
If you continue to have pain in the shoulder, a follow up appointment with a medical physician is recommended. Shoulder Pain or Pains Can Be Caused by the Rotator Cuff Muscles Heat is an optimal treatment for patients that have a chronic injury where there is no swelling or when a person is allergic to ice. They differ in that ice helps reduce swelling from ac acute injury where heat may actually increase swelling to the injury area. Ice and heat are both great treatments to reduce pain. A common question that is asked by many patients is whether they should use ice or heat for shoulder pain? Elevation of the injured body part above the heart assists the heart in removing the swelling from the body. Ice is used to relieve pain and reduce swelling and inflammation.Ĭompression reduces the swelling to the area and prevents more swelling from coming to the area. Rest allows the body and the injured tissues to repair themselves. So, what should you do if you have shoulder pain? Initial treatment of RICE or Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation is most often used for initial shoulder pain. Pain symptoms are often seen in the shoulder but may also radiate down into the arms. Shoulder pain can also be caused by pulling or traction forces as when an opposing player pulls on a person’s arm or a person is lifting a heavy object. Typical pain patterns for this type of injury include pain over the area of the shoulder that made contact with another person or object. Direct trauma to the shoulder can occur is collision sports such as football or hockey as well as during motor vehicle accidents. Rotator Cuff injuries can be caused by a one-episode acute injury or repetitive chronic micro-injuries that occur over months or years. Rotator cuff symptoms could include pain on the outside of the shoulder, trouble sleeping on the injured side, pain with overhead activities and pain radiating down into the elbow. Shoulder pain can be caused by injuries to the rotator cuff muscles, direct trauma to the shoulder or pulling or traction forces.

These could indicate several different shoulder injuries. Often, patients state my shoulder hurts when I lift something over my head or I have shoulder pain from sleeping. Image of man with shoulder pain Common Causes of Shoulder PainĪ thorough evaluation by a medical physician, physical therapist or occupational therapist can help get to the source of the pain.
