| If you have ever woken up at night with a | | | | Generally, if the type of pain you are |
| painful shoulder, you're not alone. It's a | | | | feeling is localised on the tip of the |
| very common complaint in the over 50s, and | | | | shoulder, with pain most obvious when lifting |
| could be hiding a more serious problem, but | | | | the arm straight upwards, you may be |
| one that could be dealt with quickly and | | | | suffering from a degenerative condition which |
| simply. | | | | is affecting a small joint located between |
| | | | the collarbone and shoulder blade. Again, the |
| Things that go bump in the night | | | | majority of patients can be helped with a |
| | | | course of Hydrocortisone injections. |
| It's a strange occurrence that shoulder pain | | | | |
| is generally much worse at night. People | | | | Patience is an unnecessary virtue - Symptom 3 |
| often think that it's simply to do with the | | | | |
| fact that at night, the brain doesn't have | | | | Truly agonising pain and progressive |
| anything else to concentrate on. However, | | | | stiffness in the shoulder are symptoms of a |
| although not yet fully understood, there is a | | | | 'frozen shoulder'. Extremely painful, the |
| scientific reason that goes some way in | | | | condition progresses in three stages. The |
| explaining the phenomena. It's all related to | | | | first 6-8 months is characterised |
| our body's natural rhythms, as our cortisol | | | | predominately by pain, the second 6-8 months |
| drops to its lowest level in the early hours | | | | by pain and stiffness and the third, by |
| of the morning, so the pain increases. | | | | mainly stiffness. Be warned, this condition |
| | | | does not show up by X-ray or by scanning as |
| But if you are suffering, what can be done, | | | | both of these simply appear normal. The good |
| and what is the probable cause? | | | | news is that by 18-24 months the condition |
| | | | will have naturally run its course and |
| Dread getting dressed - Symptom 1 | | | | resolved itself. If you think that you have a |
| | | | frozen shoulder and do not want to wait, you |
| Sufferers who have a combination of steady | | | | may be able to benefit from a manipulation of |
| pain when the shoulder is at rest and more | | | | the shoulder under anaesthetic. This should |
| intense pain when the arm is raised to | | | | break the natural cycle of events and help |
| shoulder height, for example, when reaching | | | | restore movement and reduce the pain. |
| for objects from a shelf or even when | | | | |
| driving, may be suffering from a tendon | | | | Grinding to a halt - Symptom 4 |
| injury. This is where the tendons have | | | | |
| changed shape, which may have happened for a | | | | Grating in the shoulder, together with |
| number of reasons. | | | | progressive pain and stiffness, and a |
| | | | restriction of all movements, could be a sign |
| Most sufferers of this type of shoulder | | | | of osteoarthritus. This is a condition that |
| problem can be helped with a series of three | | | | needs to be managed and is best controlled |
| Hydroctorisone injections. | | | | with analgesics and anti-inflammatories. |
| | | | Fortunately, only a very few patients with |
| However, there is some effort required by the | | | | this condition require shoulder replacements, |
| patient, as an exercise regime will help to | | | | and those that do can be cheered by the fact |
| strengthen up the other muscles in the | | | | that this generally has excellent results. |
| shoulder to prevent them rubbing against the | | | | |
| tendon. | | | | So if your stirrings in the night are due to |
| | | | a painful shoulder, don't hesitate. Go and |
| Hands Up - Symptom 2 | | | | see an orthopaedic surgeon. There's really no |
| | | | need to live with the pain. |