What can

I do now?

Physical therapists can help lessen your pain by teaching better posture or “form” for your day-to-day activities. Your physical therapist may recommend stretching and strengthening exercises, depending on your anatomy, joint functioning, and disease progression. They can teach you how to use assistive devices, like grabbers, zipper pulls, and long-handled shoe horns and bath sponges so you can reach for things that would otherwise cause you to stretch uncomfortably or beyond your current range of motion.

Certain exercises and stretches may help. Talk with your doctor about the kinds of exercises that may strengthen the muscles around your shoulder joint, improve your range of motion, and help reduce your pain.¹

Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter or prescription anti-inflammatory medicines to help reduce the swelling and pain in your shoulder. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, and steroid medications, like corticosteroid injections, can be helpful.² Use of these medications must be monitored by your doctor.

The acronym R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Your doctor may suggest these practical and conservative approaches to help joint pain from injury or overuse. Rest to avoid further injury. Ice your shoulder on and off for 15 minutes at a time. Apply an elastic bandage for compression of your shoulder to help reduce swelling and provide some support. Elevate your shoulder when you rest by propping up your head and shoulders on a pillow or wedge. Check with your doctor to understand what treatment is right for you.

Talk with your doctor about the non-surgical approaches to decreasing your shoulder pain. If these approaches don’t lessen your pain, you’ve still got options. Learn more about surgical approaches to relieve your shoulder pain.