Exercise Can Help And Hurt Your Shoulders
Staying strong and flexible are the best ways to keep your shoulders healthy and prevent injuries. However, it’s important to focus on good form bad exercise techniques can wreak havoc on your shoulders.
“I see people at health clubs all the time doing exercises with their arms straight out, away from their bodies with their elbows straight,” says Nicholson. “That looks good and feels like it is working your shoulder muscles. But, if you have a vulnerable shoulder, that form puts tremendous stress and strain across the rotator cuff.”
Instead, Nicholson recommends using resistance bands instead of weights and keeping your elbows bent at 90 degrees for shoulder-strengthening workouts.
“We tell patients to imagine that they are upper-cutting someone in the chin while keeping their elbows bent at 90 degrees,” he says. “Using resistance bands and keeping your elbows at 90 degrees allows you to exercise your internal and external shoulder rotation for the front and back of the rotator cuff without putting strain on it.”
Try some of these shoulder conditioning exercises from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
When To Be Concerned About Shoulder Pain
It can take some time for shoulder pain to settle, perhaps weeks or months. In general, if your shoulder pain has not begun to settle in a week or two, or if it worsens over time, then it may be worthwhile seeing an experienced doctor or health practitioner.
If you find that you need stronger medication to manage your shoulder pain, discuss this with your doctor. You may need a referral to a specialist.
Note: Shoulder pain or discomfort around the front of one or both of the shoulders can be a sign of a heart attack. It is often described as an ache, heaviness or pressure sensation spreading from the chest to the shoulders. This requires immediate medical attention. Call 000 immediately if you are experiencing these symptoms.
Causes Of Chronic Shoulder Pain
Why Diagnosis is key.
Believe it or not, chronic shoulder pain is quite common at my back pain clinic. The Chronic part refers to a pain or movement problem that has been present for more than six weeks – and I find that this is the most useful definition to start with.
However, there are various degrees of chronic associated with shoulder pain. These degrees vary according to the length of time a problem has been active in conjunction with the severity of your symptoms and the constancy of your pain. Lets have a look at this in more detail.
When I see Shoulder Pain become Chronic Shoulder pain, it is usually down to one of the following reasons:
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Failure to remove the underlying cause: For example, if your chronic shoulder pain is coming from a pinched nerve in your neck then treatment must be directed towards your neck pain primarily and not your shoulder.
Another example: If the cause of your chronic shoulder pain is due to a poor sitting posture, or your work station is incorrect for you – then treatment is required for both posture correction and to modify your work station. Without correcting these underlying causes of shoulder pain, then all the shoulder treatments in the world will not relieve you permanently from your pain.
These are just two common examples of treatment errors that I see in my clinic.
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Orthopedic Doctor In Greater Chesapeake Md
At Greater Chesapeake Hand to Shoulder, our highly qualified and experienced orthopedic doctors utilize the latest shoulder pain treatment techniques to get that joint fully functional and pain-free. We offer everythingfrom innovative nonsurgical treatment approaches to surgical treatment methods, such as total shoulder replacement. Whats more, we provide on-site medical imaging procedures as part of our commitment to deliver comprehensive, seamless, attentive, and prompt care.
To schedule a consultation with one of our orthopedic doctors, , or use our online appointment request form.
You Heard A Popping Sound In Your Shoulder
After an intense fall you can hear a popping sound in your shoulder, which will be followed by severe pain or shoulder weakness. This might be a tear in your rotator cuff, or an AC joint separation. When you hear the popping sound after a fall, it is important to see a doctor right away before your injury gets worse.
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What Is The Cervical Spine
The cervical spine is the neck region of your spinal column. It’s made up of seven small, highly mobile bones, and their associated ligaments, muscles, and shock-absorbing discs.
Anything that aggravates or comes into contact with your spinal nerve roots can lead to radiculopathy, and that includes several common conditions in which growths or abnormalities cause something to invade the space of the nerve root.
- Herniated disc: The shock-absorbing discs between vertebrae can become damaged and may develop a bulge and/or leak fluid.
- Synovial cyst: These lumps are caused by a buildup of joint fluid that forms a sac.
- Bone spur: An extra bit of bone forms in response to damage or chronic inflammation.
- Cervical spondylosis : This condition involves the formation of bone spurs in the neck.
- Spinal stenosis: An advanced stage of spinal arthritis, stenosis occurs when the spaces in the spine become narrowed, usually due to excess bone growth.
- Degenerative disc disease : Discs between vertebrae erode and fray over time, which may cause a herniated disc. In cases of severe degeneration, bone-on-bone contact can cause bone spurs in the joint.
Three Broad Categories Of Why You Cant Lift Your Arm
- The first reason why you have difficulty lifting your arm is pain. Not all shoulder pain implies that something is torn. A painful rotator cuff due to tendonitis or bursitis will make it very challenging to lift your arm because it hurts too much. There are many possible reasons why that inflammation is present, and we will go into more depth on each down below. Inflammation is also the reason why you may have severe shoulder pain why trying to sleep.
