About 15% of Albertans experience consistent shoulder pain, and many more will have shoulder injuries. These issues can prevent you from simple tasks such as carrying groceries, washing your hair, and hugging your loved ones.
Shoulder pain can include reduced range of motion, weakness, and pain during movement. This pain may be local to the shoulder or extend down the arm and up into the neck. It will often disturb sleep and make day-to-day activities difficult.
Our Lethbridge pain clinic doctors are educated to diagnose the true cause of your shoulder pain. They will create a comprehensive, research-driven treatment plan including prolotherapy, trigger point injections, acupuncture, and shockwave therapy. These therapies have been shown to decrease shoulder pain.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain that Our Lethbridge Pain Clinic Treats:
- Rotator cuff injury
- Bursitis
- SLAP lesions
- Tendinopathy
- Impingement syndrome
- AC injury
- Frozen shoulder
Conventional Shoulder Pain Treatments
Conventional treatments for shoulder pain include painkillers. While these may work in the short term, long-term use of these medications can cause serious issues such as addiction and liver problems.
When medication does not work, people may receive cortisone shots to resolve shoulder pain. While this may work in some cases, cortisone has several serious risks such as damaging nerve fibres and cartilage, thinning and discolouring the skin, and weakening or rupturing tendons. It is crucial to explore long-term management options for your pain that will help promote tissue healing.
