You probably don't realize you have hurt your shoulder till you attempt reaching for something on a high shelf. Shoulder pain would typically resolve on its own but you can trust that your osteopathic family doctor, Dr. Darin Bush at Mobility Spine and Sports, Fort Lauderdale, FL, can help you relieve your shoulder pain.
Osteopathic Manipulation and Physical Therapy
This is most likely the first treatment that will be offered by your osteopathic specialist. Osteopathic manipulation centers around moving your muscles and joints with gentle pressure, resistance, and stretching. This treatment greatly improves your body's circulation, leading to faster and healthier healing times. It will also ease your shoulder pain in ways that other modalities can't.
Your osteopathic specialist will also provide you with certain physical therapy modalities to improve your pain and range of motion.
Anti-inflammatory Injections
If you're experiencing dull aches in your shoulder, you could take over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and aspirin to deal with the pain. At our practice, we provide patients with steroid or cortisone injections.
These injections reduce the associated swelling and allow you to function while your shoulder heals. Anti-inflammatory injections are also helpful if you have inflammatory conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, or rotator cuff injuries.
Cold Compress or Heat Therapy
Grab a pack of frozen peas or an ice pack, wrap it up in a towel, and apply it to your offending shoulder. The cold compress should help take down the swelling.
You can also place a hot water bottle or heating pad on your shoulder to relax and soothe your tense muscles.
Rest
You might want to stay away from activities that aggravate your shoulder symptoms. That means you should probably get someone else to take things off the top shelf for you till your shoulder heals. You can also carry out shoulder movements slowly to keep your muscles flexible.
Shoulder Stretches
Shoulder stretches will help keep your muscles flexible as long as your doctor approves. However, if you experience lots of pain while trying out these stretches, you might want to give yourself a few more days to heal before trying them again.
Remember to warm up before you start the exercises and stop if it gets too painful.
Shoulder stretches that you can try to keep your joint moving are:
- Seated shoulder stretch
- Seated chest stretch
- Seated triceps stretch
- Overhead stretch
- Pendulum stretch
See Your Doctor
If your shoulder pain isn't improving, you might want your doctor, Dr. Bush to take a look. He might recommend imaging tests like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans to see what's going on with your shoulder. For chronic shoulder pain, PRP therapy is a viable option.
After your diagnosis, you might get steroid injections to reduce the pain and inflammation in your shoulder.
Serious shoulder pain that limits your mobility is a job for your osteopathic family doctor at Mobility Spine and Sports, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Dr. Bush. Call (954) 414-7080 to set up your appointment today.