Shoulder Pain

Pain Management & Anesthesiology located in Augusta, Austell, Brookhaven, Camp Creek, Piedmont/Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Conyers, Covington, Dallas, Douglasville, Jasper, Johns Creek, Suwanne, Lawrenceville, Marietta, Peachtree City, Roswell, and Woodstock, GA

Shoulder pain is a common problem that frequently recurs and becomes a chronic issue, even after conventional medical treatment. If you have chronic shoulder pain, don’t wait to meet with the experienced providers at Alliance Spine & Pain. They offer interventional and restorative treatments that speed up healing, reduce inflammation, and provide substantial pain relief. To learn more, call one of the offices in Austell, Augusta, Woodstock, Atlanta, Marietta, Conyers, Lawrenceville, Jasper, Cartersville, Dallas, Suwanee, Covington, Carrollton, Canton, Sandy Springs, Douglasville, Peachtree City, or Roswell, Georgia, or book an appointment online today.

Shoulder Pain Q & A

What causes shoulder pain?

Your shoulder consists of three bones, four joints, many ligaments, and the rotator cuff. Though problems can develop in any part of the shoulder, pain frequently signals a rotator cuff injury.

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons. The tendons connect to the shoulder blade and the top of your arm bone, creating a cuff-like structure that stabilizes the joint and controls your arm movement. The rotator cuff tendons often develop tears and inflammation as a result of daily wear and tear.

Conditions that frequently cause pain in all the shoulder parts include:

Osteoarthritis
Bursitis
Tendonitis
Fractures
Rotator cuff tears
Biceps tendon tears
Shoulder dislocations
Chronic instability
Labral tears (injury to the ring of cartilage around the joint)
Frozen shoulder (inner part of the rotator cuff becomes stiff and tight)
Shoulder impingement syndrome (arm and shoulder bones rub the rotator cuff)

Sometimes, having a pinched nerve or another problem in the neck leads to shoulder pain.

What symptoms accompany shoulder pain?

If you have shoulder pain, chances are you will also experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Arm weakness
Pain when using your arm
Difficulty using your arm
Muscle spasms
Joint clicking
Limited range of motion
Bruising and swelling

Shoulder dislocations and labral or rotator cuff tears can lead to chronic shoulder instability and recurrent dislocations.

How is shoulder pain treated?

The first line of treatment for shoulder pain includes anti-inflammatory medications, immobilizing the shoulder, steroid injections, and physical therapy. The next step in your care may include interventional and regenerative medicine therapies.

Your Alliance Spine & Pain provider may recommend:

Nerve blocks
Trigger point injections
Radiofrequency ablation
Spinal cord stimulation
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) therapy

During an interventional procedure, your provider uses real-time imaging to guide an injection or deliver treatments to specific nerves.

For example, they use a specialized needle to send a short burst of radiofrequency energy into the nerve carrying pain signals. The energy’s heat wounds the nerve, blocking the signals, and providing long-lasting pain relief.

Regenerative therapies, such as PRP and BMAC, contain the body’s natural healing cells that may reduce inflammation and rebuild damaged shoulder tissues.

To learn more about your treatment options for shoulder pain, call Alliance Spine & Pain or use online booking to request an appointment today.