Your shoulder is one of the joints you use the most. Shoulder pain may affect tendons, nerves, muscles, and ligaments. If it is worse, it may affect the neck and the arm.
In case of Ramsey shoulder pain that is severe, you can be treated at Progressive Spines and Sports. However, if the pain is still only mild, there is much you can do to manage and treat the pain in your shoulder.
Some of the remedies you can try at home to relieve the pain include:
Anti-Inflammatory Medicine
A lot of shoulder pain is caused by inflammation. Therefore, treating the pain is simply a matter of reducing the inflammation. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) help do just that.
You can obtain a multitude of anti-inflammatory pain medicines over the counter including aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
Cold Compression
If you have a swelling in your shoulder in addition to pain, cold compressing it can be of major help. Cooling is always a great alleviator of sharp pain.
Cold compression involves pressing an ice bag against your shoulder for about 20 minutes up to 5 times a day. A frozen gel pack, ice cubes in a plastic bag, or a bag of frozen peas packed inside a soft towel should do the trick.
Compression
You do not have to apply cold while compressing your shoulder for it to be effective. You can simply compress your shoulder with a regular ACE bandage or a shoulder wrap from any pharmacy.
You should ensure that the wrapping feels comfortable but it is not too tight or else you risk restricting blood flow to the shoulder. You can also loosen the compression material when your shoulder starts feeling numb or starts to change color.
Apply Heat
Just like cold, heat can help manage pain in your shoulder. While cold helps reduce swelling, heat helps relax and soothe the shoulder muscles.
It will not help alleviate the pain but it will help if you have arthritis in your shoulder. You can use a hot water bottle, a warm cloth or a heated gel pack when applying heat to a painful shoulder.
Muscle Relaxants
If you have muscle spasms or pain around your shoulder, then you should definitely try a muscle relaxant. Typical muscle relaxants you will find at a pharmacy include cyclobenzaprine and baclofen but you will need a doctor’s prescription to get them.
Muscle relaxants list drowsiness as one of the side effects and you should definitely not operate any machinery once you ingest one.
Pain Medicines
When dealing with any sort of pain, pain medication is one of the best ways to treat it in the short term. Medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen will help alleviate the pain in the short run.
Pain medication can have a host of negative side effects so they should not be used for extended periods of time. If you have been taking them for a long time, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible.
Shoulder Exercises and Stretches
Performing shoulder exercises and stretches are the most sustainable and effective way to treat shoulder pain over the long term. You may have to visit a physical therapist for advice.
Ensure to maintain proper form when doing the exercises and stretches. Consistency is the ultimate key to using these exercises to manage shoulder pain.
