Shoulder pain returning after sleep

suzyb

Last wednesday I hurt my shoulder in a crash. For a couple of days it was really sore and I could barely move my arm. But seems to be getting better. As the day goes on the pain and stiffness in my shoulder goes away. However when I get up in the morning it's back.

I'm still not sleeping on that shoulder as it's bruised and still hurts lying on it. And the pain I'm having now doesn't seem to be the same pain as after the crash. It's more towards my neck than my shoulder now.

What can I do to stop my shoulder getting sore at night.

davis

If you can move it without large amounts of pain, then the general advice is: do.

The pain is probably because you're not moving it.
Ice, and anti-inflammatories (like Ibuprofen, not that I'm a fan) will probably help though

Keep moving it. It'll quite likely sort itself.

Wallace1492

Yes, move as much as you can and it will ease up. Try stretching it in the morning, will be sore, but will get it sorted out quicker.

lost_in_thought

Excellent advice above.

I'd add, if you're a side sleeper, it may do you good to get some pillows specifically designed for side sleepinginging - they're generally thicker at the bottom - ie the end that's near your shoulder - and thinner at the top so that they support your neck. I have an old nerve injury to my right shoulder from rugby, and if I sleep on normal pillows I wake up very ouchy.

Various places sell them, for very varying prices, I got mine from Ikea for £7 apiece.

Have you seen a doctor?

NGale

We're all falling apart around here

suzyb

Nah, no doctor.

This is actually the second time I've had the problem. Last time I did something when carrying the shopping in the house but I was fine after a few days. I assumed it would be the same this time and there would be no point seeing the doc as I wouldn't get an appointment before the pain went away.

If it happens again I'll go see the doc though as I read that once you do damage to your shoulder it can become a recurring problem.

I kinda feel like Will Smith in I-Robot now where he wakes up with a stiff shoulder and has to massage it to get it to work

greg66_tri_v2.0

+ all of the above. It's tightening up overnight because you're not using it whilst you're asleep. Simple.

The kicker is this: as the shoulder heals, you'll accumulate scar tissue on the damaged soft tissue. If you don't exercise it sensibly now, the scar tissue will ultimately restrict your mobility as it is much less elastic than non-scar tissue.

The best advice I can think of is go see a physio. A physio will be able to assess the lack of mobility and give you some exercises that will help it recover. Going to see the doc is a waste of time, because in all likelihood the best you'll get from that is to be told to go to the physio.

I hammered my right shoulder at school and again about 7 years ago in a skiing crash. The second time was very painful. The physio gave me an exercise with a piece of elastic tied to a door handle (oo-eer! Matron!) that I would not have come up with in a thousand years. Worked a treat.

EKE_38BPM

I had what sound like the same sort of pain for the same sort of reason.
I found that if I could hang from something like a chin-up bar or monkey-bar for about 20 seconds in the morning it stretched all the muscles and stuff in my shoulders and it really helped me loosen up.

I'm sure a physio would be able to tell you a stretch that doesn't involve hanging from stuff, but I just used what I had around.

fossyant

Seeing as though you've just done this - i.e. a crash - fairly normal.

Keep it mobile, use ibuprofen etc. If it's getting worse go to a doctor/physio.... and get it scanned.......

I hit my shoulder badly 18 months ago in an RTA (driver at fault) - was at doctors and private physio within a couple of weeks due to the pain. Couldn't sleep on it. Diagnosed as an AC Joint Sprain. Lots of tests/hospital visits/ and a final MRI scan of my shoulder after some persistence from me, revealed my AC joint injury has progressed to osteoarthritis, and I've also got tendonosis of the rotator cuff. Found all this out last week, no not a happy bunny....legals are on-going.

So don't wait long if seeing no improvement.

davis

suzyb wrote:

This is actually the second time I've had the problem. Last time I did something when carrying the shopping in the house but I was fine after a few days.

Interesting. You did your shoulder in carrying shopping?

Are you, by any chance, hypermobile? Sometimes called double-jointed, but it means your ligaments are more flexible than the norm, which reduces their ability to hold your joints in place. You are a burd right?; they are apparently more susceptible to such things. IIRC the canonical test is the ability to fold your thumb onto the back of your hand; quite why this is taken as proof I'm not sure.

suzyb

davis wrote:

suzyb wrote:

This is actually the second time I've had the problem. Last time I did something when carrying the shopping in the house but I was fine after a few days.

Interesting. You did your shoulder in carrying shopping?

Are you, by any chance, hypermobile? Sometimes called double-jointed, but it means your ligaments are more flexible than the norm, which reduces their ability to hold your joints in place. You are a burd right?; they are apparently more susceptible to such things. IIRC the canonical test is the ability to fold your thumb onto the back of your hand; quite why this is taken as proof I'm not sure.

No can't move any joints in ways they normally don't.

But it was definitely after carrying the shopping into the house that the pain started. I think it may have been me carrying a case of lager in as most of the weight of that was being held by my left arm. After I put that down the pain started a few minutes later

davis

suzyb wrote:

But it was definitely after carrying the shopping into the house that the pain started. I think it may have been me carrying a case of lager in as most of the weight of that was being held by my left arm.

ok. The advice about moving it would still hold either way. Maybe some joint-strengthening exercises (move your limbs with weights), and perhaps Scotch, instead of lager. Lager's vile, you see.

suzyb

davis wrote:

suzyb wrote:

But it was definitely after carrying the shopping into the house that the pain started. I think it may have been me carrying a case of lager in as most of the weight of that was being held by my left arm.

ok. The advice about moving it would still hold either way. Maybe some joint-strengthening exercises (move your limbs with weights), and perhaps Scotch, instead of lager. Lager's vile, you see.

It wasn't for me :evil:

fossyant

Sounds more like muscle pain - i.e. pulled it

Not in the joint is it - i.e. in deep or near the sticky out bone bit at the end of the clivical (AC joint) ?

IIf in the muscles, most likely a strain.

Butterd2

If the pain appears to be migrating around then that could be other muscles compensating or going into spasm as a result of the original injury - Ibuprofen gel is pretty good and breaking this cycle.

I did mine last Oct playing rugby and it's still sore with limited movement now so unfortunately it can drag on.