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Why Does Your Shoulder Hurt When You Sleep and What Helps?
While shoulder pain when sleeping may have a simple cause, like your sleep position, it’s also possible that it is the first recognizable symptom in a more severe condition. Eliminating the problem may be as simple as using a few extra pillows and regular exercise, or you may need to pursue regenerative shoulder therapy to resolve the injury and pain.
Understanding Shoulder Pain from Sleeping
When we’re awake and busy, we can distract ourselves from discomfort and unconsciously make small physical adjustments to ease aches and stress. The brain can also mitigate pain signals, making them easier to push into the background of our attention. But when we sleep, we have no distractions and far less freedom of movement. As our brain grows fatigued, it is less adept at quieting those pain signals. For these reasons, pain becomes less manageable at night.
What Causes Shoulder Pain When Sleeping?
Sleeping in a poor position can cause shoulder pain. Side sleeping pulls your spine out of proper alignment while putting undue pressure on your hips, lower back, and shoulders. However, shoulder pain when sleeping can also alert you to a more severe condition. Osteoarthritis, bursitis, rotator cuff damage, frozen shoulder, and shoulder impingement are some of the potential causes of shoulder pain when sleeping.
Common Symptoms
Osteoarthritis:
- Symptoms: Deep, aching pain in the shoulder joint, stiffness, reduced range of motion, clicking or grinding sounds, and pain that worsens with activity or at the end of the day.
Bursitis:
- Symptoms: Sharp or stabbing pain in the shoulder, swelling, tenderness around the joint, and increased pain when lying on the affected side.
Rotator Cuff Injury:
- Symptoms: Dull ache deep in the shoulder, difficulty sleeping on the affected side, arm weakness, crackling and grating sounds when moving the arm, and pain when lifting or lowering the arm.
Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis):
- Symptoms: Stiffness and restricted movement in the shoulder, pain that increases at night, and difficulty performing daily activities.
Shoulder Impingement:
- Symptoms: Persistent pain in the top of the shoulder and around the outer side, pain that worsens with movements overhead, and pain that becomes pronounced when lying on the affected shoulder.
How to Fix Shoulder Pain from Sleeping
Adjusting Your Sleeping Position
Start training yourself to sleep on your back by getting a good, medium-firm mattress. Then, make sure you have a few good-quality pillows.
Using Supportive Pillows
The goal is to improve your comfort while lying on your back and to prevent yourself from turning over in your sleep out of habit.
Practical Tips for Relieving Shoulder Pain
Regular Stretching and Exercises
Resting an injured shoulder is important, but stretching and strengthening the joint and surrounding muscles can help to ease the pain. Do not push yourself through the pain. If the pain is too severe for exercise, seek medical attention.
At times when the pain is manageable, gentle exercise like swimming, water aerobics, yoga, or T’ai Chi can help stretch and strengthen your shoulder muscles without overstraining them. The exercise will improve blood circulation to your shoulder, carrying essential nutrients to the joint and eliminating waste. Further, strengthening healthy joint muscles can ease the load on the damaged tissues.
Applying Heat or Cold Therapy
Over-the-counter painkillers or NSAIDs can help reduce pain. Consider using a topical CBD cream to relax the muscles, increase blood flow, and alleviate pain. For longer-term benefits, consider exploring shoulder joint pain relief supplements.
Exploring Regenerative Medicine for Shoulder Pain
Benefits of Regenerative Medicine for Shoulder Pain
While surgery may be necessary in some cases, regenerative medicine can achieve the same positive results as surgery without additional pain, drugs, scarring, or risks of complications. Shoulder surgery is expensive in more ways than financial. It also causes additional damage your body must heal from in addition to the original condition.
Personal Stories and Testimonials
This businessman needed a non-surgical approach to alleviating his shoulder pain. He did not miss a day of work, and now, he says, “I feel great!”
Explore our testimonials for many more success stories.
Relieving Shoulder Pain from Sleeping
If you experience shoulder pain from sleeping on your side with no other underlying cause, changing your sleeping position will remedy your pain. However, consider QC Kinetix for shoulder pain relief if your pain persists.
Schedule your free consultation to learn what we can do for you. You have nothing to lose but your pain!
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