Few things are more frustrating, annoying, and even debilitating than chronic shoulder pain. Daily activities become a chore, or even impossible, while your shoulder is in pain.
Unfortunately, some everyday activities can aggravate or even cause this shoulder pain. In this article, we are going to take a look at 6 things that could be contributing to your shoulder pain, as well as how you can avoid them.
1. Lifting Your Arms Over Your Head
Standing up or even laying down, we all raise our hands over our heads almost habitually, whether we are stretching or reaching for something above us. When you have shoulder pain, this simple action can be excruciatingly painful and cause even more inflammation.
How to Avoid it:
To avoid this, try rearranging the shelves in your home so that items you need are at waist level or below. If you cannot do this, use a step stool to help you reach higher items without raising your arms too far above your head. This will help mitigate strain.
2. Reaching Behind Your Body
Reaching behind you can be incredibly painful, especially if you have to do it for an extended period of time. This is something that many of us do without even thinking about it–such as reaching into the backseat of our car or trying to get something from a high shelf behind us.
How to Avoid it:
Before you start driving, take a moment to move any items that you might need from the back seat area of your car and put them in the front. This way, when you reach for them, you won’t have to strain your shoulder by reaching around and behind you for an extended period of time.
3. Laying on Your Side
Many of us spend hours sleeping in the same position, often on our sides with a pillow tucked between our knees. With the extended pressure of sleeping on your side, it’s possible to overdo it and cause strain or pressure on the shoulder that can lead to pain throughout the day.
How to Avoid it:
Train yourself to sleep on your back instead of your sides. Place a pillow under the lower half of your body, so that you don’t roll onto your stomach in the middle of the night, as this can further aggravate any pain in your shoulders.
4. Pushing
Pushing can be an everyday activity for many people, whether it be pushing open a door or helping someone move furniture. Unfortunately, the pressure of pressing with your arms can cause additional strain and pain on your shoulders.
How to Avoid it:
Where possible, try using doors that pull open instead so you don’t have to push them open. When you encounter a push door, use your whole body rather than just your arm to push it open. If you are planning on helping someone move, ask them to find some alternative help as this kind of activity is not ideal for someone with shoulder pain.
Shoulder Pain Doesn’t Have to Be Permanent–Get Help Today!
If avoiding activities is not a reasonable solution given your busy and active lifestyle, reach out to a specialist like Dr. Hatch for advice and treatment. Dr. Hatch with The Orthopedic Partners, an RCM Clinic can help you manage or even eliminate your shoulder pain over time.
Don’t let shoulder pain become a regular part of your life. Contact Dr. Hatch today and take the first step towards restoring your body and feeling better. With the right combination of rest, exercise, physical therapy, medication, and possibly surgery you can say goodbye to shoulder pain for good!