Shoulder pain can be awful and leave you unable to do a lot of the things you normally would do. Even showering can be a difficult task, and cooking, driving, and other daily tasks are difficult when you have pain in the shoulder. Shoulder pain can be caused by a number of different issues, including a torn rotator cuff, muscle tears, arthritis, and other issues as well. If you have pain in the shoulder, you should have it treated right away. There may be a few things you can do about this pain. Read on for some of these things.
Wear A Sling
Until your shoulder heals, you can wear your arm in a sling. By doing this, you give your arm a break and alleviate any weight from your shoulder to help allow it to heal. You can find a sling at your local pharmacy and wear it throughout the day. If this is your dominant arm, this may make daily tasks difficult for you, but you need to make use of your other arm in the meantime until your injured shoulder can heal.
Apply Numbing Cream
Applying numbing cream to your shoulder in the area where you have pain can help to alleviate the pain and allow you to use your shoulder without feeling more pain. Using numbing cream is only a temporary aid, and you can still injure yourself further if you continue to use that shoulder.
Take Over-The-Counter Pain Medication
Take over-the-counter pain medication to help alleviate the pain you feel and to help get you through and enable your shoulder to heal properly. Take the medication according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you continue to feel pain, see your physician for further treatment or for stronger, prescribed medication.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can help with your pain. If you have an issue due to weakened muscles in the shoulder, physical therapy can help you increase your range of motion and assist you in strengthening your shoulder muscles to prevent future problems.
If you have pain in your shoulder, depending on what has caused it and the diagnosis, proper treatment is going to be necessary in order to heal and to have full use of your shoulder. Make an appointment with your physician for a proper diagnosis and to get the right treatment for your condition. Follow the treatment thoroughly so you can get back to your life and live without pain.
Contact a medical group like Sports and Orthopedic Specialists for more information.