Why do I have shoulder pain?

Your shoulder is a highly mobile, ball-and-socket joint that rotates 360 degrees and moves upward, downward, frontward, and backward. That amazing degree of mobility, though, comes with a downside. To enable free movement, the socket part of your shoulder is shallow, which increases the amount of stress on supporting tendons, ligaments, muscles, and other tissues.

As an orthopedic surgeon and sport-medicine specialist, Dr. Woodson is an expert at treating a wide variety of shoulder pain disorders. Some of the most common reasons why your shoulder hurts are:

Rotator cuff tear

Shoulder instability

Clavicle fracture

Impinged nerve

Inflamed tendons

Sprains or strains

Arthritis

Frozen shoulder

Sometimes your shoulder pain is caused by tense neck muscles that radiate to your shoulder. Dr. Woodson and his team diagnose the reason for your pain by examining your shoulder, evaluating your range of motion, and ordering imaging studies, if necessary.

How do doctors treat shoulder pain?

Because Dr. Woodson is a sports-medicine specialist as well as an orthopedic surgeon, he recommends the least invasive, most supportive therapies whenever possible. Some early interventions and first-line remedies for shoulder pain could include:

Physical therapy

Strengthening exercises

Changing the way you move

Temporarily immobilizing shoulder with a sling

Joint injections with steroids or anesthetics

He might also recommend state-of-the-art regenerative medicine therapies that bolster your body’s ability to heal and regenerate damaged tissue. Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections are made from a concentrated version of your blood. You could also benefit from stem-cell therapy, which may be derived from your fat or bone marrow.

Do I need surgery for my shoulder pain?

If you’ve torn your rotator cuff, have advanced arthritis, or have other severe damage to your shoulder, Dr. Woodson may recommend surgery or shoulder joint replacement. He’s one of the first surgeons to perform an innovative, minimally invasive surgical method of repairing the rotator cuff.

If you need a shoulder replacement, he works with a top hospital that’s renowned for its excellence in joint replacement. He also uses robotic surgery and advanced technology and materials to minimize trauma and shorten your recovery time.

To find out why you have shoulder pain and restore your mobility, contact Dr. Woodson’s highly trained team by phone today to schedule your appointment.