When you have shoulder pain, it can be debilitating, keeping you from accomplishing daily tasks, driving, and enjoying your life. It may be tempting to ignore shoulder pain, but you shouldn’t. Your orthopaedic specialist can help you feel better. Dr. Roger Pollock in Paramus, NJ, is an orthopaedic shoulder specialist who offers both arthroscopic and traditional surgery techniques to help heal your shoulder.

Common Causes of Shoulder Pain

Let’s look at few common causes of shoulder pain. You may experience shoulder pain due to:

• A sports injury, accident, or fall
• Rotator cuff tendon overuse or injury, causing tendonitis
• Inflammation of the bursa in your upper shoulder, causing bursitis
• Inflammation of the joints in your shoulder, causing arthritis

For mild shoulder pain, you can try a few simple tips to feel better. You can try:

• Icing your shoulder for 15 minutes several times each day to reduce swelling
• Placing warm, moist heat on your shoulder several times each day to relax your shoulder muscles
• Wearing a sling periodically to minimize shoulder movement and allow your muscles to heal
• Taking over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation

Moderate to severe shoulder pain impact your life, so you should seek out the expertise of our orthopaedic specialist. Your orthopaedic specialist will perform a comprehensive examination of your shoulder, which may include imaging studies.

Depending on the cause of your shoulder pain, your orthopaedic specialist may recommend:

• Physical therapy to relax and strengthen your muscles, tendons, and ligaments
• Thermal therapies to boost circulation, reduce swelling and decrease pain
• Stretching and exercises, to increase flexibility and range-of-motion
• Corticosteroid injections into your shoulder to decrease swelling, inflammation, and pain
• Anti-inflammatory medication to ease painful symptoms

In some cases, surgery may be indicated to repair or reattach tendons and ligaments. Your orthopaedic specialist can discuss this option with you.

How Our Orthopaedic Shoulder Specialist Can Help You Heal

Don’t ignore your shoulder pain when relief is just a phone call away. To find out more about the causes and treatments for shoulder pain and how our orthopaedic shoulder specialist can help, call Dr. Roger Pollock in Paramus, NJ. You can reach him in the office by calling (201) 612-9774, so call today.