Dr. Nitish Mandal
Shoulder pain
The shoulder hurts to lift, reach, or sleep on. It may be frozen, a rotator cuff problem, or both. Tablets have not given the arm back.
Shoulder problems treated here
This page is the overview for shoulder pain. Frozen shoulder and rotator cuff-related problems are the two patterns listed most often.
If you cannot lift the arm and night pain is the main story, start with the frozen shoulder guide. That page goes deeper on stiffness and hydrodilatation.
How it feels
- Pain when you raise the arm or reach behind.
- Night pain on that side.
- A shoulder that feels weak, catching, or locked.
Finding which shoulder problem it is
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 listed when tablets and stretching have stalled.
Approaches listed
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 listed for that problem as well.
The shoulder has more than one pain source. The first visit is to find yours, then choose care that fits.
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Ask about shoulder pain
The questions on this page, with answers taken from the same details shown above.
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Pain clinic
Typically replies on WhatsApp
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.