What if my shoulder hurts

This is one rep. Starting position: Sit up straight. Place your right hand on your right shoulder. Clasp your right elbow with your left hand. Movement: Keeping your shoulders down and back, lift your right elbow up toward the ceiling to the point of tightness.

Feel the stretch in the back of your upper right arm and shoulder. Return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. Movement: Roll your shoulders down and back. Clasp your hands behind you, intertwining your fingers so your palms face you. Gently lift your hands toward the ceiling to the point of tightness. Feel the stretch in the front of your shoulders and across your chest.

Slowly return to the starting position. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles. Health news headlines can be deceiving. Why is topical vitamin C important for skin health? Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin. Caring for an aging parent? Do stay active and gently move your shoulder try shoulder exercises for 6 to 8 weeks to stop pain returning — the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has exercises for shoulder pain stand up straight with your shoulders down and gently back sit with a cushion behind your lower back rest your arm on a cushion in your lap use pain relief so you can keep moving — try painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen , and heat or cold packs.

Try either a: pack of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel for up to 20 minutes, 3 times a day hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel for up to 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day. Find a pharmacy. Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:. Urgent advice: Get advice from a GP or now if:. Other ways to get help Go to an urgent treatment centre Urgent treatment centres are places you can go if you need to see someone now.

They're also called walk-in centres or minor injuries units. You only need to seek advice if the pain continues for more than a day or so after the injection. Some steroid injections may be done with the help of ultrasound imaging. This allows the inflamed tissues to be seen on a monitor and makes sure the injection is given in the correct area. Most shoulder problems improve without surgery.

If you do need an operation it can often be performed using keyhole techniques, which require a smaller incision and tend to reduce your recovery time. Conventional open surgery, where a surgeon makes an incision large enough to see the entire damaged area, may sometimes be needed. For example, to repair larger tears in the rotator cuff or for joint replacements. Shoulder replacement is well established and can be very successful, particularly for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis , when severe pain stops you moving your shoulder properly.

There is also a newer type of shoulder operation called a reverse shoulder replacement. In this procedure the ball and socket are reversed. This helps if your rotator cuff tendons have been damaged by arthritis. Physiotherapy and exercise are important after surgery to help restore movement — so be sure to do any recommended daily exercises. You may not regain your full range of movement or strength after a total shoulder replacement, but it should be much better than it was after your shoulder problem started.

Try to use your affected arm and shoulder carefully but confidently to help build and retain the muscle strength. Our information on how decompression surgery may not benefit people with shoulder pain can tell you more.

The aim is to find the best treatment that is most likely to work for them. This could reduce the long-term pain, disability and time off work caused by their condition. Our information on developing a better approach to assess and treat shoulder pain will tell you more about this research.

Versus Arthritis About arthritis Conditions Shoulder pain. Shoulder pain. Download versus Arthritis - Shoulder pain information booklet. Print this page. How does the shoulder work? Your shoulders each have two joints, making them the most flexible parts of your body. Most shoulder problems only affect a small area and should last a relatively short time. When to see a doctor. You should also see your doctor as soon as possible if you: develop severe pain in both shoulders also have pain in your thighs feel feverish or unwell.

Managing symptoms. Painkillers Heat or cold therapy Posture Reduce the strain Rest and exercise Complementary treatments. Heat or cold therapy. Try to relax your shoulders and let your arms hang by your sides, rather than gripping them tightly into your sides, especially if some of the pain is coming from your neck.

Change your position often. Sit in an upright position. Support your lower back with a pillow, cushion or a chair with lumbar support to improve your upper body posture. If your arm is really sore, keep it supported and comfortable with a cushion or pillow on your lap.

Use a mirror to practise holding your shoulder blades down and back — focus on your shoulder blades and imagine keeping your chest still and pulling the blades downwards and back towards each other. If your shoulder is painful when you lie down, try: lying on your good side with a pillow under your neck using a folded pillow to support your painful arm in front of your body placing another pillow behind your back to stop yourself rolling onto your painful side using one or two pillows under your painful arm for support, if you prefer to sleep on your back.

Reduce the strain. At home: When vacuuming, keep your upper body upright with the vacuum close to your body, and use short sweeping movements. Only iron essential items, and make sure the ironing board is at waist height. Use a trolley or a backpack to carry shopping. Or you could divide the weight between two bags and carry one in each hand.

Alternatively, use bags with long straps and carry them with the straps crossed over your body from shoulder to hip. The key is to try to spread the load of what you want to carry. Ask your friends with cars if they could help you out by adding anything heavy to their shopping list.

Use a delivery service for heavy or bulky shopping. Limit the amount of time you spend sitting looking down at tablets and mobile phones. Instead use a stand on a table to reduce neck strain. If you have to do tasks that involve raising your arms or sweeping movements, give yourself plenty of time and ask someone to help you. Avoid holding your neck in fixed or twisted positions.

If you sit or stand at a workstation, such as a desk or workbench, try to get up and move around every so often. Try to gently move your shoulders and neck through their full range of movement regularly, to stop them getting stiff and sore.

A good chair that supports you properly and can be adjusted to your needs could also help you keep a good working position. An occupational health advisor or your manager could be able to help you with this.

You can book an appointment with a primary care doctor in your area using our Healthline FindCare tool. You should contact your doctor if you experience fever, inability to move your shoulder, lasting bruising, heat and tenderness around the joint, or pain that persists beyond a few weeks of home treatment.

If your shoulder pain is sudden and not related to an injury, call immediately. It may be a sign of a heart attack. Other signs of a heart attack include:.

Also, call or go to an emergency room immediately if you injured your shoulder and are bleeding, swollen, or you can see exposed tissue. Treatment will depend on the cause and severity of the shoulder pain. Some treatment options include physical or occupational therapy, a sling or shoulder immobilizer , or surgery.

Your doctor may also prescribe medication such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications NSAIDs or corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can be taken by mouth or your doctor can inject into your shoulder.

Some minor shoulder pain can be treated at home. Icing the shoulder for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times a day for several days can help reduce pain. Use an ice bag or wrap ice in a towel because putting ice directly on your skin can cause frostbite and burn the skin.

Resting the shoulder for several days before returning to normal activity and avoiding any movements that might cause pain can be helpful. Limit overhead work or activities. Other home treatments include using over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to help reduce pain and inflammation and compressing the area with an elastic bandage to reduce swelling.

Simple shoulder exercises can help stretch and strengthen muscles and rotator cuff tendons. A physical therapist or occupational therapist can show you how to do them properly. After having bursitis or tendinitis, performing simple range-of-motion exercises every day can keep you from getting frozen shoulder. Regardless of the cause, shoulder numbness involves the nerves running to and from your shoulder.

A pectoral girdle, also called the shoulder girdle, connects your upper limbs to the bones along the axis of your body. You have two pectoral girdles….