One of the most common questions we hear from patients is a simple one: How can I relieve chronic shoulder pain? Below, we have included a few short answers which might be helpful.

1. The first answer is also the easiest: rest. Many shoulder symptoms happen because of stress or strain to the tendons and ligaments of the shoulder. Your body’s natural healing processes should kick in if given a chance, so try taking several days off of heavy exercise and lifting, and icing the shoulder when it becomes inflamed.

2. Analgesics. Injuries such as rotator cuff disorders and tears, as well as shoulder instability and frozen shoulder, tend to produce acute pain that isn’t helping you get better. There is no shame in seeking out painkillers for this issue, either in the form of NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, or prescription pain medications. Of course, these tend to be stopgap approaches; read on for a more permanent fix.

3. Steroids. Corticosteroids can quickly relieve severe pain, but there’s a catch: many tissues in the body react adversely to too many steroid injections over time. Again, these powerful medication represent an effective treatment for severe pain, but hardly a long-term fix. For that you need…

4. Shoulder surgery. If you have experienced shoulder pain that persists for weeks or months, it is time to speak with a San Diego orthopedic surgeon about some options for lasting recovery. Depending on the injury and your needs, your surgeon can tailor a course of arthroscopic surgery and recovery that may help you beat back the pain for good.

If you cannot bear the chronic shoulder pain any longer, we can help. Contact San Diego’s shoulder surgery experts here to get started today.

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Tags: san diego orthopedic surgeon, san diego shoulder surgery, surgery for shoulder pain