As you age, you may experience intermittent and minor pain in your muscles, joints, and bones. However, this discomfort may be easy to get rid of with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen. It also may not interrupt your everyday life or make it difficult for you to carry out routine tasks like driving or getting dressed.
However, when you experience severe discomfort in areas like your shoulder, you may need to pay more attention to it. You need to find out what is causing your severe shoulder pain to avoid more serious consequences to your health.
Discovering an Injury
When you go to a medical clinic about your shoulder pain, you can find out if you have suffered an injury. You might have fallen down and cracked a bone in or around your shoulder, for example. You also might have pulled a muscle or damaged a tendon or ligament in this part of your body.
The doctor at the clinic can order tests like x-rays to find out if there is an injury in or around your shoulder. He or she can then determine how best to treat your shoulder pain and if you need more intensive treatment, such as a sling or surgery, to repair the damages.
Discovering an Illness
Your shoulder pain may also stem from an illness in this part of your body. It can be the result of arthritis that can make lifting or moving your arm painful. It may also come from a tumor on the top of your arm bone.
If you have an illness that is causing your shoulder pain, you can undergo the right course of treatment to ease your discomfort. The doctor at the clinic might give you an injection of cortisone to ease your pain. He or she may also refer you to an orthopedic surgeon to have a tumor or bone spur removed.
Ruling Out Other Illnesses
Finally, your shoulder pain might indicate you are suffering from a more serious illness, such as a heart attack. The doctor at the clinic can find out if the shoulder pain stems from a heart attack or other dire healthcare emergency. He or she can provide lifesaving treatment if your shoulder pain indicates a more dire health condition.
You can benefit from having a doctor at a local medical clinic diagnose and treat your shoulder pain. He or she can find out if you have an existing injury or illness that causes the pain. Your doctor can also find out if you suffer from a serious health emergency like a heart attack.
Contact a professional if you are suffering from shoulder pain.
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