Shoulder Pain: The Most Likely Cause

Shoulder pain is caused by many things and for many reasons. However, there is one thing that causes shoulder pain more often than pretty much everything else. And that thing is... drumroll please... your "rotator cuff".

The rotator cuff is a group of 4 small muscles inside your shoulder joint which hold your shoulder together. They connect the upper arm, the collar bone, the shoulder blade (scapulae) and upper chest, and hold the upper arm into the shoulder joint socket itself. They also help rotate the arm (hence the name) inside the shoulder, and assist with raising the arm laterally.

The four muscles of the rotator cuff are:

Supraspinatus: helps with lifting the arm.
Infraspinatus: rotates the arm externally.
Teres minor: rotates the arm internally.
Subscapularis: holds the arm in the shoulder socket.

Why am I boring you with all this medical junk? The answer is simple. Your rotator cuff consists of small, delicate muscles which wear out or get damaged very easily. If you have shoulder pain, the chances are the pain is something to do with your rotator cuff.

The good news is that the rotator cuff will usually get better on its own, and with a little encouragement from you, you'll be back to normal pain free life in no time. Here's some ways you can help your rotator cuff heal and stop your shoulder pain.

1) Rest - take a break from any shoulder related activities for a couple of weeks. For very minor pain you can probably be back to normal in a week, for more serious pain it might take 4. Be careful though - if you rush back to doing too much you'll just suffer in pain for longer.

2) Ice - apply ice packs to your shoulder to reduce swelling and inflammation and pain. 10-20 minutes, morning and night.

3) Stretch - after a few days start gentle stretching to loosen up your shoulder joint and keep things limber. A stiff shoulder joint will just cause you more pain, and since you're not moving it around much (thanks to the rest and ice above!) there's a possibility it might stiffen up.

4) Strengthen - lastly, there are a few easy exercises you can do to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles so they are less prone to injury in the future. You can do them with a tin of beans in your own home, and they only take a few minutes a day.

By: Sarah Milton

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I have a website where I discuss shoulder blade pain and general rotator cuff issues, as well as more tips for stopping the pain quickly. Check it out at www.shoulderbladepaininfo.com.