Specific shoulder pain treatments
In most cases, pain management works better when combined with specific treatments for each condition. We mentioned different causes of shoulder pain above, and now we’re going through each one and exploring your specific therapeutic options:
- Shoulder bursitis: Besides pain management, doctors can also use surgical treatments and antibiotic therapy to solve the problem. Antibiotic therapy is required in cases of septic bursitis. In other words, when an infectious disease causes inflammation. Surgical treatment for shoulder bursitis involves drainage of the inflamed bursa or incision when the damage is very extensive.
- Rotator cuff injuries: In these cases, physical therapy is essential to achieve a complete recovery. In some cases, immobilization is required to heal the injury. In others, patients may need a surgical repair of the rotator cuff.
- Shoulder impingement syndrome: This condition responds to subacromial injections, and there are different protocols on how to apply them and what drugs to use for better results. Surgical treatment may also be recommended when the symptoms do not improve, and more recent treatments have been proposed, including high-intensity laser therapy with very good results.
- Adhesive capsulitis: The mainstream therapy in these cases is releasing the capsule when it is attached to the surrounding tissue through a surgical procedure known as arthroscopic capsular release. Another technique that works for some patients is extracorporeal shockwave therapy.
- Cervical spinal nerve compression: Decompression therapy and surgery are essential in these cases. The former is based on exercises and manual therapy to decompress the area, and the latter involves a surgical intervention to release the affected nerve. Cervical epidural steroid injections also work to numb the affected nerve and provide immediate relief.
