Thursday, December 18, 2008

Naturally Healing Shoulder Pain

By Gray Rollins

This article will explain rotator cuff injuries briefly and tell you about some natural treatments which you can use if you are ever faced with a rotator cuff injury yourself. Let's begin with an explanation of what a rotator cuff injury is and then go into a little bit about how to treat these injuries naturally.

What are rotator cuff injuries?

Rotator cuff injuries are a very common problem in older people. These injuries often result from a natural process in which the muscle and tendon in the rotator cuff are worn down over time.

The natural degeneration which is part of the aging process makes rotator cuff injuries much more common in the elderly. These injuries commonly include inflammation or tears in the muscle or tendons. There are other causes for these injuries, but the aging process and its related degeneration is the most common. Other causes include trauma or repetitive motion injuries, such as are suffered by construction or factory workers who frequently have to carry heavy items over their heads. Athletes are also subject to rotator cuff injuries, since they often engage in repetitive motion during their athletic pursuits.

How do I know if I have a Rotator cuff injury?

Rotator cuff injuries are often characterized by pain on the top of the shoulder or on the outer side of the shoulder. This pain will grow worse over time and is more intense when performing lifting motions with the arms.

Rotator Cuff injury treatments:

There are several treatments for Rotator cuff injuries. Below we will discuss a few natural remedies that have proven to be quite beneficial for Rotator Cuff injuries:

Heat: Treating muscle injuries with heat works for almost every muscle injury, including rotator cuff injuries. Heat treatment will alleviate pain and inflammation.

Cold: When you are experiencing pain from your rotator cuff injury, an ice pack placed on the shoulder can also help to lessen the pain and inflammation of a rotator cuff injury.

Rest: This is another natural method which can alleviate the pain of a rotator cuff injury. Resting will help you to recover from your injury more quickly.

Move your arm: I know it will hurt, but try moving your arm continually to avoid temporary paralysis and stiffness.

Medical treatments are also available to treat rotator cuff injuries, among them cortisone injections, heat ultrasound therapies and in extreme cases, surgery to repair the damage. However, natural remedies are better in most cases. Rotator cuff injuries are not in and of themselves dangerous and can be treated using the aforementioned natural methods. However, if the injury is a serious one, you should definitely seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Never just assume that a serious injury will go away on its own.

So to conclude, in case you are suffering from rotator cuff injury, follow the abovementioned remedies and you will be fine. But if you think that the injury is serious then consulting a doctor is a must. So analyze your situation and get yourself treated accordingly. - 16083

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