If you have a medical history of upper arm pain, you’re not alone. Many people experience shoulder pain at some point in their life, either due to a shoulder injury, normal wear and tear, a rotator cuff tear, or other shoulder problems. Your shoulder joint, soft tissues around your upper arm muscles, and tendons and ligaments complete a wide range of motions in order for your shoulder to move properly. When one of these pieces is out of sorts, you’ll know it immediately! Shoulder pain prevents your from moving your arms normally, and can even alter your daily activities.

If you’ve gotten used to your shoulder pain, you may have forgotten what it’s like to be pain free. New shoulder pain treatments in 2019 offer pain relief for shoulder problems that utilize minimally-invasive pain treatments. The VIP Medical Group, a team of board certified, Ivy League-educated pain doctors, offer several new shoulder pain treatments in 2019 to alleviate your shoulder pain.

What Are Some New Shoulder Pain Treatments in 2019?

Many people are afraid when seeking medical advice about their shoulder pain because they fear surgery is the only option. At VIP Medical Group, our pain doctors avoid surgery and addictive narcotics in favor of new shoulder pain treatments in 2019 that utilize injections in a variety of forms. Some of the new shoulder pain treatments in 2019 include:

• Steroid Injections/Corticosteroids: Your pain doctor will administer steroid-based injections in the shoulder bursa area, which is just above the tendon. These injections reduce discomfort, alleviate shoulder irritation, and get rid of swelling. At the same time, steroid injections enable you to do strengthening exercises, which is an excellent physical therapy tool.

This type of treatment is advantageous because it targets a specific area for pain relief and provides immediate improvement. A local anesthetic is used at the injection point, so this highly-effective procedure feels no worse than a mild bee sting. New shoulder pain treatments in 2019 have long-lasting effects, and steroid injections are no exception. The typical length of pain relief lasts weeks, and even months for some patients.

• Hyaluronic Acid Injection/Viscosupplementation: Hyaluronic acid is a key component of the shoulder joint fluid called synovial fluid. It gives the joint fluid its viscous, slippery quality which enables the bones’ cartilage-covered surfaces to glide against each other. This injection treatment reduces joint friction and adds cushion to protect joints during impact.This treatment requires 3-5 visits within one week to your pain doctor, involves no prior preparation, and is completed in just a few minutes. As with steroid injections, immediate pain relief is felt, which makes this new shoulder pain treatment in 2019 highly effective.
• Platelet Rich Plasma Injection: This new shoulder pain treatment in 2019 uses an injection of your own platelets to stimulate the healing process. Your pain doctor uses an MRI to determine what kind of degenerative changes, such as arthritis, are occuring in your shoulder. Then, this information is used to pinpoint the exact location of your pain. The PRP injection is quick, relatively painless, and is an outpatient procedure.

New shoulder pain treatments in 2019 don’t need to involve dangerous surgery or addictive narcotics to provide long-lasting pain relief. At VIP Medical Group, our pain doctors utilize a wide array of new shoulder pain treatments in 2019.

What are the Different Parts of My Shoulder?

A shoulder completes a wide range of movements when you move your arms, head, and neck. In order to understand the cause of your shoulder pain, learning about your shoulder joint’s anatomy helps narrow down new shoulder pain treatments in 2019.

Much like your knee joint, your shoulder joint has a ball-socket joint that enables your arm to roll in every direction. Surprisingly, for such a complex range of motion, the shoulder joint only consists of two bones. The top part of the upper arm bone is the humeral head, and it fits into the other bone, called the shoulder blade. The humeral head is held in place by thick layers of cartilage.

Next, rotator cuff muscles provide stability within the shoulder. Rotator cuff tendons are attached to the shoulder blade, and are also affected when the shoulder blade’s range of motion is limited. Rotator cuff tears and injuries are a result of this limited range of motion. If you’re ready to seek treatment for shoulder pain, the pain doctors at VIP Medical Group have a wide variety of new shoulder pain treatments in 2019.

What is Causing My Shoulder Problems?

In addition to the thorough discussion of your specific shoulder pain concerns and new shoulder pain treatments in 2019, your pain doctor also diagnoses the cause of your pain issues. Some common causes of shoulder pain include:

• Shoulder Osteoarthritis: Oѕtеоаrthrіtіѕ is the mоѕt соmmоn tуре of аrthrіtіѕ and іѕ раrtісulаrlу seen among older people. Oѕtеоаrthrіtіѕ commonly аffесtѕ thе саrtіlаgе covering the еndѕ оf bоnеѕ whеrе thеу meet tо fоrm a joint. Hеаlthу cartilage lets bоnеѕ glіdе оvеr еасh оthеr and аbѕоrbѕ еnеrgу frоm thе ѕhосk of рhуѕісаl movement. People with oѕtеоаrthrіtіѕ suffer from stiffness and joint pains in various parts of the body, especially the elbow, knees, hips, shoulder, neck, lower back, wrist, and finger joints.
• Shoulder Bursitis/Shoulder Impingement Syndrome: Shoulder Bursitis, also known as Shoulder Impingement Syndrome, affects the shoulder bursa. Due to consistent movements of the shoulder or a mild injury, the bursa can get inflamed and painful. The bursa is padding located between the rotator cuff and the acromion bone. If the rotator cuff tendons get pinched in the thin gap below the acromion, the bursa and tendons can both become swollen and irritated. As a result, the muscles of the shoulder complex and rotator cuff may become weak and let the shoulder slide up in the socket. This can lead to more impingement and substantial shoulder ache.

Don’t spend another day living with shoulder pain. Contact the pain doctors at VIP Medical Group and see how their new shoulder pain treatments in 2019 can alleviate your shoulder problems and provide long-lasting pain relief.