Bad Habits That Are Making Your Shoulder Pain Worse

Your joints are various and unique in function, being responsible for the precise movements your body needs to do most anything. Your shoulder, for example, is actually composed of two types of joints: the glenohumeral and acromioclavicular that also forms the most range of motions of any joint in your body. This collection of bones, muscles, tendons and muscles is important in upper body function, and is central to everything you do with your arms.

It is also commonly injured for a number of reasons, and becomes more frequent as you get older. But, there are also many lifestyle choices we make that can make those problems worse. To find out what you might be doing to worsen shoulder pain, let’s examine the causes of this pain, the factors that worsen it, and how it can be treated.

If you live in the Fort Worth, Texas area, and you’re struggling with shoulder pain or other joint issues, Dr. Joseph Daniels and his skilled medical team at Southwest Orthopedic Associates can help you find relief.

Causes of shoulder pain

There are a lot of reasons you may be dealing with shoulder pain, including:

• Arthritis: osteoarthritis, posttraumatic, rheumatoid arthritis are just some types of arthritis that can lead to shoulder pain, as well as joint inflammation 
• Fracture: these are breaks in the shoulder that often happen in the collarbone, humerus, or shoulder blade and can result from falls or sports injuries
• Dislocation: sudden injury or overuse can lead to the upper arm bone being forced out of the socket, leading to dislocations and instability in your shoulder
• Rotator cuff tear: tears in this tendon can result from injury, degeneration of the tissue from age, or overuse
• Impingement syndrome: this happens when your shoulder blade places pressure on the soft tissue in your arm when lifted away from your body
• Tendonitis: acute and chronic types of this condition result from inflammation to the tendons in your shoulder

Common factors that worsen shoulder pain

The aforementioned problems can be made worse by several lifestyle choices, such as:

Posture

How we carry ourselves affects proper function of several parts of the body, and with shoulders it’s no different. If you don’t position your shoulders properly, it can affect how efficient those joints and muscles are, leading to problems like impingement syndrome.

Repetitive motion

There are several things we do all the time that can lead to overuse injuries referred to as repetitive motion. If you already have shoulder problems, it can definitely make things worse.

Bad ergonomics

When you’re working at your desk, how you’re positioned affects your shoulder health, including how far away from the desk you sit, the position your body is in when you type, and how you keep your arms at rest.

Lifting heavy objects

If your shoulder is already in pain, lifting heavy things can make the pain worse, or do more damage to the muscles and tendons in the joint.

Methods of treatment

There are self care and medical treatment options for treating shoulder pain, depending on the cause and the extent of the damage. 

Many types of shoulder pain can be managed with basic tips like applying an ice pack, taking over-the-counter pain medications, resting the shoulder and avoiding activities that aggravate the pain. 

Physical or occupational therapy can also be used to manage this pain. Prescription medications can be used if the pain isn’t being treated as well by other means, but other medical treatment options include steroid injections and various types of shoulder surgery if the condition is bad enough.

Shoulder pain can be frustrating, but it is treatable, and we can help. Make an appointment with Southwest Orthopedic Associates today to get relief for shoulder pain.