Shoulder pain can turn everyday tasks like reaching for a shelf, getting dressed or sleeping on your side into a struggle. Because the shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, many different structures can cause pain. At Innovation Spine Medical, we look for the specific source of your shoulder pain before recommending treatment, and many causes can be treated without surgery.
Pain when lifting your arm overhead or reaching behind your back
Pain at night, especially when lying on the affected side
Stiffness or loss of range of motion
Weakness when lifting or carrying
Clicking, catching or grinding
Pain that spreads down the upper arm
The rotator cuff is a group of tendons that keeps the shoulder stable. Overuse, aging or injury can inflame or tear these tendons.
The bursa, a small fluid-filled sac, can become inflamed and pinched when you raise your arm.
The joint capsule thickens and tightens, causing gradual stiffness and pain.
Wear and tear of the cartilage in the shoulder or AC joint can cause aching and stiffness.
Sometimes shoulder pain actually starts in the neck, when an irritated nerve sends pain into the shoulder and arm.
Consider an evaluation if:
Chronic shoulder pain, meaning pain that lasts three months or more, often benefits from a targeted plan.
Seek emergency care for a visible deformity after an injury, sudden inability to move your arm, or shoulder or arm pain with chest pressure, shortness of breath or sweating, which may signal a heart problem.
Call our office if you notice redness, warmth or drainage at an injection site, a fever, pain or swelling that keeps getting worse, or new numbness or weakness.
Seek emergency care right away if you have trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat.
Your evaluation includes a review of your symptoms, a hands-on exam of motion and strength, and specific tests that stress different parts of the shoulder. Your provider may review X-rays, an MRI or an ultrasound. Because neck problems can mimic shoulder pain, your neck may be checked too.
Depending on your diagnosis, your plan may include:
targeted anti-inflammatory medication for bursitis, tendinitis, arthritis or frozen shoulder.
Lying on the shoulder can compress inflamed tendons or bursa. Rotator cuff problems and bursitis commonly cause night pain.
Many shoulder conditions improve with physical therapy, injections and activity changes. Surgery is usually considered only if these don’t help or for certain injuries.
Weakness lifting the arm, pain at night and pain with overhead movements can be signs. An exam and imaging are needed to confirm a tear.
A plan that combines targeted treatment of the cause with strengthening and mobility work tends to help most. Your provider will tailor it to you.
Innovation Spine Medical is located in Rego Park, Queens at 97-01 66th Ave, Rego Park, NY 11374. Call
Schedule an evaluation at our Rego Park office to find out what’s causing your shoulder pain.
