If you are experiencing nagging and persistent shoulder pain (lasting more than a week), it may be the result of an overuse injury such as a rotator cuff tear or tendonitis. It’s important you seek appropriate medical attention to prevent any potential damage to your shoulder from worsening. Improperly treated shoulder injuries can lead to chronic pain and a permanent injury.
Only an orthopedic doctor can recommend the best type of treatment for shoulder pain after a careful examination of your shoulder. If something seems amiss, your doctor may call for more diagnostic tests to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms.
Treatment methods depend on the cause of your shoulder pain, and intensity of your symptoms – but, generally, shoulder injuries respond well to at-home treatment methods. Options to treat your shoulder pain may include:
Painkillers
Prescription or over-the-counter medicines such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help minimize the pain. Just be careful not to use any nonprescribed medicine for more than two weeks. If oral medications do not help, your orthopedic doctor may recommend corticosteroid injections.
Cold & Heat Therapy
Alternating cold and heat therapy can be helpful in alleviating shoulder pain by decreasing inflammation and relaxing muscles, respectively. When your injury is acute or inflamed, apply an ice pack to the area for 20 minutes. If your muscles are feeling sore, use heat packs for 20 minutes.
Activity Modification
When it comes to treating shoulder pain, it’s best to avoid movements that exacerbate the pain. For instance, raising your affected arm is going to hurt, therefore, avoid doing so. Also, avoid carrying heavy loads. If your shoulder pain was brought on by a sports activity, avoid that activity for the time being.
Surgery
If your shoulder pain does not go away with conventional nonsurgical methods, surgery may be required to resolve the issue. While most patients respond well to nonsurgical shoulder pain treatments, there are many who usually experience a recurrence.
Rotator cuff tears, for instance, usually require surgery. Surgical treatment for rotator cuff tears can be minimally invasive by using tiny tools in an arthroscopic procedure to remove scar tissue or repair the tear.
In the case of shoulder impingement syndrome, surgery is usually needed to widen the space beneath the acromion or to trim a damaged tendon.
Orthopedic Surgeon in Westlake and Avon, OH
If you are constantly experiencing shoulder pain, you’ll want the orthopedic doctors at Orthopaedic Associates to take a look at it.
In order to treat what’s causing your shoulder pain, we need to begin with an accurate diagnosis. At Orthopaedic Associates, our experts specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of musculoskeletal issues, including shoulder pain. It is our belief that no one should have to live with pain.
Let us help bring you back to proper form – without shoulder pain. Call Orthopaedic Associates at (440) 892-1440 or request an appointment now.