Infections, tumors, diseases of the nervous system, and other aging-related changes can also lead to shoulder pain syndrome. If you develop symptoms, you should see your GP immediately. Together with him, you will have the opportunity to decide whether consultation and treatment with a specialist (rheumatologist, orthopedist) will be required.
Remember – home treatment may provide temporary relief, but it will delay and make it difficult to solve the problem. The physician should describe the situation that the patient thinks started the problem. This will help determine the exact cause of the shoulder pain syndrome and make appropriate recommendations for further treatment.
Painful shoulder syndrome – types of treatment
The treatment of shoulder pain syndrome is based on:
- relieving the sick place,
- physical therapy,
- physical exercises,
- pharmacological treatment (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – NSAIDs, glucocorticosteroids),
- in the event of a tendon rupture or shoulder ankylosis, surgery should be considered.
ZBB treatment is selected depending on the cause and severity of the disease. Treatment of shoulder pain syndrome is primarily based on relieving the affected area and using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The long-term solution (after partial resolution of the acute phase of symptoms – i.e. pain and inflammation) consists, for example, in:
- changing the working position to a more comfortable one (replacing the chair, correcting the height of the writing table),
- introducing short breaks at work,
- regular and appropriate warm-up (minimum 10 minutes) before exercise and proper protection of the joints (well-chosen clothing in relation to the weather conditions or working conditions).
A sling can be helpful in relieving the joint. However, it should be remembered that the shoulder must not be permanently immobilized! This approach can lead to joint stiffness and complete loss of mobility. Immobilization is to be only temporary.
Painful shoulder syndrome – physical therapy
Another line of the fight against ZZB is physical therapy. We mean cool compresses on a sore spot. The compresses should be applied for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day (both on the day of the pain and on all days when pain and swelling persist). The simplest form of cooling is a towel soaked in cold water or ice wrapped in a towel and put on the sore spot. Such compresses bring the best results in the early stages of the disease. In the later phase of ZZB, warm showers applied to the affected area may be helpful. It is worth asking your doctor when to replace cold compresses with warm ones.
If the inflammatory process is advanced, your doctor may decide to give you glucocorticoids (“steroids”, or GCS). They have a very strong anti-inflammatory effect that lasts up to several weeks after administration. In ZBB, steroids are injected into the shoulder joint.