It is impossible to say with certainty which treatment is the best, as factors such as the cause, nature and extent of shoulder pain vary, as well as individual patient differences lead to different treatments and outcomes.
For occasional shoulder pain, it can be improved by applying heat, taking adequate rest and adjusting lifestyle habits, specifically by paying attention to cold and warmth; correcting poor posture, such as ensuring correct sitting and standing posture, not staying in one position for too long, reducing prolonged ambulation and head bowing; strengthening the neck and collar muscles, avoiding excessive weight bearing, strenuous exercise and trauma, etc.
If shoulder pain is not relieved by rest and continues to recur, or even gets progressively worse, it is advisable to seek medical advice to identify the specific cause and carry out systematic treatment.
Some of the conditions that can cause shoulder pain are listed below.
Frozen shoulder: It is self-limiting and can usually heal on its own, but some patients cannot return to normal function. Patients with frozen shoulder need to be treated as soon as possible, including medication, physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises. Patients should be encouraged to move their shoulder joints more to reduce shoulder pain and adhesions, thereby maintaining shoulder mobility and speeding up recovery.
Trauma to the shoulder joint: This includes shoulder dislocation, fractures and ligament injuries. After a shoulder injury, care should be taken not to move the shoulder at will and to keep the shoulder joint braked. Treatment consists mainly of repositioning, fixation and functional exercise of the shoulder joint. Medication mainly includes analgesics, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, non-opioid central analgesics, etc.
Cervical spondylosis: including conservative treatment and surgical modalities, the treatment of this disease is mainly conservative, especially for patients with mild symptoms and a short course of disease, conservative treatment is preferred (including life management, neck braking, physiotherapy, medication, etc.). Patients with a combination of spinal cord or spinal nerve root compression symptoms who have failed to respond to conservative treatment will require surgery.
In addition, conditions such as coronary heart disease, cholecystitis and cholelithiasis may also cause shoulder pain and treatment varies, and patients need to follow strict doctor’s instructions for treatment.