Shoulder Pain for Powder Springs, GA | L&D Medical Center | Pain Management, PRP & Weight Loss Clinic

Shoulder Pain services offered in Powder Springs, GA

Your shoulder supports every arm movement, which exposes it to substantial wear-and-tear and puts everyone at a high risk of painful injuries. If you have shoulder pain, don’t wait to seek help at L&D Medical Center in Powder Springs, Georgia. Douglas Cox, FNP-BC, and the skilled team perform a thorough exam, obtain diagnostic X-rays, an MRI, or CT scan when needed, and create a personalized treatment plan that relieves your pain and restores shoulder strength. To schedule an appointment, call the office or book online today.

What causes shoulder pain?

The shoulder is a complex structure made up of three bones, four joints, and numerous ligaments. Then there’s the rotator cuff, a group of four muscles and their tendons.

The tissues in the rotator cuff attach to your shoulder blade and the top of your arm bone, creating a cuff-shaped structure around the joint where the arm meets your shoulder. Your rotator cuff stabilizes the joint and controls the vast range of arm movement.

Holding the joint together while allowing the arm to move puts substantial stress on the rotator cuff, especially its tendons. The stress increases if you enjoy activities requiring overhead movement, like pitching a ball.

Conditions that most often cause shoulder pain include:

Osteoarthritis
Bursitis
Tendonitis
Fractures
Rotator cuff tears
Biceps tendon tears
Shoulder dislocations
Chronic instability
Labral tears (injury to the ring of cartilage around the joint)
Frozen shoulder (inner layer of the rotator cuff becomes stiff and tight)
Shoulder impingement syndrome (arm and shoulder bones rub the rotator cuff)

You can also have shoulder pain if a problem in your neck (cervical spine) pinches a nerve traveling to your shoulder.

What symptoms accompany shoulder pain?

The conditions responsible for shoulder pain typically cause a wide range of possible symptoms, including:

Arm weakness
Difficulty lifting your arm
Pain when using your arm
Joint instability
Muscles spasms
Joint clicking
Limited range of motion
Loss of movement
Bruising and swelling

Shoulder pain that’s sudden and severe or lasts more than a few days should never be ignored. The longer a shoulder condition goes untreated, the more likely you are to develop long-lasting problems like chronic instability and recurrent dislocations.

How is shoulder pain treated?

Shoulder pain treatment always begins with the most appropriate conservative therapy, and then progresses to include more advanced options. Your care plan may include:

Rest
Shoulder immobilization
Medications
Corticosteroid injections
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections

If your pain persists despite medical care, you may be a good candidate for interventional treatments. However, if you need such advanced care, your provider recommends seeing an orthopedic specialist. Though they can help you with ongoing pain management, it’s essential to treat the source of your pain, which may require arthroscopic repair.

If you need help with shoulder pain, call L&D Medical Center or book an appointment online today.