Have you ever wondered why your shoulder does not listen to your brain? You try to lift your arm to get something off a high rack, and your shoulder refuses to cooperate! Often many women and men suffer from a stiff shoulder that renders them incapable of doing several household chores. They can’t get past simple day-to-day activities including driving downtown!
A stiff shoulder is something that just about anybody can get, irrespective of age and gender. Men and women, young and old, everyone knows how debilitating shoulder pain could be. Indulging in sports such as wrestling, football, swimming, white water rafting can cause a painful shoulder. A pinched nerve in the spine or muscle sprain while asleep could be common reasons for shoulder pain among adults.
The good news is that mild to moderate shoulder pain caused due to muscular sprain, overuse of a muscle group and fatigue can be effectively treated at home with great ease. Take a look at these shoulder pain home remedies to alleviate your agony.
Shoulder Pain Remedies that Work!
1. Cool It Down With Some Ice:
Applying an ice pack is the first step towards instant relief in case of most muscular injuries. Whenever you get an aching shoulder, just walk to your refrigerator without a second thought. Make an ice pack and apply it on the sore area for 10 minutes. Take a break for 10 minutes. Now put the ice pack back on for another 10 minutes. It soothes the shoulder by helping release the muscle tension.
2. Shrug It Off!
You can literally make your pain go away by shrugging. Shrugging works like an exercise. It moves the shoulder muscles in the most optimum way, helping ease the tension in the muscles and tendons in the shoulder. So just shrug a couple of times every hour and say goodbye to your pain.
3. Warm It Up With A Massage:
Massaging with pain-relief ointments works really well for an agonized shoulder. The ointment penetrates deep within, providing instant warmth to soothe the muscles. Get someone to gently rub the pain-relief ointment with their fingertips on the sore area of your shoulder and massage it. Cover it up with warm clothing and take rest. Avoid going outdoors when the ointment is on.
4. Pop A Pill!
OTC analgesics such as ibuprofen or naproxen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that help bring down the swelling in your shoulder and relieve pain. However, don’t exceed the recommended dosage or take tablets for a longer period of time. If your pain refuses to go away, it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor.
5. Chill For A While:
Rest is always good when you don’t feel well. Always listen to your body. Take a load off and let your body heal. Resting the elbow by your side using an arm sling is a good idea. It helps restore proper alignment between the bones of the back, neck, arm and shoulder. The key is not to overdo it or you may end up having a frozen shoulder. Alternatively, you can use an arm rest to rest your elbow.
6. What’s With The Pillow?
If you are someone who sleeps on their side, your pillow could probably be the reason behind your frequent episodes of painful shoulders. A thin pillow is not suitable for people sleeping on their side. It messes up with the alignment between the bones of the shoulder, spine and neck. A chunky pillow is a good choice as it fills up the gap between your ears and the mattress, and keeps your upper body in the right posture as you sleep through the night. The pillow should not be too chunky, but just enough. That’s it and this is a good shoulder pain remedy.
7. Beef Up Your Muscles!
If you experience shoulder pain due to weak muscles, you can alleviate the problem by improving your diet. Including protein-rich foods such as pulses, chicken, salmon, tuna, soy, etc ensures healthy muscle growth. This tip is very useful for people who engage in rigorous physical activities.
8. Spice It Up!
Hot peppers contain capsaicin, a chemical that renders them their hotness. Jalepeno, habanero, cayenne peppers are effective anti-inflammatory ingredients in your kitchen. Try adding some hot peppers to your food everyday for shooing your shoulder pain away! Again, the key is not to overdo it.
9. Smell Rosemary!
Rosemary is an anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic agent. You can use fresh or dry rosemary to treat your aching shoulder. Toss in a couple of spoonfuls of rosemary in 500 ml of water and bring it to boil. Leave it to steep for 30 minutes. Dip a cloth in the rosemary solution and drain the excess liquid. Place this warm, lovely smelling cloth on your sore shoulder for a few minutes. Use this home remedy for shoulder pain twice a day for a noticeable improvement.
10. Stretch A Little:
Stretching is a fantastic way to unwind your muscles. We modern-day Homo sapiens spend hours together, glued to our computer screens. Getting a sore shoulder is an everyday story for most of us. But taking a break and stretching your arms and pectoral muscles will keep your body flexible. Get up from that chair and stretch, walk around for 5 minutes and bid adieu to shoulder pain! Make sure you don’t stretch frantically, or you might pull a nerve.
A mild shoulder pain is not much of a problem. When the pain is on the scale of moderate to severe, it interferes with our routine and renders us incapable of performing the simplest of tasks. Why let the pain get the better of us? Use any of the home remedies for shoulder pain that you like the most and get rid of that weakening pain.
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