury are common examples that can cause pain in the shoulder area.
- Overuse – This occurs when you use your shoulder joint too much during repetitive movements such as throwing or lifting weights over your head repeatedly over time without proper rest between workouts. This can lead to inflammation and pain in your joints, which may result in tendinitis or bursitis (inflammation of tendons). A common example is Rotator cuff tendinitis, tendonosis or tendonopathy
- Arthritis – Arthritis is a degenerative condition that causes structural changes in your joints over time, resulting in pain, swelling and stiffness in affected areas.
Other common causes of shoulder pain include:
- Acromioclavicular (AC) joint disorder.
- Impingement syndrome.
- Bone spurs within the area of the shoulder.
- Frozen shoulder (Stiffness of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding the shoulder).
- Pain referred from the neck. Also, other parts of the body as seen in Phrenic nerve palsy, heart attack, stroke, apical lung cancer, splenomegaly, etc.
- Tumors of bone, muscle, or soft tissue affecting the shoulder joint.
- Poor posture.
Symptoms Of Shoulder Pain
There are several signs that might indicate you have shoulder pain. They include:
- Pain in your upper back or neck.
- Sharp pain in your shoulder after lifting something heavy.
- Pain when reaching behind you.
- Pain when reaching over your head.
- Limited mobility of the shoulder joint.
- Swelling in one or both shoulders.
- Tenderness when pressing on certain areas around your shoulder blade.
Treatments, Home Remedies For Shoulder Pain
Treatment of pain around the shoulder depends on the cause. Treatment consists of non-surgical measures such as rest, physiotherapy exercises and medications like NSAIDs and analgesics, etc. Surgery may be considered in cases where conservative treatment fails for example a case of trauma.
Analgesics (Painkillers)
These are usually recommended for short-term pain relief. They include paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or diclofenac. In some cases, stronger analgesics may be needed temporarily if there are no other options available or if your pain is particularly severe.
Please note: These medications should not be taken for long periods of time without consulting your doctor first as they may cause side effects with long-term usage. Speaking directly with your medical doctor will assist in establishing if using medication is safe for you.
Physiotherapy Exercises
Exercise is one of the most popular ways to treat shoulder pain.
The aim of physiotherapy is to achieve a balance between muscle strength and flexibility, joint mobility and stability (the ability of the joint to resist forces that may cause damage). This helps to relieve pain and improve function.
Physiotherapy exercises can be used alone or with other treatments such as medication or injections.
These exercises can be done at home with the help of a physiotherapist or by yourself. Head over here to discover effective exercises that can help get rid of the pain around your shoulder.
Heat Or Cold Therapy
The premise behind heat therapy is that it will loosen the muscles and increase blood flow to the shoulder joint. Heat also increases muscle relaxation, which can help reduce pain. Heat can be applied as a hot pack or with a warm bath or shower.
Cold therapy is used to reduce swelling after an injury. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect by constricting blood vessels in the area of injury, which reduces inflammation and discomfort. Cold packs can be applied directly to the affected area, or you can soak a towel in cold water before wringing it out and applying it as a compress over your shoulder (for example).
Rest
Rest your shoulder as much as possible for up to 3-5 days. Avoid using the injured arm to lift or carry anything. You may be able to use the arm for light activities such as cooking, shopping or other non-weight bearing activities. Many times reducing the activity provoking your shoulder will reduce your shoulder pain quickly.
Posture Correction
One way to relieve and prevent shoulder pain is to correct poor posture habits and strengthen supporting muscles.
For example:
Sit with good posture at work or home: Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest and your arms relaxed at your sides. Don’t slump forward, cross your arms or clench your fists while you’re working in front of the computer screen or driving your car.
Strengthen upper back muscles: Strengthening these muscles will help stabilize the shoulder joint by giving it more support from above when lifting something heavy overhead or pushing something.
When Does Shoulder Pain Warrants A Visit To The Doctor
From experience many people are able to get long-lasting relief when they use home-based rehab programs. However, there are times when the pain is severe and your doctor will want to diagnose the cause of your pain.
So what are some signs that you need to seek help from a medical professional?
- When joint instability is observed.
- If a treatment plan isn’t working after a while then it’s time to see a doctor.
- If you’re having severe pain accompanied with other symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and pain in other parts of your body.
- Swelling and red/blue discoloration of the affected area.
- For intense left shoulder pain, especially if it extends from your chest to the left arm, jaw or neck. And accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, or sweating, it’s time to seek emergency care – this might be a sign of a heart attack.
To make sure that you’re safe and do not worsen an existing injury, make sure that you seek help from a medical professional.
A Word On Shoulder Blade Pain
The word:
Misdiagnoses.
The shoulder blade is an often-misdiagnosed cause of shoulder pain. When you think of shoulder pain, you automatically think of the shoulder joint itself, but the shoulder blade is a common source of discomfort as well.
What we’ve observed after several years of practice is that when you’re feeling shoulder blade pain, your body is trying to tell you that something’s out of alignment. The most common culprits are the mid back, core, and neck.
Put An End To The Misery Of Shoulder Blade Pain Once And For All
We know what it’s like to feel hopeless about your shoulder pain, but we also know how powerful it feels when you start seeing results! That’s why we’ve developed our program so that it’s easy for anyone to follow and tailor it to their needs.
We’ve worked with thousands of people who have been struggling with shoulder pain, and we can tell you this: they came in feeling hopeless. But they walked out feeling like they had their lives back.
We don’t just work with you on the physical aspects of your shoulder pain; we also help you figure out what’s going on in your life that might be contributing to it. Then, together, we come up with a plan to get rid of the issue for good.
And along the way, we’ve got some great reviews from folks who have turned their lives around with our program.
So, if you are:
- Struggling with chronic shoulder blade pain.
- Sick and tired of letting your shoulder blade pain get in the way.
- Only getting temporary relief from stretching.
- And ready to put an end to your shoulder blade pain for good.
You’ve made it to the beginning of your journey. Click the link below to get the field-tested program that can help you put an end to your sharp shoulder blade pain.
If there was a way to make all the pain go away without hurting your pocketbook, would you do it? Of course, and you can with this guide!
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