Shoulder Pain

Your shoulder pain may have any number of causes, and identifying yours helps your pain management specialist at Metro Denver Pain Management (MD Pain) develop your treatment plan.

Bursitis: Bursitis is a condition that arises from an excessive use of your shoulder, which irritates your bursae, small sacs that cushion your shoulder joint, leading to inflammation and pain. Bursitis is often accompanied by tendinitis.

Tendinitis: Tendinitis is the inflammation of your tendon. The condition can be acute or chronic, and it most often affects the rotator cuff or bicep tendons.

Impingement: Impingement occurs when your shoulder blade rubs on your rotator cuff tendons or bursa when you lift your arm, causing you pain and reducing your mobility.

Arthritis: Arthritis can affect any joint in your body, including your shoulder joint. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, developing as your joint cartilage wears away, leading to pain, stiffness, and inflammation.

Instability: Instability of your shoulder, also referred to as a dislocation, refers to your arm bone popping out of your shoulder socket.

Fractures and tendon tears can also cause shoulder pain.

Your pain specialist at Metro Denver Pain Management (MD Pain) conducts a thorough examination to help identify the cause of your shoulder pain. If needed, diagnostic tests may be ordered, such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, to help determine the cause of your pain.

Treatment for your shoulder pain may depend on the cause. Your pain specialist will develop an individualized treatment plan that provides you with the most relief.

Treatment may include:

• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Cortisone shots
• Numbing agent injections
• Acupuncture
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Your pain specialist may also refer you to a physical therapist to provide exercises that improve your shoulder’s range of motion, flexibility, and strength.

If your pain specialist can’t relieve your symptoms with conservative treatments, you may be referred to a surgeon who can conduct an arthroscopy, which is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a surgical camera to view your shoulder from the inside, typically providing more information about the cause of your pain.