Home Remedies for Sore Shoulder

The shoulder is a highly mobile structure composed of several joints, along with numerous muscles, tendons and ligaments. We commonly call on this structure to perform various everyday activities and athletic maneuvers, and minor injury of the shoulder is sometimes the result. Fortunately, there are several straightforward options for home-care treatment of sore shoulder.

Determining the Suitability of Self-Care

• According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, most injuries to the shoulder involve damage to soft tissue structures rather than bone. Common sources of pain include tendonitis (tendon inflammation or degeneration), bursitis (inflammation of the fluid-filled bursa sac), arthritis (degenerative changes in a joint) and direct injury. If the pain in your shoulder is severe, you should see a doctor right away for a full examination and diagnosis. However, if your pain is relatively minor, you may choose to treat your shoulder at home.

Cold Treatment and Rest

• Begin treating your sore shoulder by applying an ice pack or other cold source to diminish any inflammation. Leave the cold source in place for up to 15 minutes, then remove it. If pain is still present, use repeated 15-minute cycles of cold with breaks in between. Make sure not to put the cold source directly on your skin. If needed, treat your shoulder in this manner three to four times daily for a period of two or three days.

  Combine this cold treatment with simple rest of your affected shoulder. Make sure to avoid any activity that aggravates your injury, such as reaching overhead, lifting heavy objects or repeatedly extending your arms. You may also need to temporarily limit participation in sports or certain forms of vigorous exercise.

Medications

• To increase your pain relief, you may use over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve). Be aware that regular use of these products can trigger side effects, including stomach bleeding and liver and kidney damage. Make sure to follow all dosing instructions, and cease use of any NSAID at the time indicated.

Exercise

• You can also ease your shoulder pain with some basic range-of-motion exercises. Try bending over at your hip and rotating your affected shoulder straight down in small circles. If this is effective, you may increase the size of the rotation. Stop at the first sign of additional pain. As an alternative, you can attach a length of elastic band to a doorknob in a closed doorway. Stand with the side of your shoulder toward the door, and with your arm bent at 90 degrees. While holding the band by its handle, pull it gently across your abdomen as many as 10 times. Again, stop if you feel pain.

Precautions

• Continuing soreness may indicate deeper problems that you cannot treat at home. If your pain does not improve after several days, or if it worsens at any point, see your doctor for a proper diagnosis. You can also ask your doctor or a physical therapist about additional home treatment options.