Painful Pinched Nerve in the Shoulder? Here’s What to Do!
Have you been experiencing pain, numbness or tingling, and weakness in your shoulder and down your arms? It could be caused by a pinched nerve.
A pinched nerve in the shoulder can cause significant pain and discomfort, limiting your ability to work and do everyday tasks.
If you suspect that this may be the case for you, this article will guide you on steps to take to get relief.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general educational use only, and is not meant to replace a professional diagnosis. If you are in acute pain, consult a health professional.
What Is a Pinched Nerve?
A pinched nerve occurs when there is pressure or compression on a nerve, resulting in pain, numbness, or tingling sensations. In the shoulder, this often involves the nerves running from the neck, extending into the shoulder and arm.
The brachial plexus is a network of nerves running from your neck and down your shoulders. Injury here can cause pain, numbness and weakness in the shoulder and arms. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Symptoms of a Pinched Nerve in the Shoulder
Pain in the Shoulder and Arm Pain may be sharp, aching, or burning and often worsens with specific movements.
Tingling and Numbness A sensation similar to “pins and needles” is common, especially in the arm or hand.
Muscle Weakness You may find yourself lacking strength not only in the shoulders but also down the arm. This can make it difficult to lift your arm, extend your arm, or apply force with it in certain directions.
Reduced Range of Motion You may find yourself unable to move the shoulder freely, especially when lifting the arm above the head.
What Causes a Pinched Nerve in the Shoulder
Poor Posture Habitually slouching or sitting with rounded shoulders can compress the nerves, which can injure them when this happens over a long period of time.
Sitting hunched over a desk for prolonged periods can lead to nerve irritation or injury in the shoulders and upper back.
Repetitive Motion or Overuse Repetitive activities like lifting, throwing, or pulling can irritate the shoulder nerves over time. Practising certain sports can make you more predisposed to this and other shoulder injuries.
Acute Injuries Traumas, such as sports injuries or falls, may lead to a pinched nerve in the shoulder.
Arthritis Conditions like osteoarthritis can result in joint swelling and changes that can put pressure on shoulder nerves.
What to Do If You Suspect You Have A Pinched Nerve in the Shoulder?
The first step is to rest the affected shoulder and avoid any movements that noticeably aggravate the pain (such as any sport-specific activities or exercises).
Next, you’ll want to get a professional diagnosis. That’s because a nerve injury in one area of the body can often show up as pain elsewhere; for example, pain in your shoulder can also be caused by an injury in your back. This is called “referred pain.” A proper diagnosis is important to determine the real cause of the injury.
A physiotherapist can assess your symptoms and perform various tests to determine the most likely cause of your pain, and the severity. A GP may also order an MRI scan to examine the area and check for damaged nerves.
Treatment for a Pinched Nerve in the Shoulder
The severity and causes of your pinched nerve injury will determine the path of treatment. Fortunately, most cases of pinched nerve in the shoulder will resolve with conservative treatment, including steps you can take at home, and the help of a physiotherapist.
What You Can Do
Rest and Modify Your Activity Rest is going to be crucial. You’ll want to temporarily avoid the movements that directly aggravate the area and cause pain.
Get Adequate Sleep Apart from resting the affected shoulder specifically, you’ll also want to be well-rested in general, especially if you’ve been in acute pain. For one thing, sleep is vital for nerve repair. Also, being fatigued makes you more likely to perform the poor movement patterns that lead to injury.
Mind Your Nutrition As well as sleep, make sure your hydration and nutrition are in order so your body is in the best shape to do the healing it needs to do.
Be More Conscious of Your Posture Since poor posture is a common cause of pinched nerves in the shoulder or upper back, making a conscious effort to have better posture discipline is key for healing and avoiding re-injury.
Make Your Environment More Comfortable Sometimes the poor posture can be caused by uncomfortable or poorly designed chairs or beds that keep you in a strained position. Assess your living and working environments to see if there is room for improvement, such as using more ergonomic furniture.
Take Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers OTC medications can help with your pain, but only in the short term (most OTC pain meds will advise that you do not take it for more than 10 consecutive days). Check with your GP if you have preexisting health conditions that may lead to adverse reactions or risks.
How a Physiotherapist Can Help With Your Pinched Nerve
A physiotherapist can be instrumental in not only alleviating your symptoms, but also putting you on the right path to recovery.
A physiotherapist can help you through:
Exercises and Stretches to Improve Your Symptoms Gentle stretches and strengthening exercises can improve flexibility and muscle support around the shoulder. Your physio can create an exercise plan tailored to your recovery. They can also teach you specific exercises such as nerve flossing/nerve gliding, which can help restore nerve function and reduce pain.
Posture Correction Your physio can assess your posture and see if it is contributing to your injury. They can then help teach you how to improve your posture and movement patterns, and which muscles to strengthen to reinforce them.
Manual Therapy Techniques such as massage, joint mobilization, and soft tissue release help relieve muscle tension and improve blood flow, aiding in recovery.
Heat and Ice Therapy
Alternating between heat and ice can relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Ice helps numb pain, while heat relaxes tight muscles.
Restoring Function Recovery isn’t just about alleviating pain; it’s also about restoring full use of and range of motion in your arm and shoulder. Physiotherapists can guide you on how to reintroduce movement and build stress tolerance in your shoulder, in a safe and gradual manner.
Preventing Future Injury
Physiotherapists also educate patients on ways to prevent recurrence. This may include ergonomic advice, proper lifting techniques, and posture correction to reduce the risk of future nerve issues.
When Conservative Treatments Don’t Help
Though most cases of pinched nerves will resolve with conventional treatments, there are more severe cases that require surgery. This is typically a last resort and done after a thorough evaluation.
A GP can also prescribe stronger medications for those with severe pain, and who are not finding relief with over-the-counter pain relievers.
Need Help With A Pinched Nerve In Your Shoulder?
Our expert team of physiotherapists are here to help. We’ll perform thorough assessments to accurately determine the cause of your symptoms, and use a variety of physiotherapy modalities to put you on the path to recovery and prevent reinjury.
Give us a call at 02 8808 4000 or contact us through this form to enquire. We’ll be happy to answer your questions!
