Shoulder Pain Treatment – Causes and Treatment

BySam Walton

Shoulder pain appears in many forms, from shoulder blade pain general pain around the shoulders. If you shoulder pain limits your mobility and prevents you from engaging in activities you enjoy, it is time to see a pain doctor, who can diagnose and provide appropriate shoulder pain treatment based on your specific need.

Left untreated, sharp shoulder pain may result in chronic conditions that can change your life.

Since the shoulder is highly mobile joint with many moving parts, there are many ways in which the tissues that make up the shoulder may become damaged and create shoulder pain. A variety of issues may also make it difficult for the doctor to diagnose and design the best treatment for your shoulder pain specific to that source.

Fortunately, the best pain management doctors use advanced diagnostic equipment to diagnose the root cause of your pain in order to help you get the best pain treatment options.

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain may be the result of excessive activity, lack of enough movement, repetitive motions, underlying medical conditions or injuries. Shoulder pain usually begins in the bones, or supporting tissues, such as ligaments, tendons or muscles, that make up your shoulder.

Most shoulder pain originates from common damage that may be caused by –

  • Injuries following a car accident, sports injury or a fall can damage any of the components of your shoulder joints
  • Rotator cuff injuries are common in athletes and other people whose jobs make them continually raise their arms over their heads (for example, carpenters, painters, swimmers, tennis and baseball players)
  • Shoulder arthritis is caused by wear-and-tear over time and may cause debilitating pain that restricts your mobility
  • Shoulder tendonitis caused due to inflammation of the tendons due to a tear or chronic overuse
  • Shoulder bursitis caused due to inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that act as cushions between the bones
  • Bicep tendonitis or tendon damage caused by routine repetitive motions or osteoarthritis
  • Shoulder impingement due to repetitive arm lifting can put pressure on the soft tissues, like the tendons and bursae, leading to tendonitis and bursitis
  • Rotator cuff tear is a weakening of the tendons due to prolonged overuse, causing partial or complete tears
  • Frozen shoulder causes stiffness and
  • Shoulder sprain or strain often happens when we don’t warm up appropriately before exercise, from overuse and through repetitive motions.

Shoulder Pain Treatment

Once your doctor has made an accurate shoulder pain diagnosis, your pain management doctor will begin with conservative or minimally invasive interventional treatments. These include –

  • Shoulder injections relieve inflammation in the shoulder and hence, relieve pain
  • Physical therapy strengthens the muscles in order to restore mobility in the shoulder
  • Nerve block injections provide pain relief so that you can undergo other treatments, such as physical therapy
  • Anti-inflammatory pain medication can allow you to function while you undergo other treatments

If you are looking for pain management doctors, call one of the leading pain management clinics in Chicago, Illinois Pain Institute at 800-340-PAIN Today!