What people call the “shoulder” is numerous joints that combine the tendons and muscles to enable a wide range of motion for the arm. Right from scratching your back to playing different sports or throwing the perfect pitch, the shoulder plays an important role. In most cases, shoulder problems arise due to problems with the ligaments, soft-tissue muscles, and tendons rather than the joints or bones. At such times, the need to opt for pain management Woodstock becomes an important part of your health care.

Definitely, mobility has its price, but when problems with instability or impingement of the bony structures or soft tissue results, you will experience pain in your shoulder. Sometimes, the pain may be temporary, or a persistent one that just does not leave your shoulder for a long time. If the pain is consistent, you may require or continue medical diagnosis and treatment. Generally, there are three major categories of the types of shoulder pain, including:

• Bursitis/Tendonitis
• Instability/Injury
• Arthritis

As you read on below, you will learn about the common shoulder pains, as well the best treatment options. However, your physician or doctor can guide you further on the information about your shoulder pain.

1. Bursitis

At some time, excessive use of the shoulder can lead to swelling and inflammation of a Bursa, resulting in the condition “Bursitis.” When talking Bursas, you should know they are fluid-filled sacs around the joint that help to lessen friction shoulder movement’s cause. Often, bursitis occurs with the shoulder’s rotator cuff tendonitis. Sometimes, many tissues in the shoulder also inflame and result in pain, which limits the movement of the shoulder. As a result, the shoulder may stiffen and lead to the condition “frozen shoulder.” Fortunately, with proper Kroll Care physical therapy, involving joint or muscle manipulation, this condition can resolve.

2. Tendonitis

The tendon is a cord that connects the muscle to the bone and other tissues. Most tendonitis result due to a long-term “wearing process” usually, taking place over a period of many years. This is much similar to the wearing process on the sole of a shoe. In general, tendonitis may include several types:

• Acute tendonitis from activities such as full-force ball throwing or other sports or work related activities
• The tearing and splitting of tendons that results from acute injury or degenerative changes in the tendons due to aging
• Chronic tendonitis, which results from degenerative diseases or repetitive wear and tears due to aging

Among these disorders, rotator cuff injuries are the most common ones. The rotator cuff is the arrangement of muscles and their tendons, which helps to provide shoulder stability and motion.

3. Arthritis

Arthritis is a condition that also brings about shoulder pain. There are many types of arthritis, but in general, it involves wear and tear of the joint, along with inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness. Usually, it relates to work or sports injuries.

Sometimes, people will avoid shoulder movements to try to lessen the pain from such conditions. At other times, this can lead to stiffening or tightening of the soft tissue parts of the joint and result in restriction of motion with pain.

Instability/Injury

Sometimes, the bones in one of the shoulder joints move out of their normal position, due to an injury or excessive force. This results in instability, or dislocation of one of the joints in the shoulder. This can also lead to recurring dislocations, which could be complete or partial and cause unsteadiness or pain when you try to raise the arm or move it away from your body. If you try to lift your arm over your head, the shoulder may feel as though it is slipping out of its place. This leads to an uncomfortable and unusual feeling that some people also refer to as a “dead” arm.

What Treatment Should You Seek?

Most patients ignore temporary or minimal shoulder symptoms that come with few bad effects. However, in the case of an acute injury, the pain will be intense and you should get treatment as soon as possible. If the pain is less severe, it is also safe to wait for a few days to see if the pain will alleviate. Here are some common treatments that may be helpful for your shoulder pain.

Physical Therapy

This common treatment helps patients who experience chronic pain. An experienced physical therapist performs manipulations or guided massages to the affected area in order to alleviate the pain by targeting the affected muscles or joints.

Medications

Sometimes, your doctor may prescribe some medications to help reduce the pain and inflammation. If the medication is one that relieves pain, you should take it only as your physician directs. Depending on the pain, your doctor may also recommend injections of steroids, or numbing injections to relieve your pain.

If you feel that the symptoms persist, it is advisable that you seek a thorough examination from an expert near you. An experienced doctor will be able to determine the root cause of the problem in the shoulder and recommend the right method of treatment for your specific condition.