If you’re suffering from shoulder pain, you know it’s a big deal. You don’t realize just how often you use your shoulder until it hurts every time you move it.
While your pain can range from mild to severe and the potential causes are many, there’s one common denominator among everyone who’s dealing with shoulder pain: You want it to go away!
One of the best treatments for shoulder pain is shock wave therapy. Dr. Shoeb Mohiuddin and the team at Regenerative Pain & Spine love to treat patients and remove their pain with this therapy. Here’s how it works.
What causes shoulder pain?
One of the most common causes of shoulder pain occurs when rotator cuff tendons become inflamed or damaged. This can be called rotator cuff tendinitis or bursitis. Other typical causes of shoulder pain include arthritis, bone spurs, bone fractures, a shoulder dislocation or separation, or even poor posture.
You should see a doctor for an assessment of your shoulder pain if you can’t lift your arm, the pain lasts longer than a few days, or if your shoulder looks abnormal or swollen.
Once Dr. Mohiudden examines your shoulder to narrow down the cause of your pain, he’ll be ready to create a custom treatment plan for you.
How does shock wave therapy work?
One of the leading therapies for treating chronic, unresolved shoulder pain is shock wave shoulder therapy, which sends high-energy, high-pressure sound waves deep into the shoulder. Once these waves reach the affected tissues, they cause irritation to the damaged tissues, which helps the body know the area is injured.
This irritation jumpstarts the body’s healing process as it begins to send growth factors to the area to aid in healing. The body also releases stem cells, and increases capillary production, which improves blood flow so the body can heal at a higher, faster capability than if it had not been stimulated.
While every patient is different, typical shock wave treatment protocols call for one treatment a week for four to six weeks. You should notice an immediate reduction in pain and increase in mobility even after the first treatment, and your results will continue to improve as you go through more treatments.
If you’ve tried other treatments and you’re ready to see if shock wave therapy can help your shoulder, contact Regenerative Pain & Spine for help. Just call one of our four offices or use our online scheduler to book an appointment!
