Causes and Treatment of Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is the most frequent indication to a variety of shoulder conditions and injury that is generally treated with anti inflammatory drugs, cortisone injections, hot packs or cold packs, and surgery in the most serious conditions. However, only a method of physical therapy based on physical exercises for the rotator cuff or stretches is the only helpful shoulder pain relief available.
Shoulder pain may possibly be localized or may be referred to areas around the shoulder or down the arm. Disease within the body (such as gallbladder, liver, or heart disease, or disease of the cervical spine of the neck) also may produce pain that travels along nerves to the shoulder.
Shoulder pain can arise in a variety of areas around the shoulder and often, muscles are at the root of the problem. Stressed and overexerted muscles are the culprit of most pain. To prevent pain, the goal is to keep the muscles at mint condition. Shoulder pain that worsens gradually, typically at the front and side of the shoulder, trouble raising the arm away from the body fully, total inability to even carry the arm up, are just the common complains among patients. This demands immediate medical attention or effective physical therapy treatments.
Shoulder pain accounts for roughly 16% of all musculoskeletal problems, and it is second place only to lower back pain, which is the most common musculoskeletal complaint in primary health centers. Chronic shoulder pain is described as the pain that lasts for at least 6 months. Age takes a major role in the probable causes of pain. Among patients younger than 40 years old, common conditions are instability and mild rotator cuff disease. On the other hand, for older patients, adhesive capsulitis, glenohumeral osteoarthritis, and more advanced rotator cuff disease are more common.
Most pain in the shoulder responds positively to NSAIDs or subacromial corticosteroid injections along with a home exercise program or a specially-designed physical therapy exercises. Shoulder pain relief can also be achieved through several treatment methods and often, a combination of method is applied for better results. In most cases, a well rounded therapeutic exercise program is required to lessen the pain and to avoid re-occurrence of the symptoms.
For treatments after surgery, shoulder pain pumps are used. However, according to medical studies, pain pumps that utilize bupivacaine and epinephrine as pain killers can damage collagen in the joint which can result to impaired shoulder movement and later on severe pain. In this case, more surgery is the best known alternative.
Shoulder pain pumps have been linked to serious side effects such as the deterioration of cartilage, which may require shoulder replacement surgery in the end. This permanent deterioration is commonly called as PAGCL (Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis or Shoulder Chondrolysis. This can lead to decreased range of motion, popping, clicking, grinding of the shoulder, shoulder stiffness or weakness, frequent pain in the shoulder and a narrowing of the joint space around the shoulder. These conditions considerably require further surgery and more treatments for relief.