- The second reason you may have trouble moving your shoulder is that you injured or tore something. If you had a recent severe fall or injury, then you may have torn a tendon. If the tendon tears are large enough, that will cause significant weakness of the shoulder.
- The third reason is neurological. Parsonage-Turner Syndrome is a rare cause of shoulder pain and weakness. We are not sure what causes it, but it often follows a viral illness. It starts with very severe pain but no loss of motion or weakness. Within a few weeks of onset, you will notice significant weakness around the shoulder. That weakness can be so severe that you have difficulty lifting the arm. Some patients with painful shoulder motion have an issue with their necks. Neck issues such as arthritis and pinched nerves can manifest as shoulder pain and weakness.
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Losing the ability to move your shoulder is a common problem. Because of that, we are going to review the most common reasons that will cause:
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Common Causes Of Persistent Shoulder Pain
The following conditions are some of the culprits in persistent shoulder pain. Your orthopedic doctor will order some tests to confirm a diagnosis and determine the appropriate method of treatment:
- Bursitis or tendonitis
- Fractures
- Frozen shoulder
- Nerve impingement
- Osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition of the joints
- Partial or complete shoulder dislocation and instability
- Rotator cuff or bicep tendon strain or tear
- Sports or occupational injury
You Heard A Pop In Your Shoulder
Shoulder Pain? 12 Signs You Need to go to the Doctor ImmediatelyIf you fell onto your shoulder and heard a loud pop and are now experiencing severe pain and weakness you could have torn your rotator cuff or labrum, or you could have an AC Joint separation. A pop in the shoulder, accompanied by severe pain, a bump on the top of the shoulder or weakness when trying to lift the arm should be a prompt to schedule a visit to see a shoulder doctor. These are not necessarily reasons to head out to an emergency room.
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Pain From The Shoulder To The Hand
Many causes of right shoulder and arm pain are localized in the area of the shoulder and upper arm. But some can cause pain that can be felt all the way down to your hand. These include:
- Cervical radiculopathy: This condition can cause sharp pain that can move from the area of your neck and shoulder all the way down your arm.
- Thoracic outlet syndrome: Pain from TOS can be present from your shoulder down to your hand and fingers.
- Brachial plexus injuries: As discussed earlier, this type of injury could affect your arm and hand.
Shoulder Pain Treatment At Home
Unless there is an injury that clearly needs a doctors care, some shoulder pain can be managed at home. You can usually self-treat shoulder pain from repetitive use by stopping the activity. However, the longer you continue the activity, the worse the pain can be and the worse the damage may be to the shoulder structure. The most common home care recommendations for shoulder pain include:
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Rest. Reduce your activity, taking a break from the repetitive motions that may have caused your . If your shoulder pain is from an athletic or training injury, talk to the coach or an for alternate training.
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Ice. Apply ice to your shoulder for about 20 minutes a few times a day. Do not apply ice to bare skin.
- Heat. Warm packs are good for sore muscles, tendons and ligaments and mild injuries that do not cause significant swelling. Heat will increase blood flow to the area, which helps with healing and relaxes tension. For acute or very painful injuries, start with ice and alternate with heat after 48 hours .
If you can take over-the-counter pain relievers, these may help as well by reducing inflammation and pain.
You may also want to protect your shoulder with a brace or support to prevent further injury. If the weight of your arm pulls down on your shoulder and increases the pain, a sling may be helpful. However, immobilizing your shoulder could lead to other issues, such as . If the pain is bad enough to require immobilizing, you should see a doctor for a diagnosis.
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Who To See For Shoulder Pain
If you go to an emergency department, the attending emergency physician or an orthopedic specialist will evaluate you.
Primary care doctors can treat most cases of shoulder pain that are not urgent, but your doctor may refer you to another doctor if you need more specialized care. Your doctor may or may not order a shoulder X-ray or other type of imaging test.
Depending on the underlying cause of shoulder pain and its treatment options, here are some specialists you may see:
What To Expect At Your Doctor’s Appointment
Your Aurora doctor will begin with a physical examination and ask about your medical history, including any past injuries you’ve had. You may need to have X-rays if the doctor suspects a fracture or arthritis. If your symptoms are more serious, your doctor may perform an MRI to rule out a rotator cuff tear.
If your doctor suspects impingement syndrome, they may inject a small amount of an anesthetic and/or a corticosteroid into the space under the shoulder bone. If the anesthetic relieves the pain, the diagnosis is impingement syndrome.
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How Long Should You Wait To See A Doctor For Shoulder Pain
Shoulder injuries are prevalent, especially in athletes who use repetitive motions in their sport such as think swimmers, tennis players, pitchers, and weightlifters. While common in athletes, injuries can occur during everyday activities too.
A countless number of people live with shoulder pain every day. If you are one of those people experiencing weakness or have trouble lifting above shoulder level, you should consult one of our surgeons.
