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Posted on: 17 February 2021

Torn and strained rotator cuffs can cause a lot of shoulder pain, and in many cases, the best way to repair these injuries is with surgery. But while you are awaiting your surgery date, how can you keep the pain under control? Here are a few options. You can use just one of them, or you can use several, depending on your needs.

Towel Stretches

With a lot of rotator cuff injuries, the soreness is made worse by muscles that tighten to protect the tendon. While you don't want to injure the tendon even further by over-doing it with exercise, some stretching can help relax these muscles and combat the pain. The easiest stretch to do for rotator cuff pain is usually a towel stretch. Essentially, you loop a towel behind your back, grabbing it on either end with one hand. Then, use the hand of the non-painful arm to pull the towel, creating tension to stretch your painful arm and shoulder across your back. Hold this stretched position for about 10 seconds, and then release. Repeat a few times until your shoulder feels looser, and then shake your arm a little. The pain should drop a few degrees.

Apply an Epsom Salts Pack

Epsom salts are really useful for soaking sore muscles and joints, but your shoulder is a hard body part to soak in water. So instead of directly soaking the area in Epsom salts, you can prepare an Epsom salts pack by dipping a towel or pad in a mixture of 1 cup Epsom salts and 1 cup warm water. Hold the soaked pad against your shoulder for about a half-hour. You can do this while relaxing in the bath! The magnesium in the Epsom salts will help relax the muscles and ease the pain.

Take Naproxen

Several different over-the-counter pain relievers can help relieve rotator cuff pain, but naproxen tends to be your best bet. It is an NSAID pain reliever, which meant it really works to relieve inflammation. Since inflammation is at the heart of rotator cuff pain, naproxen is very effective in this case. One dose of naproxen also lasts up to 12 hours, which means you can take one pill in the morning for all-day relief. This is easier and better for you than taking multiple doses of medications that only work for 4 hours or so.

With any luck, you'll be in for your rotator cuff surgery soon, and then your shoulder pain will be in the past. In the meantime, though, the strategies above should keep things bearable. For more information, contact shoulder pain remediation services.