The Pain & Injury Doctor ONLINE Newsletter
Here is your latest pain relief tip. If it doesn’t apply to you, still take note because life is full of surprises. If you know someone who is dealing with this type of pain, please forward this email to that person– thanks!
Shoulder Joint Pain – What You Can Do
What is Happening:
The shoulder joint is the most versatile joint in the body, capable of a wide range of motion due to its special design. But this means the shoulder joint is more susceptible to breakdown, compared to other more rigid joints.
The most common sources of pain in the shoulder joint are: strained tendons and ligaments; tears in the joint capsule (rotator cuff tear); cartilage erosion and bursa inflammation (a common cause of frozen shoulder). Sometimes hard calcium deposits form on internal structures of the shoulder, making the problem worse.
Recommended Home Therapy Products Covered in Today’s Issue:
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Self-Treatment for Shoulder Joint Pain:
1. Use red light therapy, myofascial release and a topical agent to heal strained ligaments and tendons:
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TendLite Personal Red Light Therapy Device
Studies show that red light has therapeutic effects on human tissue, similar to how sunlight stimulates plants to produce energy (sugar) in their leaves. It stimulates cells to increase ATP (energy) production, which enhances tissue repair and regeneration, and reduces inflammation.
The TendLite device is a simple to use tool effective for common strains, sprains, joint pain and any soft tissue condition involving inflammation. It works great in conjunction with myofascial therapy and topical anti-inflammatory agents.
Watch this video where I demonstrate the technique:
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MyoBar Myofascial Therapy Tool
Therapists use this instrument to treat ligaments and tendons that have scar tissue adhesions, which usually develop after soft tissues experience injury. The action of this tool breaks apart scar tissue and increases blood flow, improving ligament and tendon mobility. Use right after red light therapy for best results.
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Penetrex
Penetrex is a best-selling topical pain relieving cream that delivers Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine, Arnica, MSM, Cetyl Myristoleate, Glucosamine, Boswellia Serrata and other proven pain relief elements deep into muscles, nerves, ligaments & tendons. The resulting relief is quick, strong & long lasting. Apply it to the painful joint before or after red light therapy. It can also be used as an emollient for instrument assisted myofascial therapy.
The TDP infrared lamp is also a good thing to have if you have joint pain, especially shoulder, knee or hip. Infrared lamps emit deep-penetrating heat capable of reaching all the way into the joint capsule:
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Professional Infrared Heat Lamp
This lamp is popular with acupuncturists, chiropractors and physical therapists. It delivers deep-penetrating infrared light and heat to muscles and joints. Infrared light increases cellular ATP production (energy) which enhances healing of injured tissues and reduces inflammation. The heat increases local circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the treated area. Great for treating thick muscles, shoulder joints (especially frozen shoulder), knees, hips and spine.
Other Helpful Tips:
–Avoid sleeping on your side. Side sleeping can cause shoulder pain to develop over time. Sleeping on your back is preferred. If you must sleep on your side, I recommend getting a TempurPedic mattress. This visco-elastic, springless mattress supports pressure points like the shoulder without pushing into it like a spring coil mattress does.
-Add bone broth soup to your diet, made from animal bones: beef & pork joints; chicken and turkey carcasses (chop them up after eating the bird and save them in the freezer), and large fish spines and heads, especially salmon (high in heart-healthy Omega-3 oils).
-Increase consumption of alliums (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts) as they are high in sulfur, an element critical to protein synthesis (collagen, elasting, muscle).
– Apply Comfrey Root salve around your joint to enhance soft tissue regeneration:
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Comfrey Root Salve
Dr. Theiss comfrey root ointment gives remarkable results for minor sprains and strains. It can also help heal ligament strains associated with the shoulder. Comfrey root extract contains a natural substance called allantoin, which hydrates cells, helps remove dead cells and facilitates cellular regeneration in injured tissue. Good for ligament, tendon and muscle sprains and strains. Do not take internally or on open wounds, as high concentrations are toxic to the liver.
Recommended Rehabilitative Exercises for Shoulder Joint Pain
Do arm circles once a day. It is very easy to go through a day or even several days without raising your arms above your shoulders. When this happens, parts of your shoulder joint don’t get lubricated, which promotes cartilage degeneration. Make it a habit to raise your arm above shoulder level daily, a couple of times.
Watch this video that illustrates an exercise for this purpose.
Gravity traction: While standing with good side leg forward, bent at the knee with the other (bad side) leg back, brace yourself using your good arm on your good knee or sturdy chair as you bend forward, spine straight. Grab a 5 lb. dumbbell with your bad side arm and let the weight of it traction your bad shoulder joint. Rock your upper body gently in small circles to build up momentum of the dumbbell so it moves in a small, circular pattern. Do not use your arm muscles to move the dumbbell, let the momentum move it. Reverse directions; then go side to side, up and down.
Watch this video where I demonstrate these exercises
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TheraBand Exercise Tubing
Theraband is what professionals use to help their patients regain their strength after injury, and now you can, too. Use Theraband exercise tubing to rehabilitate and strengthen joints. Easy to use, it comes in light, medium and heavy resistance tubes. Simply cut a 2′ section and make loops on each end. Secure one end to an immobile object and use the other end to exercise your joint.
Start out with the least resistance (Light, yellow color), then increase resistance as you are able. The length of the tube should be about 1/2 the distance from the floor to your shoulder. While standing, place one loop over your foot (on the same side of the affected shoulder). Grab the other end of the loop and with arm straight, raise your arm to shoulder height, starting from the 12 o’clock position. Work your way down to the 6 o’clock position, one or two reps per o’clock (12-1-2-3-4-5-6 o’clock on the right; 12-11-10-9-8-7-6 o’clock on the left). Do with your palm facing up, then palm facing down. Do not do if it increases your pain.
BOTTOM LINE: Shoulder joint pain is typically caused by strained ligaments. Some cases involve inflamed bursae, and some are due to cartilage erosion. The goal is to reduce inflammation using red light therapy; smoothing out scar tissue with a myofascial intrument; applying comfrey root ointment to accelerate soft tissue repair, and rehabilitate using theraband resistance exercise once the acute pain is gone. Also, remember to raise your arms above your head several times during the day, as this action ensures lubrication of the entire humeral head.
These are some of the products I recommend to patients complaining of rotator cuff, frozen shoulder and similar shoulder joint pain presentations. They are generally safe to use, but check with your doctor. ~Dr. Perez
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The information contained in this email and on www.PainandInjuryDoctor.com is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as a medical directive. It is provided as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dan Perez, D.C. Every person is unique, and individual cases of pain are therefore unique. Dr. Perez encourages readers of PainandInjuryDoctor.com to use available sources of information to help them make a more educated and informed decision regarding their health, in partnership with one or more qualified health care professionals.
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