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Pain Management Oklahoma City Clinic

Shoulder Pain and Treatments

Pain in the shoulder is commonly caused by discomfort of the tendon that attaches to the rotator cuff in the shoulder or the subacromial bursa ( the sac of fluid that sits in the highest part of the shoulder).

This pain may be experienced after exercising, painting or lifting and any other activity that requires you to be lifting your arms up and down repeatedly.

The shoulder joint is the connection between the arm bone and the shoulder blade and is shallow to allow a wide range of movement in the arm, the rotator cuff has 4 muscles that surround the arm bone and assist in keeping the shoulder steady when the arm moves.

It is in this area that damage can be done to tendons and to the muscles themselves, when the tendon from the top muscle of the shoulder is injured – and it is this one most frequently – it becomes inflammed and can then be pinched between the two bones, the sac of fluid that protects the tendon can also be damaged.

A patient will know if they have damaged the rotator cuff when they experience in the front or outside of the shoulder, when they lift their arms or items above their head. This pain can be severe enough that it can limit the ability to use the arm and is known to be worse at night.

Treatment of an injured rotator cuff begins, as with all injuries, with the use of ice and rest of the affected area, to assist with the pain and discomfort it is recommended to use anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen – if it is really severe see your medical practitioner who will no doubt refer you for physiotherapy and occasionally may give a non-steriodal anti-inflammatory injection. It is very important that you keep the shoulder/arm moving so it does not cease up however, you should not participate in any kind of sport or heavy lifting until the injury is repaired.

It is very important that you follow the instruction of your physiotherapist when undertaking exercises at home so that you do not further aggrevate the injury, or equally you do not end up with a frozen shoulder as is sometimes the case when exercise is not undertaken at all. Our Oklahoma Chiropractors specialize in pain management and are able to determine what would be the best therapy options for your recovery.

Surgery will only be a necessary intervention if the injury lasts a long time and causes the tendon to tear, this is usually decided upon if the pain persists after having had a good rehabilitation program and/or if there is a limited range of motion in the arm.

Other advice that is commonly given to patients with a shoulder injury, particularly with the tendon or bursa is to quit smoking, if you do, as this will help to increase the blood flow to the injured area and take up some aerobic exercise as this, too, improves the blood flow to the affected area and assists in quicker healing.

The Brooks Clinic specializes in treating whiplash injuries. We are located in Midtown, downtown, Oklahoma City. Call us today and we’ll give you a free consultation with absolutely no strings attached.

Call Us at 1-405-943-0303