The shoulders are a vital part of the back as they connect the spine to the head and the arms. Since the shoulder plays a vital role in lifting weights and maintaining posture, it could be prone to pain due to overuse. The overuse of the spine arises from field athletic activities requiring high energy and lifting weights using the arms. Additionally, you may develop shoulder pain due to health complications like arthritis; moreover, the shoulders protrude and are prone to trauma accidents. Fortunately, you can learn how to manage Houston shoulder pain with these tips.
Cold Compresses
The cold compress works well for the shoulder pain which results from an accident. The traumatic accidents lead to inflammation and swelling as the body tries to heal the shoulder joint’s torn ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues. You may apply an ice pack on the shoulder joint to affect an injury as the ice numbs the area by restricting blood flow, thus reducing inflammation and swelling. Although the swelling and inflammation are responses to trauma and help the body heal, they could lead to chronic pain, making it impossible to lift the arms or move the neck.
Heat Therapy
You will use heat therapy and cold therapy to reduce inflammation and promote healing. However, you should avoid heat therapy soon after a traumatic accident as it increases pain and might damage the tissues further. Thus, you will apply the cold compresses until the inflammation goes down and begin the heat therapy. Heat therapy increases blood circulation to the shoulder leading to removing toxins and supplying glucose, thus promoting healing. Although you may feel slight discomfort and pain when pressing the hot pack on the injured shoulder, it leads to pain relief in the long run.
Pain Medications
You can opt for medications if the chronic pain does not subside with cold presses and heat therapy. First, opt for non-steroid medications like ibuprofen as they are not addictive and reduce pain in the same way as opioid medications. Medications might be a short-term approach to dealing with shoulder pain as it does not improve the condition.
Epidural Injections
The epidural injections on the shoulders might be a diagnostic tool that shows the cause of the pain. The pain might be on the shoulder joint if the pain subsides after the doctor injects the steroid injection on the shoulders. However, the pain in the spine might affect areas like the neck and the shoulders, and you would not know the exact source of the pain without the injection. Thus, an epidural injection might delay and prevent surgery as it makes the doctor develop other treatment approaches which minimize pain.
Surgery
Spinal surgery is suitable for patients with damaged shoulder joints. You may opt for the knife to fix dislodged shoulders, broken tendons, and connective tissues. Surgery might be the last approach to dealing with shoulder pain, but it is an effective treatment.
Shoulder pain affects the whole spine, neck, and arms, making lifting weights and maintaining the right posture impossible. However, you may adopt home remedies like cold presses and health therapy on the shoulders to eliminate chronic pain. The cold presses reduce inflammation and swelling while the heat therapy increases blood flow to the area, removing toxins and supplying glucose leading to healing. You might go for medications, epidural injections, and surgery and see a doctor soon after an injury.
