Dr. Nitish Mandal
Shoulder pain
Shoulder pain in this clinic is usually frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tendon pain, or both. If the arm will not lift and night pain is the main story, start with the frozen shoulder page. If you can lift the arm but it catches or weakens, this page is the starting point.
Which shoulder problem do I have?
This page is the decision guide for shoulder pain. Frozen shoulder and rotator cuff-related problems are the two patterns seen most often.
If you cannot lift the arm and night pain is the main story, use the frozen shoulder guide for stiffness and hydrodilatation. Book either clinic either way; the visit confirms the pattern.
When is it frozen shoulder?
- Pain when you raise the arm or reach behind.
- Night pain on that side.
- A shoulder that feels weak, catching, or locked.
When is it rotator cuff pain?
Frozen shoulder is a tight capsule. Rotator cuff pain is often in the tendons that lift the arm. The examination sorts those out before a needle is planned.
Ultrasound-guided injections and hydrodilatation are used when tablets and stretching have stalled.
What treatments are used after the source is found?
Early care
- Avoid the lifts that sharply increase pain.
- Keep using the arm in a range that does not provoke it.
Clinic procedures
- Hydrodilatation for a stuck, frozen joint.
- Ultrasound-guided injections for rotator cuff-related and other shoulder pain.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this frozen shoulder?
- If the arm will not lift and the joint feels locked, it may be. Read the frozen shoulder page for that pattern, then book so it can be confirmed on examination.
- What if I can lift the arm but it still hurts?
- That can be rotator cuff-related pain. Ultrasound-guided injections are used for that problem as well.
- Should I book this page or frozen shoulder?
- Book either clinic. Use the frozen shoulder page to understand a locked arm. Use this page if you are unsure which pattern you have.
The shoulder has more than one pain source. The first visit is to find yours, then choose care that fits.
Reviewed by Dr. Nitish Mandal, MBBS, MD, FIPM, TIPM (Nashville). Clinics: Koramangala and J.P. Nagar.
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Is this frozen shoulder or a rotator cuff problem?
Both are treated here. Frozen shoulder is a tight capsule. Rotator cuff pain is often in the tendons that lift the arm. Examination sorts those out.
If I cannot lift the arm, where should I start?
The frozen shoulder page. Hydrodilatation and ultrasound-guided injections are listed there.