8 Home Remedies for Shoulder Pain
When you experience shoulder pain, you can be quite literally debilitated, unable to perform any everyday task. That’s because the shoulder joint is one of the biggest in the body. It’s responsible for a huge range of motions, being able to move 360° and maneuvering both the arm and neck. Some remedies for shoulder pain are proven to help alleviate the pain and restore function.
Shoulder pain comes in many different forms and anyone at any age can experience it although the older you are, the more likely it is that you’ll suffer more aches and pains. That’s down to the reduction of soft tissue in your body. As far as other shoulder pain, it could be down to injury, repetitive strain, stress or disease.
Sometimes, strain to the tendons or torn cartilage results in limited shoulder movement and many people suffer with arthritis or bursitis – both of these are extremely painful, depending on the level of discomfort. Major diseases such as heart disease or cervical spine disease also impact strength of the shoulder and can leave you debilitated.
Of course, you can even break your shoulder or experience frozen shoulder, the latter is when your tendons, muscles and ligaments become extremely stiff. If your Humerus bone detaches itself from your shoulder’s socket, you’ll experience shoulder dislocation.
So there are lots of reasons why you might have shoulder pain. The most important aspect is to get out of pain fast but how do you do that?
Home remedies for shoulder pain
Self-Massage
If you can’t get to a massage therapist or physiotherapist you can try self-massage at home. You can either purchase a shoulder massager product or you can improvise with some tried and tested techniques.
Neck Stretch
Your neck is connected to your shoulder and stretching it gently can help to smooth out knots in the muscles. This easy exercise can be performed anywhere but it’s best to sit down on a comfortable chair and straighten your back. Looking straight ahead, raise your head as far as it can go, and then drop it so you’re facing forward again. Drop your head further into your chest, hold for a few seconds and move your head upwards back into the start position. Repeat this a few times. Then, starting with your head facing front, move your neck to one side, hold and move it back. Change sides. Repeat this a few times.
Shoulder rotations
Best tackled sitting down (although you can stand up), this loosens a stiff shoulder. Start with one shoulder, lift it gently until it can go no further and then move it round and upwards again, repeat a few times until the tension lifts. Swap shoulders and perform the same exercise on the other side.
Remedies from your Cupboard
You’ll almost definitely have some of the following ingredients that are useful in the fight against shoulder pain:
Ice
Ice should help to reduce inflammation because it slows down the blood flow to the affected area. Never apply ice direct to skin; either wrap it in a towel or use an ice compression pack which is designed for shoulder use. Don’t use ice for longer than 20 minutes per session and repeat every couple of hours up to four times a day.
Epsom salts
Epsom salts are an excellent home remedy and they’re great for boosting blood circulation. Plus you get the added benefit of a long, relaxing bath! Just run a warm bath and add two cups of Epsom salts. Mix it thoroughly and luxuriate in the bath for about 20 minutes. If shoulder pain persists, repeat the bath two or three times a week.
Garlic
This age-old remedy is a very effective pain reliever. Peel three or four bulbs of garlic and crush them together. Heat the garlic in 30ml of olive oil until it’s warm (not boiling). Rub the oil to your shoulder, kneading gently so the oil absorbs.
9 Of The Best Warming Massage Oils For Muscle Recovery
Honey and Lime Drink
Combining honey and lime is a good detoxifying drink that also acts as a pain reliever. Squeeze the juice of one lime into a glass of warm water and add a teaspoon of honey, blend well. Drink once a day to help get rid of arthritic pain in the shoulder.
There are also two excellent products available to buy that work well for reducing pain in the shoulder as follows:
Shiatsu Back, Neck & Shoulder Massager with Heat
Retailing at just under $50 (depending on where you buy it from) is this massager that produces comforting heat as it kneads the area of concern. Not just suitable for shoulders, this massager can be used on most areas of the body.
It features four large nodes and four small nodes delivering a really deep and intense massage, targeting the areas that need tension relief so you relax, all anxiety melting away! You an also adjust the intensity of massage as there are three strength levels to choose from and the bi-directional movement control auto-reverses so you get all the benefits of a professional massage administered by a top therapist. The infrared heat goes a long way to ease tension and it helps to increase blood circulation. The best bit? You can take this massager with you wherever you go as it’s entirely portable and comes in its own convenient carry bag.
Read more: Best Back Massager Models On the Market.
NatraCure Hot and Cold Compression Shoulder Support
This product is especially designed to alleviate shoulder discomfort and retails at $39.99 (depending on where you buy it from). Fitting snugly to either shoulder, it’s great for accelerating injury recovery and muscular recovery. It delivers specific pain relief to the shoulder by using a compression air pump with either hot or cold gel pack. The gel pack is easily removable and you either place it in the freezer or you heat it up gently depending on the therapy you require. The compression helps to reduce inflammation with the ice pack (use for approximately 20 to 30 minutes) and the heat gives immense relief to soreness.
Washable and reusable, this is an excellent pain-relief product to keep handy especially if you are a regular sufferer of shoulder discomfort.
