The fascinating thing about shoulder pain is that no matter how you have managed to damage your shoulder, exercise is going to feature somewhere in the rehabilitation. I am not suggesting for one moment that you head off to the gym and start working out. That is a guaranteed way to end up needing surgery.
Most shoulder pain treatment requires a period of rest usually coupled with anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relief. It is essential to let an injured shoulder heal properly by resting it effectively. Depending on what type of injury you have and what you do for a living, this might involve some fairly drastic changes to your daily routine.
Here is an example.
At the end of last year I tore my rotator cuff and despite my doctor telling me to rest, I carried on more or less as normal, occasionally feeling pain when I forgot about my shoulder and moved my arm above shoulder height. My shoulder continued to get worse until I decided to follow his advice properly and rest it completely. This involved not driving for starters. I am fortunate in that I work in an office so it was fairly easy to avoid using my shoulder. I had to change thinsg around on my desk at work to avoid using my injured arm. I could carry on using the computer but the phone had to move to the right side and even the place mat for my coffee cup moved across. While I was at home, I had to cut down on playing with the kids and allow my wife to help me get dressed. Do it yourself and gardening had to go for a while too. Alongside this change in routine I started taking maximum dose ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation.
I began to see things getting better in three weeks, the pain got better and some of the movement became easier. I was then able to start some Pilates based shoulder exercises to strengthen and stabilise my injured shoulder.
Having suffered from worseneing pain for several months my shoulder was back to full pain free movement in aroound six weeks of starting the exercises.
So, to rest your shoulder properly and not try to carry on regardless. Think about your daily routine and what causes you pain and then change or avoid these things. A week or two of inconvenience is a small proce to pay to prevent months of pain and even prevent you needing surgery. It is definitely worth the inconvenience.
And remember, your shoulder is a complex joint with seventeen different muscles as well as ligaments, cartilage and tendons. It is always worth getting a doctors advice if you have persistent shoulder pain.
Most shoulder pain treatment requires a period of rest usually coupled with anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relief. It is essential to let an injured shoulder heal properly by resting it effectively. Depending on what type of injury you have and what you do for a living, this might involve some fairly drastic changes to your daily routine.
Here is an example.
At the end of last year I tore my rotator cuff and despite my doctor telling me to rest, I carried on more or less as normal, occasionally feeling pain when I forgot about my shoulder and moved my arm above shoulder height. My shoulder continued to get worse until I decided to follow his advice properly and rest it completely. This involved not driving for starters. I am fortunate in that I work in an office so it was fairly easy to avoid using my shoulder. I had to change thinsg around on my desk at work to avoid using my injured arm. I could carry on using the computer but the phone had to move to the right side and even the place mat for my coffee cup moved across. While I was at home, I had to cut down on playing with the kids and allow my wife to help me get dressed. Do it yourself and gardening had to go for a while too. Alongside this change in routine I started taking maximum dose ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation.
I began to see things getting better in three weeks, the pain got better and some of the movement became easier. I was then able to start some Pilates based shoulder exercises to strengthen and stabilise my injured shoulder.
Having suffered from worseneing pain for several months my shoulder was back to full pain free movement in aroound six weeks of starting the exercises.
So, to rest your shoulder properly and not try to carry on regardless. Think about your daily routine and what causes you pain and then change or avoid these things. A week or two of inconvenience is a small proce to pay to prevent months of pain and even prevent you needing surgery. It is definitely worth the inconvenience.
And remember, your shoulder is a complex joint with seventeen different muscles as well as ligaments, cartilage and tendons. It is always worth getting a doctors advice if you have persistent shoulder pain.