How to treat shoulder pain from sleeping

Imagine waking up to cramped and heavy hand that was hitherto 100% functional and pain free, imagine waking up discovering that simple task wearing your cloths or taking them off the hanger has become an issue. Imagine waking up to a sudden left shoulder pain and not knowing what to do about it.

Shoulder pain

They are relatively common and initially, this pains doesn’t look like anything beyond the normal ache and discomfort of which we are accustomed to and have all put up with as usual dismiss as nothing because it will surely disappear once we pop a painkiller or even rest it. But what if the pain doesn’t disappear? I love to share Mrs Lilian’s case because her story is a a very common mistake we all make and most times manage to get away with. After a stressful day at work , Mrs Lilian goes home not knowing what exactly was cooking up for her shoulder. With so much tiredness like someone who has trekked for 50 km for the first time decided to rest a little in her favorite double sitter couch but suddenly dozed off into the dream land and had eventually left her left arm dangling and unsupported for 2 hours, and waking up much later in the evening discovered a sudden sharp pain in the shoulder and the whole arm looked like it has been freeze. She will never have guessed if it was the sleep in the chair that could have caused it because, it is just a regular place for a siesta for her in the past. The pain in her hand has moved from being ordinary ache and discomfort to her not being able to raise her hand to take anything on the shelf, taking her bath was difficult not to even mention dressing up with help from her spouse.

The Big question she asked was what could have caused it.

Quite often with most enlightened folks,what ever pain we feel in the shoulder is often misconstrued  as a symptom of a bigger problem like a heart related problems and of course followed by series of ECG, Echo or even stress ECG just to be on a safe side and not just kick a very serious with contempt and just apply a balm in the area for massage. But thank goodness, it was just given a vague diagnosis as a shoulder muscle strain, and quite often we usually associate muscle strain or sprain with a fall, trauma or even sports.

Amazing Physiotherapy Reply

Not many have heard of the word trigger point, and trigger point are tight band of connective tissue in a muscle which contracted for a long time without a reciprocal relaxation, therefore provoking some level of discomforts and pain in the area. As it is in the case of Mrs Lillian, her habit of sleeping on the couch might be culpable and held responsible for the sudden pain in the left shoulder, while she narrated her story, her husband recalled helping her hand severally on the  couch as it dangled it way down in an uncomfortable position. It is reasonable to say that the floating left arm has been over stretched with some muscles in the shoulder and arm forming trigger points.

This cannot be seen with an XRAY or MRI but only by a careful examination with good history taking of how it came to be in the first place.

If you have had a similar problem and no one seems to understand clearly what you are complaining of and now you are made to rely on painkillers or injections, we can help you with a detailed examination of the root cause of your problem and also identify the risk factors so you can have a pain free and active life.