Whether you’re coaching softball or typing away at a desk job, shoulder pain can happen to anyone. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to escape this inconvenience. While you should always seek professional care for prolonged issues, iSpine Pain Physicians of Minnesota’s Twin Cities area is happy to recommend a few quick fixes for minor ailments. Here, they list three of their best tricks for alleviating shoulder pain, so you can get back to your day-to-day routine.

3 Tricks for Getting Rid of Shoulder Pain

1. Temperature Treatment

If your shoulder suddenly hurts after engaging in physical activity—such as playing a sport, painting a wall or picking up your child—you may have pulled a muscle or tendon. While extreme pain warrants immediate medical attention, you can relieve slight discomfort by icing your shoulder with a cold compress for 20 minutes at a time. If you woke up with shoulder pain, or the pain developed slowly throughout the day, it may be the result of muscle tension. In this case, a hot bath or a warm compress will allow the tissues to relax.

2. Stretching

If tense muscles are to blame for your shoulder pain, you can usually find relief by performing gentle stretches. Try standing beneath a doorway and extend your arms upward, so they touch the rear edge of the door frame. Then, lean forward slightly to stretch your shoulders. If this doesn’t work, bend your arms, so your elbows form a 90-degree angle and press your palms against the side edges of the door frame before leaning forward.

3. Massage

If you live with a friend or significant other, ask them to massage the affected shoulder. Encourage them to start out softly to warm the muscles up before kneading deeper tissues. As they work through the area, guide them with directional commands to find the spot that provides the most relief. If they’re having trouble reaching it, you may need to see a professional who can use a TENS unit to send electronic pulses to the tense muscle.

If your shoulder pain doesn’t respond to at-home methods, make an appointment with a specialist as soon as possible. While it might just feel like a knotted muscle, it could be a more severe musculoskeletal or nerve-related problem, such as a spasm, a slipped disc or arthritis. The experts at iSpine Pain Physicians will gladly get to the root of your shoulder pain and help relieve the discomfort it causes. Call at (763) 201-8191 to make an appointment or visit the website for more information on their services.