Is It Ever a Good Idea to Push Through Shoulder Pain?

Your shoulders are one of your most flexible body parts. Think about the mobility you have when your shoulders are pain-free. You can lift your arms in four directions and move them in many combinations. 

Yet, the flexibility of your shoulders also makes them ripe for injury, and shoulder pain is one of the most common pains people experience. 

Dr. Bonaventure Ngu, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon at Premier Spine Institute in The Woodlands and Humble, Texas, and he can help you find relief. Dr. Ngu examines your shoulder and orders diagnostic tests to assess the source of the pain and creates a treatment plan from the data he collects. 

Why does your shoulder hurt? 

There are three common reasons for most shoulder pain:

1. Injuries
2. Overuse 
3. Underlying conditions 

Shoulder injuries often relate to your rotator cuff. These muscles and tendons support your shoulder joint, but repeated movements can strain them, as can overuse. Carpenters and painters are often at risk due to the repetitive nature of their work. 

Shoulder pain can also stem from poor posture. For example, if you spend hours hunched over your computer, you may feel shoulder pain because of the way you’re sitting. Your head weighs around ten pounds, which is a lot of additional weight for your neck and shoulders to support if you bend forward, and that strains the supporting tissues, causing pain. However, if you set up an ergonomic workstation for good posture, your head stays balanced properly on your neck and shoulders, reducing the strain. 

Finally, underlying conditions can stem from chronic issues such as arthritis, a frozen shoulder, or a pinched nerve. These usually relate to previous injuries or spinal deterioration. For example, a pinched nerve in your neck can cause pain that radiates down your shoulders, arms, and upper back. 

 We perform a complete medical evaluation to determine the best course of action. This may include CT scans or other diagnostic tests. In each case, we evaluate the tendons, muscles, and ligaments that make up your shoulder to determine what’s causing your pain. In some cases, we find patients have a fractured collarbone. Others are suffering from tendonitis or a torn rotator cuff.  Once diagnosed, we can recommend effective ways to heal your shoulder pain. 

Should you push through the pain? 

We don’t recommend pushing through the pain, because, more often than not, you make a mild problem worse. You may also change your posture to compensate for the pain and injure something else in the process.

There’s no reason to risk further injury. The trick is listening to your body and knowing what feels like too much. There’s a difference between mild discomfort and pain. 

Treatment for chronic shoulder pain 

While specific treatments vary depending on your diagnosis, a few common ones include: 

• RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation 
• Epidural steroid injections: reduce pain for weeks or months
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain and swelling
• Physical therapy 

You don’t have to live with shoulder pain. Premier Spine Institute in The Woodlands and Humble, Texas, can help. Schedule an appointment using our online booking tool.