Is Shoulder Pain Affecting Your Life?

 

What is shoulder bursitis?

Shoulder bursitis can be a painful and very annoying condition. It often starts gradually and gets worse over time. For many people it is caused by a combination of poor posture, shoulder instability, and repetitive shoulder movements over time.

These factors can irritate the fluid filled sac (bursa) in the shoulder. The bursa help to reduce friction between bone and soft tissue of the shoulder. The irritation of the bursa causes it to swell and become painful, resulting in shoulder pain. 

 

Why your shoulder pain is worse when you sleep

When you sleep on your side the prolonged pressure on the shoulder compresses and irritates the already swollen and painful structures in the shoulder. This causes an increase in shoulder pain that wakes you during the night. 

 

3 Tips to help relieve your shoulder pain 

• Make a conscious effort to sleep on your back or the unaffected shoulder. 
• Switch up your routine. Start using your other arm for repetitive things like computer work, hanging out washing, carrying bags, or gardening.  
• Seek professional help. If your shoulder pain is just not getting better it might be time to seek help from a professional that has experience in this area. 

 

Enquire today for more information or to learn more about our Free 15 Minute shoulder assessment. 

 

BONUS.  See our related articles on shoulder pain: 7 Ways To Relieve Shoulder Pain, Frozen Shoulder, The Rotator Cuff.

 

Ryan Samuels
Acupuncturist and Herbalist

 

 

 

References

Dutton, Mark, Dutton’s Orthopaedic Examination, Evaluation and Intervention (McGraw-Hill Companies, 3rd ed, 2012)

McDonald J, Janz S. The Acupuncture Evidence Project: A Comparative Literature Review (Revised edition). © Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association Ltd, 2017: http://www.acupuncture.org.au.