The rotator cuff is a set of tendons and muscles which are seen in around shoulder joint holding the upper portion of the arm bone within the flimsy socket of the shoulder. Due to various reasons, people suffer from rotator cuff injury that and athletes, carpenters, painters and workers are the prime victims of this health condition. In order to subdue the extreme level of pain, there are various natural remedies which can be followed to ease the pain.
Do You Know What Rotator Cuff is?
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Upper arm bone (humerus), collarbone (clavicle) and shoulder blade (scapula) are the three components that make your shoulder complete. One can compare the shoulder with the ball-and-socket where the head or ball of the upper arm fits precisely into a socket which is placed in the shoulder blade.
- Rotator cuff muscle plays an integral part in keeping the arm in the shallow shoulder socket.
- Rotator cuff helps in rotating the arm and keeping it in motion.
- Teres minor, subscapularis, supraspinatus and infraspinatus are the parts of the muscles that are located in the rotator
- Bursa or lubricating sac is placed between the bone over the shoulder which is known as acromion and rotator cuff.
With the help of bursa, the tendons located in rotator cuff can move freely keeping your arm active. Even the rotator cuff pain can lead to painful inflammation of the bursa.
Causes and Symptoms of Rotator Cuff Pain
Due to critical injury in the shoulder area or continuous degeneration of the injury, rotator cuff pain can be excruciating for your health. Moreover, damage to tendon tissue or constant heavy duty work which includes lifting heavy weight can show negative result leading to the excruciating pain. However, the symptoms of this type of suffering include,
- Disturbance in sleep when you put pressure on one shoulder
- Arm weakness
- Throbbing ache in the shoulder area
- Facing trouble in reaching behind back or combing hair
If the rotator cuff pain runs on family, people are susceptible to become a victim of it. Apart from, genetic issues, people over 40 years old occupied with construction jobs can face the consequences of injuring their cuffs. Tennis players, archers and baseball pitchers seem to suffer from rotator cuff pain because they need to engage their arms in repetitive arm motion increasing the risk.
Prevention of Rotator Cuff Injury
When you face the above-mentioned the symptoms and notice that the pain seems to be never-ending, it is best to pay a visit to the medical professional who can take care of this health condition. However, the rotator cuff pain can go away within a day if you only take proper rest and opt for stretching and strengthening workouts.
With the help of a physiotherapist, you can optimise the balance between your shoulder muscle. Nonetheless, one can go with natural remedies that have potential to prevent the problem at the initial stage.
Clinical Treatment of Rotator Cuff Issues
During the diagnosis stage, the medical professionals opt for CT scan, MRI, traditional X-rays, painful arc test, arthrogram or ultrasound to identify the problems related to the rotator cuff. Thanks to scientific advancement, medical advancement is filled with fitness and sports tape, surgery and cortisone injections. Cortisone injections might offer a great relief but it is only for a temporary period that creates the problem more.
- If you are prescribed cortisone, you should know that it is an anti-inflammatory medication that has certainly a set of side-effects on your health.
- Soreness, affecting the colour of the skin where the injection has been taken, infections and weak tendons.
Due to these reasons, it is better to switch to the home remedies that have no adverse side-effects on the body.
Natural Remedies for Getting Rid of Rotator Cuff Pain
Many of the research studies show that with proper treatment, the athletes can recover from the most critical rotator cuff injury. An early diagnosis of the problem in this initial stage and proper management can help one to avert the issues quickly. However, one should keep in mind that if the problem is not treated properly, tear in the rotator cuff may not be repairable in future.
The treatment procedures include steroid injections or surgery but they often leave adverse effects on health on a large scale. With the natural remedies, patients seem to get the profound level of pain without undergoing surgical procedures. Moreover, the special exercises and physical therapy can restore regular shoulder function within few days.
Ice
When you come across any injury, you should apply ice to the affected place to reduce the risks of swelling and inflammation. This primary treatment only includes an ice bag or pack that needs to be extremely cold and clean cotton T-shirt or thin cotton towel for covering the shoulder area. If you apply this to 15 minutes in every one hour, you can set yourself free from the excruciating pain.
Hot Compress
The method of cold compressing or using ice cubes on the affected area is useful now you know but hot compress is also known to be effective. Swelling, pain and inflammation can be treated with a hot compress and within 48 hours, one can see significant results.
Following are the methods that can relieve the pain of injury on tendon tissues,
- At first, you need to take hot water bag and apply it on the swollen area to reduce the aching. The shoulder pain can be reduced to minimal with this application for 10-15 minutes while lying down.
- Running warm water while standing in the shower is another easy method to be followed in the hot compress method. Within 5-10 minutes, the warm water on your shoulder can show positive results. You can try this procedure twice daily as showering with warm water has other benefits.
