Your shoulders are used for a lot of things, whether at work, when driving, lifting stuff, or even moving about during the day. These activities put your shoulders at risk of injuries, bone, and tissue impingements that result in different levels of pain. If you are suffering from shoulder pain, there are some home remedies to help, and we divide them into cold and heat therapy.
Cold Therapy and Its Usage
When a part of your body, such as your shoulder is inflamed, cold therapy such as the use of ice can narrow the blood vessels and reduce swelling by keeping fluids and blood away from the injured area.
It is best to treat shoulder swellings, pain, and injury is to using a cold shoulder pack for three days, thrice a day, for 15 to 20 minutes or until there’s no more swelling.
Head Therapy and its Usage
Heat therapy should come after cold therapy so it should be applied two to three days after the injury or after the swelling subsides. Heat works to relax the stiff shoulders and muscles, and support blood circulation. Some examples of heat therapy at home are steam baths, hot showers, saunas, warm damp towels, or a heated shoulder wrap that can help loosen tight muscles.
Shoulder Injuries and the best therapy: Heat vs Cold
Since there are several types of shoulder injuries, let us tell you the best therapy for the most common shoulder issues.
-
Arthritis
People suffering from arthritis often suffer stiffness, joint pain, and grinding joints. Start with cold therapy to ease the pain, and then follow with a heated shoulder wrap after the swelling is gone because it eases the joints.
-
Rotator cuff tendonitis, biceps tendonitis, and Bursitis
These conditions are painful inflammations along the shoulder, upper back, and upper arm regions. For any of these conditions, use an ice pack on the affected area to inflammation and pain. Do this for about 15-20 minutes at 3 or 4-hour intervals. In three to four days, the swelling must have reduced and you can use warm packs to relax and heal your muscles.
Using heat and cold therapies together
If for any reason you have to alternate between hot and cold therapy for shoulder pain, begin with ice therapy for 20 minutes, and then use heat therapy for 15 minutes. The alteration will remove inflammation from the injured area and prevent it from re-entering.
Heated shoulder wraps for shoulder pain treatment
Shoulder compression goes a long way to prevent more swelling while the injury is being treated to avoid a slow or worsening healing process. Your best bet is a heated shoulder wrap that comes with adjustable straps for comfort and a snug fit. Heated shoulder wraps are great for speedy muscle recovery and are best for knee rheumatic arthritis as well.
Final Thoughts
Some other home-based remedies you can use for shoulder pain and injuries include massages and resting your shoulders from work.
Bear in mind that people suffering from diabetes, nerve disorders multiple sclerosis, and vascular diseases shouldn’t use cold and hot packs. If you also have hypertension and heart disease, seek advice from a doctor before you proceed.