Continue reading below to learn about shoulder pain, and when to see a doctor.
What Is The Main Cause Of Frozen Shoulder
The shoulder is a ball and socket joint. Like cupping one hand around your other fist. The rounded arm bone rests in a nook formed by the curved bones of the shoulder. Your body also makes lubrication, called synovial fluid. It sits between the two bones to keep the arm moving smoothly.
We don’t know exactly why frozen shoulder happens. But most experts think it’s either from scar tissue forming in the shoulder or inflammation in the shoulder.
Either way, this forces the tissue around the shoulder joint to get thicker and tighter. There’s less room for movement and less lubrication. So movement becomes stiff and painful.
Pro Tip
The shoulder joint normally provides some of the greatest range of motion of any joint in the human body. This allows our arm to go in many different positions to perform typical activities of daily living such as reaching overhead, putting on clothes, brushing our teeth, and washing our hair. Dr. Schwartz
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Which Doctor To See For Shoulder Pain
If you are experiencing any of the warning signs of a shoulder injury, youll need to decide which doctor to see for shoulder pain. No matter the source of your shoulder pain, seeing an experienced orthopedic doctor as soon as possible is beneficial to prevent the issue from becoming more severe. Equipped with extensive knowledge regarding musculoskeletal issues, this type of medical professional will be able to diagnose your shoulder condition and advise you on the best course of treatment based on your symptoms. The doctor will most likely try treating your shoulder condition with more conservative methods, such as physical therapy and/or medication, before moving onto operative procedures.
Common Neck Pain Causes
You Are Wrong! Your Shoulder Arthritis Pain Can Get Better! See How.The tricky thing about neck pain is that it can have a number of causes. Most of the time its temporary and could go away with something as simple as a good nights sleep or a dose of over-the-counter pain medication. Common causes include:
- Tension headaches: Tension headaches are an incredibly common brand of headache and they are often associated with pain and tenderness in the neck.
- Sleep position: Sleeping in a position where your head lacks support and your neck is strained can often cause neck pain. To avoid neck pain from sleep, try sleeping on your back. You might also need a new mattress or pillow for additional support.
- Looking up and down: People tend to hold their cellphones too low and situate their televisions too high. This can lead to looking up or down for extended periods of time, which can cause neck pain.
- Using the phone: While pinching your phone between your ear and your might be a convenient way to hold a conversation while keeping your hands free, this practice can put strain on your neck.
- Dehydration: The discs in your spine that separate your vertebrae need hydration. If your body is dehydrated, these spongy discs become less spongy, which can lead to neck pain.
- Carrying heavy objects: Carrying too much weight in one hand, such as in a briefcase or purse, can put undue strain on your shoulders, back and neck.
- Posture: Sitting in a slouched position with your head in front of your shoulders can put a greater strain on your neck.
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When Should You See A Doctor For Neck Pain
Your spine is important and, when youre experiencing chronic neck pain, it can be scary. How do you know when neck pain crosses the line from being a pain in the neck to something more serious?
Check out this quick reference guide for common causes of neck pain and when its time to see a doctor.
Shoulder Specialists In Westlake And Avon Ohio
If you are in the Greater Cleveland area and you are experiencing shoulder pain, speak to the medical specialists at Orthopaedic Associates. We have two convenient locations in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, contact our friendly staff today by calling us at or or fill out our online appointment request form now. We look forward to serving you!
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Ial Rotator Cuff Tears
As the rotator cuff continues to age or degenerate, a portion of the rotator cuff might separate from the bone it is attached to. This is usually part of the natural progression of tendinosis.
If enough rotator cuff starts to separate, we have a small cleft or defect in the rotator cuff attachment. We call that a partial tear. Partial tears are not large enough to cause weakness of the shoulder. However, if you have a painful partial tear, you can have pain on top or the side of the shoulder. In addition, you may find it very painful when trying to lift the arm overhead.
Most people with partial tears of the rotator cuff are going to respond to physical therapy. Some partial tears hurt, while others do not. Determining if your partial tear is painful is usually possible with a physical exam. Suppose physical therapy and other non-surgical treatments do not improve your pain. In that case, surgery to place a unique biological patch is highly likely to alleviate your night pain and pain caused by lifting your arm. See this post for more information about the patch and how it works.
What To Do If Your Shoulder Hurts
If you do experience shoulder pain, it’s not always possible to figure out the cause. Sometimes problems in other parts of the body are actually the source of the pain, which then radiates to your shoulder. This can happen with certain neck problems, including arthritis and disc herniations, says Dr. Arun Ramappa, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School.
In general, if you are experiencing a lot of pain or know you injured yourself, it’s best to see a doctor right away to have your shoulder condition diagnosed.
But if you have general, mild shoulder pain, try adjusting your activities, taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and performing mild stretches to see if the pain improves on its own. However, if the pain doesn’t go away after a few weeks, you should consult your doctor.
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