Shoulder Muscle Pain - Naprosyn® Pain Relief

Short term shoulder pain is very common and tends to affect the muscles, tendons and ligaments surrounding the shoulder. For more information on what causes shoulder pain, the symptoms you can expect and the pain relief options available for short term muscle and joint pain, such as Naprosyn^®Pain Relief, keep reading.

Always consult a healthcare professional if you are worried about pain you are experiencing.

Causes and symptoms of shoulder pain

Pain in the shoulder joint has a number of different causes and the symptoms you experience may be able to indicate what the cause is. However, it’s important to not self-diagnose and to see a GP or healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

Below are some common causes of shoulder pain and their potential symptoms:

Pain or stiffness in the shoulder that doesn’t go away for months or years may indicate frozen shoulder. This is a condition where shoulder movements become reduced, often for no particular reason. It generally only affects one shoulder, usually the non-dominant one, but it can affect both.
Pain or stiffness in the shoulder may also be a sign of arthritis. Arthritis is essentially inflammation in a joint, such as your hip, knee, elbow or shoulder. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which primarily affects older people.
If the pain is worse when using your arm or shoulder, it may be a sign of a rotator cuff disorder, such as tendonitis, bursitis or impingement. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles around the shoulder joint that keep the shoulder stable and help it move. If the rotator cuff is overused or torn, it can cause pain.
Sudden very bad pain where you find it difficult to move your arm may be due to an injury or trauma. This could be because of shoulder dislocation, where the ball of the joint moves out of the socket, causing severe pain. Or, it could be due to a broken bone - for example, a fracture to your upper arm or your collarbone may cause shoulder pain. Another common shoulder injury is soft tissue damage from a sports injury, road traffic accident or heavy-lifting strain.
Your acromioclavicular joint is a joint at the top of your shoulder , where your collarbone meets your shoulder joint. So, if you experience pain there, it may suggest problems with your acromioclavicular joint, like dislocation or torn ligaments. These problems tend to be caused by injury or general wear and tear.
If you’re experiencing tingling, weakness or numbness in your arm and it feels like your shoulder is clicking or locking, this could be shoulder instability. This essentially means that the joint doesn’t keep the bones together so the humerus (upper arm bone) ‘pops out’.

How to relieve shoulder pain

Shoulder pain should ease within two weeks and you should see a GP if it takes longer than this or if you have any concerns. There are a number of shoulder muscle strain treatment methods you can try yourself to help relieve symptoms:

Over-the-counter medication

Pain relief medication can help you move more comfortably, aiding your recovery. There are a number of options available without a prescription, including paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like naproxen and ibuprofen.

Naprosyn^® Pain Relief tablets contain naproxen as the main active ingredient and are indicated for short term musculoskeletal conditions, which includes shoulder pain. With no prescription needed, you can buy Naprosyn^® Pain Relief at the pharmacy for up to 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief.

Heat or cold packs

Heat and ice can be helpful in treating musculoskeletal pain. If your shoulder pain is related to an injury, ice is the best option. If there’s no swelling and it’s not related to an injury, heat can help your pain levels. Always place a barrier between your skin and the ice or heat, such as a towel. You can buy heat or ice packs at the pharmacy or use a bag of frozen peas or hot water bottle.

Exercises and stretches

When recovering from shoulder pain, keeping active is essential. It will keep your other muscles flexible and hopefully prevent a recurrence of the problem. Depending on the cause of your shoulder pain, you may be referred for physiotherapy sessions , where the physiotherapist may advise on exercises you can do to help ease pain and assist recovery.

There are also a number of exercises you can do at home that may help with the pain, such as:

Shoulder retractions: Sit or stand with a neutral spine, gently draw your shoulder blades backward toward your spine without shrugging the shoulders, hold briefly, then release.
Walkaways: Face a wall or table and “walk” your fingers upward the surface as far as comfortable (letting the arm protract), then slowly walk them back down (retraction).
Table slides: Place your hand/forearm on a smooth surface (e.g. with a towel), lean your body forward and slide your arm forward (flexion) or sideways (abduction) while keeping the elbow straight, then return.

If these exercises significantly increase your pain or swelling, stop doing them and seek further advice from your GP or physiotherapist.

Posture

Poor posture or having your arm in awkward positions can contribute to shoulder pain. There are a few adjustments to your posture and position you can make to help ease the pain:

Make sure your shoulders are down and your back is straight when standing up
Put a cushion behind your lower back when sitting down
Rest your arm on a cushion on your lap
Lie on the opposite side to your painful shoulder with a pillow behind you, or on your back with a pillow under your arm.