Shoulder pain has a lifetime prevalence of up to 70%, making it one of the most common pain complaints that people experience over a lifetime.
What are the most common causes of shoulder pain?
Rotator Cuff Injury
Overuse Injury
Frozen Shoulder
Bone spurs
What is done to treat shoulder pain?
RICE
Ask any trainer and they can tell you what this famous acronym stands for rest ice compression and elevation. With regards to shoulder pain, rest and ice are the most commonly used. But like most things, moderation is key. Too much rest can make shoulder pain worse by ultimately resulting in frozen shoulder syndrome. Ice packs need to be applied for shoulder pain 20 minutes on and then 20 minutes off. Be careful to wrap the ice pack in a towel or cloth before applying it to the shoulder, as prolonged contact with ice can worsen the pain by causing skin problems.
TENS Unit
This stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. How can it be used for shoulder pain? Its a device that sends very low levels of electricity to the shoulder which stimulates nerves in the area and can help decrease pain, at least temporarily.
NSAID
These are medications that decrease pain and inflammation like Ibuprofen, Naproxen, and Celebrex. Tylenol is good for pain but it doesn't fall in that category because it technically does not decrease inflammation like the others. This option is particularly effective if the shoulder pain is due to a sudden sprain or injury.
Stem cell therapy or PRP
More recently, there has been many advances made in regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is the use of your body's own molecular markers that are used to rejuvenate and heal injured areas. Shoulder pain that is due in part to a rotator cuff injury or osteoarthritis have been shown to respond significantly to these therapies.
Shoulder pain is one of the most common problems we treat at Pain Medicine Group. We take a multidisciplinary approach to you and your pain symptoms. We routinely treat shoulder pain with the above options and more. If you've been experiencing shoulder pain for more than 2 weeks and need medical attention, make an appointment to see us today at our Sarasota or Oviedo locations!
