Shoulder Pain

Several causes contribute to shoulder pain, the most common being the frozen shoulder and rotator cuff tear.Frozen shoulder: The condition usually occurs because of adhesive capsulitis or rotator cuff tears. Adhesive capsulitis refers to a condition where the cover of the shoulder joint called the capsule becomes inflamed. This causes severe stiffness which ‘freezes’ the shoulder thereby making shoulder movements difficult or almost impossible. That said, a frozen shoulder is common after shoulder injuries or dislocations, pacemaker insertions and chest and cardiac surgery. Also, it is commonly seen in diabetics and women.

Rotator cuff tears: It is caused due to a tear in the rotator cuff which surrounds the head at the upper end of the arm bone humerus. Four muscles insert into the cuff to move the humerus in various directions, any tear in this cuff will restrict these movements and make them very painful.

Shoulder pain can also arise due to conditions such as osteoarthritis, neck problems, sprains, and due to brachial plexus injuries.

Common causes of shoulder pain include:

• Torn cartilage
• Arthritis
• Torn rotator cuff
• Frozen shoulder
• Swollen bursa sacs/tendons
• Pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder
• Broken/dislocated shoulder or arm bone
• Spinal cord injury
• Heart attack

The first step to treat shoulder pain is to understand its cause, therefore, our experts at Wellknox Pain Clinic, Hyderabad will find out and evaluate the cause of your shoulder pain. They’ll request your medical history and do a physical examination during which they may feel for tenderness and swelling and will assess your range of motion and joint stability.

Imaging tests, such as an x-ray and MRI may also be prescribed.

As mentioned above, shoulder pain management will depend on the cause and severity of the pain. At Wellknox Pain Clinic, Hyderabad we have developed several treatments to address various problems associated with shoulder pain. These include:Medications and Physiotherapy: Medications along with hot and cold packs, electrical modalities like TENS along with stretching exercises help tremendously in the healing and recovery process.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) Therapy: The treatment uses the patient’s own blood which is drawn just before the procedure and centrifuged till the PRP is separated from the blood. PRP is injected into the joint to heal and regenerate cartilage, and into tears to heal tendons. The injections are given with the guidance of ultrasound.

Joint Triamcinolone Acetonide Injections: The injection helps in achieving better pain relief, reducing inflammation, and improving the mobility of the shoulder joint.

Robotic Laser: The non-invasive therapy uses multi-wave laser light and is fully robotic to significantly reduce shoulder pain and inflammation and promote soft tissue repair, thereby promoting faster healing.