There are many reasons that you could be experiencing shoulder pain. From overuse while doing a repetitive motion activity to strain from a specific impact or overextension event, shoulder pain can occur during simple everyday activities and can cause a significant amount of discomfort.
If you’re suffering from shoulder pain, then you need to know some of the possible treatment options to help relieve your discomfort and expedite your healing. There are many options for shoulder pain treatment that you can do at home, but also many professional treatment options if home-based solutions are not working.
Heat and Cold Therapy
Hot or cold packs can be very beneficial for sore shoulders. Heat applied to an area can help reduce pain as well as increase circulation to the area helping it to heal. Cold packs can also help reduce pain and bring down any inflammation in an area to help it heal. Depending on the source of your shoulder pain, this treatment can be very helpful.
Anti-inflammatory Medication
Sometimes anti-inflammatory medication can be the right shoulder pain treatment to use. This can help you reduce stress enough to go through your daily activities relatively pain-free. The reduction in inflammation can also help speed up the healing process for your strained shoulder muscles. You can look for good medication options either over the counter or seek a prescription from your doctor if you feel more comfortable with a specialist recommendation.
Exercises and Stretches
Anyone who is experiencing shoulder pain should try to stretch out this joint area as much as possible and potentially do light exercises that can help strengthen and heal the area. When using stretches or exercises as a means of shoulder pain treatment, it is important to ensure that you are not making the problem worse.
Don’t push past what is comfortable or doable for your body and make sure that you don’t overextend the joint further. It may be helpful if you are unsure of what is appropriate to contact your doctor for exercise and stretching suggestions.
Good Old Fashioned Rest
Sometimes you may need to modify regular exercise and daily activities to allow your shoulder time to heal well. Most often an injury will not heal unless it stops experiencing the stress that caused the injury to begin with. This means that taking some time to stop using your shoulder or reduce stressful usage of it may be necessary to let it heal.
Find the Best Treatment Options for Your Shoulder Pain
The best shoulder pain treatment for you will depend on the severity of your discomfort, how long you’ve been experiencing pain, and how different treatment options feel for you. Feel free to try some of the options that might help until you find something that works.
If you don’t experience any improvement after extended at-home treatment, you can also consider seeking professional medical attention to learn the best ways to treat your shoulder pain.
