“My shoulder hurts when I raise my arm. What should I do?”
I do a lot of heavy lifting for work, and my shoulder is really starting to hurt whenever I raise my arm. What should I do?
16 Answers
You need to see a physical therapist. This will not resolve itself and there is no quick fix.
Okon Antia, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS
Okon Antia, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS
First thing, make sure you are keeping your shoulders in a good posture. That means no slouching and no rounding of your shoulders. Then try and avoid painful movements. And last step, seek a proper exam by a physical therapist.
Dr. Negin
Dr. Negin
Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that. There are a number of possible reasons why your shoulder is hurting. However, you need a better screen to determine what is the best course of action.
Dr. Santiago Osorio, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP
Dr. Santiago Osorio, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP
You should report to your primary care to get an x-ray and then hopefully be sent for a course of physical therapy.
Hi,
It looks like you have impingement/rotator cuff sprain. Please get it evaluated by a physical therapist. Proper evaluation and treatment could help heal your pain.
Regards,
It looks like you have impingement/rotator cuff sprain. Please get it evaluated by a physical therapist. Proper evaluation and treatment could help heal your pain.
Regards,
You may have injured your shoulder. My advice to you is to do good warming up and gentle stretching, also using moist heat in your shoulder, and stop lifting now until you feel better. If that didn't improved in 2 wks, you need to see orthopedic.
There could be a number of different issues from impingement syndrome to rotator cuff tear. The best thing to do is to go see a physical therapist to test your movements and screen any tears or pathologies to get a better idea of what is going on. If you just let it go, the shoulder will continue to get worse because there is inherently a lot of instability at the shoulder and most likely pushing through is making it worse.
If this is bothering you at work, you should report the pain to your supervisor and have someone check the shoulder. Always ask for physical therapy! You can check out some tips at our website - www.optcep.com.
get evaluated by a physical therapist to assess why its hurting in the first place
Hello,
Your symptoms of pain with overhead shoulder movements sounds like you have inflammation somewhere in your shoulder joint, most likely supraspinatus impingement syndrome, or one of the rotator cuff tendinitis. Formal evaluation by orthopedic doctor or physical therapist will further assist to diagnose and find the best appropriate treatment for your shoulder pain. Most of the shoulder injuries in the earlier stages respond well to the conservative management include supervised physical therapy and NSAIDS and/or intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Patients with appropriate treatment will generally responds well and regain full functional mobility of the shoulder.
Your symptoms of pain with overhead shoulder movements sounds like you have inflammation somewhere in your shoulder joint, most likely supraspinatus impingement syndrome, or one of the rotator cuff tendinitis. Formal evaluation by orthopedic doctor or physical therapist will further assist to diagnose and find the best appropriate treatment for your shoulder pain. Most of the shoulder injuries in the earlier stages respond well to the conservative management include supervised physical therapy and NSAIDS and/or intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Patients with appropriate treatment will generally responds well and regain full functional mobility of the shoulder.
You should make an appointment with a PT and be prepared to dedicate a few hours a week with your PT in order to prevent that injury from getting worse. Your PT should be able to diagnose your movement impairment and work with you to restore muscular balance in your shoulder, as well as provide manual treatments and modalities to help ease your pain.
You should refrain from lifting, especially overhead. Apply a cold pack or compress to the painful area and rest shoulder. Take a muscle relaxer or anti-inflammatory pain medication for immediate relief. If pain continues or worsens, consult your primary physician or your nearest emergency room for additional help.
Parminder S. Bhalesar
Mississauga, Ontario
I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder pain. The shoulder is a complex joint with a lot of axial movements. In order to determine the best care for your shoulder pain, I would recommend consulting with a Chiropractor or physiotherapist. They should be able to perform some orthopedic tests to determine what muscles, ligaments, joints and/or nerves may be involved. There are many actions of the shoulder with multiple muscles working together to assist in all movements. You may have a tear in the muscle or tendon, it may be ligament injury, could be joint related or maybe even a nerve compromise. Once your practitioner is able to diagnose the issue, he/she will be able to help you better and help you with your pain. Hope this helps.
I think your best bet would be to go and see a respected/skilled physical therapist in your surrounding area. PT's commonly treat shoulder pain with movement and hep get people back to doing the things they love.
Pain is indicative of some kind of irritation. It would be best to go see a physical therapist in order to be properly diagnosed and to prevent the symptoms from worsening.
If your arm hurts only with lifting, it could possibly be muscular as long as there is no pain at rest. If ice and rest have not helped to decrease the pain, please see an orthopedist. Sounds like a rotator cuff issue.
