Treatment
In most cases, treating shoulder pain is not difficult. Acute and transient causes usually respond well to medication and ice packs. Chronic disease usually needs physiotherapy and medications to recover. In very severe cases, surgery can be considered, but only before conservative treatments fail.
Here’s a brief summary of the available treatments for shoulder pain:
- Hot and cold therapy: It uses hot and cold packs to provide relief for the pain and counter inflammation. It may also reduce the patient’s stiffness and other uncomfortable symptoms.
- Over-the-counter medications: They are basically painkillers and anti-inflammatories. They can help to control the symptom but do not actually cure the disease.
- Rest: In some cases, rest will be recommended to allow the body to heal itself before resuming any activity that impacts the shoulder articulation.
- Activity changes: You may need a few modifications in your daily activities to contribute to the treatment. For example, a change in your daily activities at work to reduce damage to the shoulder articulation and avoiding strenuous or repetitive physical work that involves the shoulder.
- Physiotherapy: It is fundamental, especially when you’ve had shoulder pain for a long time, and the function of the muscles is starting to suffer. In this case, a solid physiotherapy program can reduce stiffness and give you back your physical strength.
- Corticosteroid injections: When oral drugs do not improve the pain, an injection with steroids could be helpful. It is usually repeated to maintain the effects of the injection and provide relief. However, it is essential to consider the side effects of these injections. They sometimes accelerate degeneration of the articulation.
- Surgery: Surgical procedures are only reserved for patients who tried conservative treatments and failed. Before surgery, rehabilitation will be important to improve the outcome. There’s also post-surgical rehabilitation to get the muscles back to their previous state. Surgery is particularly useful in rotator cuff tears, severe joint damage due to arthritis, and frequent dislocations of the shoulder.