Heating Pad
Heat has the capability of reducing the degree of pain and the physiotherapists often recommend using a heating pad for around 20 minutes before starting your daily workout session. This method can be done at home without any help from a professional.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound has the potential to increase the blood flow to injured tissues minimising inflammation and maximising healing. Additionally, the heat in the deep tissue can directly affect rotator cuff in a positive way.
Essential Oils
Peppermint essential oil is known to be the natural painkiller which shows positive effects when you rub it two times on the injured spots. Relaxing the muscles to the core, peppermint oil can be very powerful in treating rotator cuff pain. By making a mixture of almond oil or coconut oil with peppermint oil, you can soothe the injured area.
Lavender oils, evening primrose and arnica are two effective anti-inflammatory oils that can work wonders in this type of pain.
Apple Cider Vinegar
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There are only a few substances that show a significant effect on a person affected by rotator cuff pain and apple cider vinegar is one of them. Containing anti-inflammatory properties including alkalising properties, apple cider vinegar treats pain and swelling effectively.
- Adding two cups of unfiltered, raw and undiluted apple cider vinegar to the warm water of your bathtub.
- Soak your body in the water for 20-25 minutes and feel yourself to get relaxed.
- Use this procedure once in a day to bid goodbye to shoulder pain.
Apart from choosing the bathing procedure, you can drink a glass of lukewarm water with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. By adding a little honey, you can make the drink tastier and get positive results within few weeks.
Epsom Salt
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Magnesium sulphate is the main ingredient of Epsom salt bath that is guaranteed to minimise rotator cuff pain. Enhancing blood circulation and keeping the shoulder muscles relaxed, Epsom salt bath is noticeably helpful. In order to get relief effectively, you should follow certain methods,
- At first, you need to fill your bathtub with lukewarm water
- Then add two cups of Epsom salt bath
- After adding two cups of salt, stirring is needed
- Soak your body in this water immersing the shoulder area for 25 minutes
- Repeat this entire procedure thrice in a week
Turmeric
Turmeric is known to show positive effects on human health for decades and it is proven to relieve pain in the shoulder area. Curcumin is present in turmeric that contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components reducing swelling and pain.
- One can make a mixture by adding two tablespoons of turmeric powder and coconut oil into a bowl together.
- Then the mixture is required to rub over the affected area
- Once it is cooled down, you need to rinse it off with lukewarm water
- By repeating this method for two times daily, you can see soreness to go away
Another way of getting rid of rotator cuff pain by using turmeric is to add one teaspoon turmeric powder with one cup of milk. After mixing these two ingredients, you need to boil them together. Honey can be added to make the mixture palatable as drinking it twice daily is bound to show a significant result.
If milk is not your favourite drink or you are allergic to honey, there are 250 to 500 mg turmeric capsules that you can take three times in a day. However, before taking the meds, it is best to consult with a medical professional. People who are in need of taking blood-thinning medication, excessive consumption of turmeric can only show adverse effects.
Alfalfa
One of the popular organic remedies for shoulder joint is alfalfa that makes sure blood circulation takes in the body normally. Thereafter, signs of swelling and pain are reduced only if you drink one cup or two cups of alfalfa tea on a daily basis.
Add one teaspoon of dry alfalfa leaves into the cup filled with hot water and strain the leaves in the drink for five minutes. For the non-tea drinkers, there are alfalfa supplements that you can take after paying a visit to a medical professional.
Ginger
If you drink two to three cups of ginger tea every day, rotator cuff pain cannot be a headache to you. Honey is often added to boost the effectiveness and taste of the drink. Ginger is known to be enriched with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components that can minimise the excruciating pain in the shoulder joint.
Even one can consult with a healthcare professional about whether you can take ginger supplements for dealing with the pain.
Additional Tips to Follow at Home
Now you know that rotator cuff pain can be treated with the ingredients found at home, you should take care of your habits that usually generate the problem.
- The area that is affected needs to be placed on a pillow while sleeping for minimising inflammation and pain.
- Getting hold of a good posture can reduce shoulder joint pain because the muscles are kept in a relaxed mode then.
- Various simple exercises; especially the neck exercises can help you to get rid of the problem significantly.
- One can try acupuncture or acupressure for getting recovered within few weeks.
- Search for options that can set you free from the stress that is deteriorating the condition of the shoulder
- You should understand that your shoulder often needs a break from a continuous workout session.
- Consult a physiotherapist to improve the strength of rhomboids which are the muscles situated between the shoulders. Holding the shoulder firmly and balancing the weight of arms, rhomboids can aid in pushing and pulling efficiently.
- Light exercise games like itsy bitsy spider can improve the functions of the rotator cuff and help you regain the range of motion.
- The trainers may recommend back rotation which helps in maintaining good posture. By repeating four times and holding on to the position for 20-30 seconds, you can minimise the chances of developing rotator cuff problems.
If your shoulder area pains now, you know what to do and it is a good thing that the primary care can start at home. Of course, consultation with the doctor is always recommended but there is no chance of adding chemically treated products in your treatment procedure.