Shoulder Pain

It doesn’t matter if it happened during a specific trauma or if your shoulder pain has gradually gotten worse: When shoulder pain stops you from enjoying your favorite activities, it’s time to find a solution. At Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy (M.O.S.T) in Potomac, Maryland, the highly trained team of orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine specialists work to fix your shoulder pain in the least invasive way possible. To schedule your initial consultation, schedule your appointment online or call the office today. “M.O.S.T” serves the communities of Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Washington DC, Chevy Chase, Frederick, Poolesville, McLean, VA, Dulles, VA, and Fairfax, VA.

Shoulder Pain Q & A

Your shoulder is one of your largest, most complicated joints. It forms where your upper arm bone fits into the edge of your shoulder blade and connects to your collarbone. Your rotator cuff — a large mass of muscles and tendons — surrounds the joint, supporting and allowing the shoulder its full range of motion.

Because your shoulder joint has so much mobility, it’s vulnerable to injury and strain. It may suffer from instability or impingement, resulting in acute or chronic shoulder pain. In most cases, this pain results from:

Bursitis
Tendinitis
Tendon tear
Arthritis
Fracture

The first step in relieving your shoulder pain is resting the joint. Avoid strenuous activities and anything that makes you lift your arms overhead or overuse your shoulder.

Taking over-the-counter pain relievers and icing the area can also reduce pain.

If you don’t notice an improvement in mobility or pain reduction after 5-10 days, you may need to see an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine specialist.

After examining your shoulder, your doctor at Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy may recommend physical therapy to help strengthen your shoulder, reducing both your pain and your risk of reinjury.

They may also inject a numbing agent or a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation in the muscles, joints, and surrounding tissues.

Although 90% of shoulder pain improves with nonsurgical treatments, sometimes surgery is necessary. If you have recurring dislocations or certain types of rotator cuff tears, your doctor may discuss surgery as an option.

If you rest your shoulder and avoid activities that strain the joint and don’t notice an improvement with pain and function after 5-10 days, call the skilled and compassionate team at Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy for a consultation.

You should seek immediate medical attention if you injure your shoulder and experience shoulder pain accompanied by:

A deformed joint
Sudden swelling
Inability to move your arm or shoulder joint

Don’t let shoulder pain put a damper on the things you love to do: Contact the Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy team to fix your shoulder and get you back in the game in no time.