Shoulder Pain That Keeps You Up At Night

October 5, 2020

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain at night… the one thing that gets on most people’s nerves because they don’t know what to do about it. They think it’s just something they have to get on with day-in and day-out…

Meet Suzie for example…

Suzie is a fellow physical therapist and long-time family friend. She works with kids at school and really needs to use her shoulder at work. It had been bothering her for some time but one day, when her 2-year-old grandson was jumping to her in the pool, she caught him and felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder. She was worried she was going to need surgery because she was not able to sleep, dress, or work without terrible pain.

After the initial pain came on, she tried to get around it by switching up her job tasks and using her left hand instead of her right. She quickly noticed that her left hand was not as good as her right.

Suzie’s shoulder was still in agony which meant that she had to take some time off.

So what happened to Suzie?

Something called ‘repetitive strain injury’– this happens when a part of the body is overused while working in the wrong posture.

“But this happened when she tried to catch her grandson. Why are you trying to tell me something different?”

That’s because while the final straw to cause the injury occurred that day in the pool, her shoulder was already damaged and waiting for the right time to surface.

Watch this video to help with your shoulder mobility.

Symptoms of shoulder pain often include…

  • Aches and Pains
  • Stiffness
  • Throbbing
  • Weakness and Cramping in the Arm and Sometimes into the Elbow

At first, you might only notice this kind of injury when you’re carrying out a particular task over and over again. In Suzie’s case, bending and reaching. But if you don’t do something to ease the pain as soon as you feel it, it can end up lasting longer, causing swelling, and can even stop you from going about your day and sleeping peacefully at night.

Any of this sound familiar?

If you’re suffering from ANY aches and pains in your shoulder area, then the good news is that I’ve given you some quick and easy tips that you can do to help ease it right away…

Use ICE (…not heat) To Stop shoulder Pain

Ice, by far, is the best (and quickest way) to ease shoulder pain.

My tip for you would be to apply ice as soon as you feel a slight twinge, or even a hint of shoulder pain coming on, and to apply it whenever you’re feeling achy or painful- such as at the end of a long day.

Apply an ice pack for 10 minutes at a time- little and often, every hour.

Use Heat to Ease Stiffness

Just like ice, heat can also help to treat shoulder pain, inflammation, and swelling.

When to use it? I tell my patients to apply a hot water bottle on a morning when their shoulder is likely to be feeling more stiff than painful. Again, 10 minutes should do it.

Sleep With One Soft Pillow

Here’s a great tip you can start using as soon as tonight!

It might be difficult at first, especially if you’re used to sleeping with more than one pillow. But if you can persist and get into the habit of sleeping on one pillow instead, it will lower the amount of stretching and tension it brings to your neck and shoulder area.

Shoulder tension and pain can be made worse by spending 8 hours every night in the wrong position.

Drop down to just one soft pillow and you will notice a huge difference.

These are just a few of the ways to ease shoulder pain as soon as it strikes. If you’d like more ways on how to ease your shoulder pain, I’ve put together a free tips report just for you. Visit here to claim our free digital copy:

Nick Hunter, PT, DPT
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