Shoulder injuries can develop while you’re playing sports, have an accidental fall, and even from overuse. Some of the most typical shoulder injuries consist of strains or sprains, torn rotator cuff, dislocated shoulder, or shoulder instability. If you experience pain in your shoulder, you should rest your shoulder and immobilize it using support or sling. 

A shoulder brace will help provide your shoulder extra support and decrease movement during your recovery process, making it easier to rest and recover your injury when medical guidance begins. Your shoulders each have two joints, making them the flexible parts of the body. The major shoulder joint the glenohumeral is a ball-and-socket joint. It is named as such because the top of the upper arm bones the humerus is shaped like a ball. This ball fits into the socket of your shoulder blade, which serves as the socket and gives your shoulder a full range of motion. But that shoulder socket is small, compared to other ball-and-socket joints, such as the hip.

It’s held together and controlled by a covering of muscles, which are secured to the bones by strong cords called tendons. These muscles and tendons form a capsule around the joint and brace its movements, but make it more prone to dislocate than other joints. The synovial membrane is located in the capsule, and it secretes fluid that lubricates the joint and safeguards the cartilage from damage.

Cartilage lends extra cushioning and protection to your bones, thus keeping them from impacting each other. It sits between shoulder joints so that both bones cannot bump against one another. Above the main shoulder joint, there’s a smaller joint where the top of the shoulder blade – the acromion – meets the collar bone. This is known as the acromioclavicular joint. It helps your larger joint to move gradually and freely through its full range of motion, including when you raise or throw your shoulder.

What causes shoulder pain? 

Shoulder problems often affect a small region of a person’s shoulder and clear up fairly quickly, but sometimes it is part of a condition like osteoarthritis or a syndrome like polymyalgia rheumatica. It is common for people with rheumatoid arthritis to experience pain and swelling in their shoulders. Osteoarthritis in your joints is less likely to affect your shoulders as long as you haven’t injured them in the past.

There are several other possible causes of shoulder pain, such as:

• Your shoulder becomes painful, hot, red, and swollen as a reaction to inflammation or infection.
• The muscles and tendons near the shoulder may be damaged.
• The pressure between your shoulder and neck muscles is usually an indicator of your body’s position in your back or neck and is often related to the ways you sit or stand when using a computer or at work.
• Inflammation in the bursa is a fluid-filled cushion that, for the most part, aids the soft tissues and tendons slide smoothly over the shoulder bones.
• Damage to the bones and cartilage, can arise from arthritis.

It’s also possible that the pain you’re sensing in your upper outer arm or shoulder field is being caused by a problem just over your shoulders, such as your neck. Problems in your neck could make your upper outer arm or shoulder blade painful. When this happens, it’s known as referred pain or radiated pain. A tingling sensation in your hand or arm, as well as pain in your neck and shoulders, is most likely caused by an issue with your neck.

Should I see a doctor?

Unless you were recently injured, you can normally treat your shoulder pain using self-care until your symptoms improve. If, after two weeks of self-care, you feel as though your shoulder pain is still present, you should see your physician or a physiotherapist.

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. 

These can be signs of a condition called polymyalgia rheumatica, which needs prompt treatment. 

How are shoulder problems diagnosed? 

Each shoulder ailment has a characteristic set of symptoms that can lead to your medical professional or a physical therapist making a definitive diagnosis. Many conditions make your shoulder painful to use or move, but some make your shoulder feel stiff.

Your doctor or physiotherapist will need to know which movements are the most painful, as this may indicate where the issue is. They will consider the way you became injured, how it has developed over time and its implications for your day-to-day routine.

If you can, jot down some thoughts about where and when the problem first started and what makes the symptoms feel worse ahead of your appointment. This should offer you a better idea of what is going on.

Your physical therapist or doctor will typically be able to recommend an effective treatment plan after you undergo additional tests to determine what’s causing your condition. However, you might receive unusual treatments if they suspect your symptoms are a result of arthritis or some other systemic issue.

Specific shoulder conditions 

Some of the specific conditions that affect the shoulder include: 

• Calcific tendonitis and calcific periarthritis 
• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) 
• Osteoarthritis 
• Polymyalgia rheumatica 
• Referred neck pain 
• Lung conditions 
• Rheumatoid arthritis 
• Tendon problems 
• Shoulder impingement or painful arc syndrome 
• Subacromial bursitis 
• Rotator cuff tear 
• Biceps tendonitis 

What treatments are there for shoulder pain?

If your shoulder pain does not improve with home treatments, your doctor could recommend other options accessible to you.

• Physiotherapy 
• Occupational therapy
• Steroid injections 
• Surgery 
• Shoulder braces 

Why Use a Shoulder Brace for Shoulder Pain?

Whether you’re recovering from an injury or trying to avoid one, you understand the possible dangers of training or competing.

While many individuals recommend rest and ice as the first treatment for a sore shoulder, this isn’t a long-term solution for an active individual. Along with delaying training time, you also run the risk of developing stiffness from extended immobility.

Shoulder braces can be tolerated by a patient with a shoulder injury to avoid further injury or to alleviate discomfort. Emphasis is placed on wearable slings that confine your body’s motion and light weight neoprene vests that protect your AC joint.

Shoulder braces digitally advanced through the years and have become lightweight and breathable, with quickly adjustable straps.

A shoulder brace can help:

• Speed up the recovery process
• Protect your shoulder from further injury
• Provide compression, which may enhance the receptors in your skin and help your brain better understand the position of your shoulder

A shoulder brace can aid you through different stages of the rehabilitation process.

After you’ve been hurt, a shoulder brace can help enhance your joint and reduce your injury’s symptoms during therapy. A brace compresses swollen joints, decreasing swelling and redness. A brace allows your injured muscles to rest, which prevents early post-workout overexertion.

If you have a shoulder injury or pain, visit your doctor to receive a proper diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor may suggest a shoulder brace to help support and immobilize your shoulder and arm while you are injured.

If you are recovering after an injury and aspire to participate fully in sports and physical activities, it’s important for maximum shoulder care for your injury to provide the best possible likelihood of recovery.

Saunders Sully Shoulder Stabilizer is one of our best-selling products. You can check the cervical tractions website to order or you may call us at 770-441-9808 for assistance.