Lasting Relief for Stiff and Painful Neck and Shoulders

The neck and shoulders can become sore through injury, bad posture, or even awkward sleeping positions. The most common type of injury however for neck and right or left shoulder pain sufferers is soft tissue injury. Your muscles, ligaments, and tendons are examples of soft tissue. By their very nature, these tissues can become inflamed and sore due to strain or trauma. These can lead to a variety of injuries, including whiplash, tendonitis, torn ligaments, rotator cuff injury, and bursitis. Your APC Physio will readily diagnose the type of injury and offer you suitable treatment and effective relief.

When the pain radiates from the neck to the shoulder blade, this indicates nerve involvement. A common cause for radiating pain is an injury that causes nearby tissues to compress the nerves. This symptom is called cervical radiculopathy, or ‘pinched nerve’. It can be due to disc herniation, as seen in degenerative disc diseases like cervical spondylosis. Also, it can just as easily be caused by the kind of ‘wear and tear’ changes that people experience with age, such as arthritis. Our experienced and knowledgeable physiotherapists in Cork and Fermoy will be able to examine your neck and shoulders to diagnose your condition.

Neck and shoulder pain are a common yet troubling ailment. With a change of posture, sleeping habits, or mattress, the pain usually goes away in a matter of weeks. During that time, over the counter pain relief may be used to reduce the pain temporarily, provided the doses are adequate and they do not interact with other medication.

Aside from the common causes of shoulder and neck pain mentioned above, there are a few conditions that are dangerous and even life-threatening. This includes organ abnormalities and bone conditions. Also, a broken shoulder blade or collarbone can cause right or left shoulder blade pain. This occurs due to falls and other types of trauma. But if this is a type of “referred” pain, then even if it is perceived as neck pain or pain between shoulders, it can have a very different origin. The cause could be a heart attack, gallbladder disease, or pleurisy, for instance. Highly trained physiotherapists can refer you for in-depth investigations, including private MRI scans and HIDA scans.

If neck, left or right shoulder pain lasts for more than 2-3 weeks, radiates down the arms or the legs, or comes with headaches, weakness, numbness, or tingling, it’s best to seek professional help. At APC Physio, we can help you get to the bottom of this pain quickly.

It’s not uncommon for people to receive conflicting advice, not just from friends and family, but also from the different professionals. The people that come to see us have usually tried it all. This includes physio, shoulder pain exercises, losing weight, changing posture, changing mattresses and pillows, having massages, applying compresses, taking over the counter medication, etc. but nothing seems to work. For this very reason, if you need help managing your pain, we recommend that you see an APC Physio for a bespoke pain relief experience.

There are various massage techniques, most of which aim to realign your tissues and relieve discomfort and pain between shoulder blades using pressure. Some work on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, spine, neck, etc. However, not all of them are suitable for all types of pain. For example, there are times when weakness in a muscle causes the pain, and the only solution would be to exercise the muscle back to its former glory. At APC Physio, our experienced specialists can help where others have failed.

Stress doesn’t cause neck or shoulder pain directly. But it can influence sleep patterns, posture, behaviours, and the way we perceive, respond to, and handle pain. By steering clear of situations that cause anxiety, burnout, and mental health conditions to manifest, people can minimise their physical discomfort. And when we’re exposed to stress, it helps to learn to improve the way the body responds to it. Your APC Physiotherapist can help you control your breathing, posture, and behaviour in times of stress to minimise the damage.

Pillows can align and support your spine while you sleep. But they are not made equal. Finding the right one for your sleeping position and habits doesn’t come easy when there are so many different types of pillows to choose from. Cervical pillows, memory foam pillows, bolster pillows, wedge pillows, V-shaped pillows, and goose down pillows are some of the most popular types. They can come with divots and grooves for better support, built-in gel pads for cooling, and high or low lofts to improve posture. If you’re not happy with your pillow, the staff at APC Physio can help you make the right choices for you.