Signs Your Shoulder Pain Needs Help
Shoulder pain isn’t uncommon, but how do you know when to see your doctor? Here’s what you need to know.
If you have pain in your shoulder, you might have shoulder bursitis. This condition occurs when the sac that surrounds the joint in your shoulder becomes inflamed.
You can be more susceptible to bursitis if you work in professions, such as construction or painting, when you overuse your shoulder. You can even get it with everyday household chores that require the heavy use of your shoulders, like hanging up clothes to dry or changing sheets. Shoulder bursitis can also be caused by trauma to the area.
Repetitive movement of your shoulder can trigger your pain, which sits at the top and outside of your joint. If your condition starts to worsen, you can experience swelling, redness, and tenderness to the touch. But what can you do to reduce its symptoms or help it heal?
At Crescent City Orthopedics, we’re a team of orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine specialists that have the expertise to treat your shoulder bursitis and give you recommendations for how to care for it at home. Your healing process can begin when you take action.
If your condition isn’t severe, we suggest at-home care remedies. Suppose your shoulder bursitis causes more serious symptoms, such as the inability to move your shoulder, bruising, or the development of a fever because of infection. In that case, we recommend that you come in to see us for an accurate diagnosis and our medical care.
You can be proactive about your healing when you’re at home by merely caring for it with a few action steps, which include:
Although these recommendations are relatively simple, you need to practice them routinely for your shoulder bursitis to heal effectively.
Bursitis can get better when you practice at-home care, but if your condition worsens for any reason, you may need one or more of our medical treatments, which include:
Shoulder bursitis can recur if you overuse your shoulder. You should be careful if you work out or perform activities that put a strain on your shoulder. We recommend exercising and stretching to strengthen your shoulder, but don’t put undue stress on it. You don’t want to trigger your bursitis again.
We may also recommend that you wear a brace for a certain period to keep your shoulder at rest and to inhibit its use so it can rest and heal.
If you have shoulder bursitis, it’s best to schedule an appointment with us to evaluate your condition and help you get moving again. Contact us today at Crescent City Orthopedics at one of our three locations nearest you. You can call us or book your appointment online.
