Sometimes, shoulder pain isn’t just about sore muscles. It can also be due to bursitis, a condition affecting the bursa. These small, fluid-filled sacs around the joints cushion and lubricate the surrounding tissues, including the muscles, tendons, and bones, to prevent friction and rubbing. When these sacs get damaged from injury or repetitive tasks, they become inflamed and painful. Here, learn what shoulder bursitis is and what you can do about it.

Causes

The shoulders are common bursitis sites; however, it can also affect the hips, elbows, knees, heels, and base of the big toes. Trauma to bodily joints can result in this painful condition, as can repetitive motions like throwing a baseball for hours every day or tasks requiring excessive kneeling or elbow use. Inflammatory conditions, such as gout and rheumatoid arthritis, also contribute to bursitis. Job type, as well as advancing age, increase your risk, as does being overweight.

The Importance of Timely Treatment

Pain or related symptoms that do not improve in a week call for a doctor’s visit. Without treatment, you may experience discomfort that worsens when you try to lift your arm or move in other directions. Bursitis can eventually result in the inability to move the affected area at all.

Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may receive steroid injections to reduce the inflammation. Physical therapy for shoulder pain also helps by loosening the muscles and joints and improving one’s range of motion.

Your doctor or physical therapist will devise an exercise regimen that suits your needs and provide other recommendations such as resting your shoulder, using ice packs, and scheduling dry needling. The latter treatment targets myofascial trigger points to release tight muscles, reduce pain, and restore range of motion.

If your shoulder pain or other bursitis-related issue does not improve, you may need surgery. 

Don’t let shoulder pain take over your life. Talk to Snyder Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation, the physical therapy center serving the Lincoln Metro area of Nebraska since 1990. They serve patients following surgeries to help them regain mobility and decrease discomfort, using techniques such as dry needling. Learn more about treatment options online. Call (402) 489-1999 today to make your appointment. Get additional health and wellness tips on Facebook.