The muscles, tendons, and ligaments hold the bones of the shoulder in place. Ligaments provide stability because they attach shoulder bones to each other, while the tendons are the tough cords of tissue attaching the bone to the shoulder muscles, and make it possible for the muscles to move the shoulder. For instance, three glenohumeral ligaments anchor the front of the joint capsule, while the tendons make up the rotator cuff, working with the muscles associated, holding the ball in the glenoid socket, at the top of the humerus, and making the shoulder joint to have mobility and strength.
There are several reasons why you may experience shoulder pain when sleeping and one such reason is after you had a shoulder injury. If this is your case, you should try to sleep on your good shoulder until the injured shoulder recovers fully. Another idea is to purchase a special pillow for the injured shoulder so that when you sleep on the bad shoulder, it will not hurt as much. If the shoulder pain is really bad, you can apply ice and anti-inflammatory cream to the injured shoulder.
Reasons for Severe Shoulder Pain
Some people experience not minor, but severe shoulder pain when sleeping and one cause is a dislocation of the shoulder from the socket joint. There are exercises you can do to relocate your shoulder yourself without having to visit the doctor or someone can do it for you who is skilled in doing it. Another reason why severe shoulder pain happens is because of the separation of the shoulder and those with rheumatoid arthritis suffer from severe shoulder pain at times.
Arthritis and Shoulder Pain
If you have arthritis, you may experience shoulder pain when sleeping and other symptoms such as a stiff neck, difficulty in walking due to joint stiffness, and frustration due to these symptoms. If you have arthritis and have tried over-the-counter pain relievers but they have not worked, you want to talk with your doctor to determine if there are more effective treatments available.
Heat Therapy for Shoulder Pain
If your shoulders are sore at night due to strenuous activity during the day, heat therapy works well to relieve it. You would apply a warm compress to the sore shoulder and let it sit on your shoulder for at least 20 minutes as you rest in bed. After you remove the warm compress you want to rest on the good shoulder.
Stretch Your Shoulders
There are a lot of good exercise to do before you go to bed if you experience shoulder pain. One stretching exercise is to place both of your arms across your chest and then you would move your elbows to one side then move them to the other side with your arms still crossed. This relieves tension in the shoulder blades. Another way to stretch your shoulders is to shrug your shoulders by rolling them back and forth.
Conclusion
Shoulder pain is very frustrating to deal with when you are sleeping but there is help available in the form of home remedies, medications and exercises that stretch your shoulders. To prevent shoulder pain you want to periodically take a break from strenuous activities so you will not injure the shoulder. You should also take warm baths and get massages for your shoulders so that the shoulder muscles will not be too stiff at night when you are sleeping. Learn the safest ways of lifting and carrying items to reduce stress on your shoulders and when you sit in an office chair, practice good posture.
