Many people are surprised to find out that they are limited in a lot of ways when they have shoulder pain. You may expect to not be able to lift things with that arm or use that arm for different activities. However, you may soon realize that running, jumping, turning your body, and many other actions not generally associated with your shoulder also cause a spike in the pain. While some shoulder injuries will heal with rest, meaning you need a sling to hold your arm in place, there are times when shoulder surgery is going to be a necessity. Here are a few situations that will warrant surgery.
Pain Radiating Down Your Arm or Back
If you find that the pain in your shoulder travels down your arm or back, the injury is more severe than you thought. When the pain radiates down your arm, it usually indicates the muscles of the arm have also been affected and repair is needed. When the pain is shooting down your back, there is most likely a nerve problem. Surgery will release any pressure on the nerve is released.
Constant Pain
If you are experiencing pain even when you are resting the shoulder, and not doing anything physical, surgery is going to be the best way to correct the damage. Give the injury a couple of days to heal on its own, but if the pain continues regardless of keeping the shoulder mobile, talk to your doctor about a referral for surgery.
Weak Arm
If you are not feeling any radiating pain down your arm, but the arm or wrist is weak, the injury is severe. While moving your forearm may cause a slight increase in pain in the shoulder, the arm should still be able to work as normal when you use the elbow only to help move and lift. Writing, eating, and other similar actions should not be affected.
There are many types of injuries to the shoulders. The pain can be quite uncomfortable and may cause an inability to perform normal, everyday actions. When your life is affected by a shoulder injury, you should have it surgically repaired. Doctors have become quite adept at repairing shoulder problems. After the recovery period, you should not have any more discomfort or trouble from the joint. There is no reason to suffer endlessly due to the pain and immobility of the arm. Everything will be much better after the surgery.