What is causes nighttime shoulder pain?

As you get older, your shoulders are prone to injury. One of the common causes of nighttime shoulder pain is muscle strain. When your arm muscles become tired during sleep, and you don’t have enough support from surrounding tissues causing them to spasm, it can lead to pain and stiffness in your shoulders. Other causes include bone spurs or arthritis, which may also cause pain radiating to the upper back.

Sleeping on the same shoulder every night.
Sleeping on the same side causes your muscles to weaken, joints to become stiff, and can cause pain. This can lead to poor posture, which puts additional strain on your neck and spine.

Aging
The causes of shoulder pain in people over 50 are varied and often include arthritis. Arthritis is the number one cause of shoulder pain in older people, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you have arthritis, your doctor may recommend medication or surgery to treat it.

Frozen shoulder.
Frozen shoulder is also known as adhesive capsulitis. It is caused by inflammation of the shoulder joint capsule, which causes pain in the front and back of your shoulder.
You may experience pain when you move your arms or lift them above your head. You may also have trouble doing basic daily tasks like washing dishes or putting on clothes because they are too painful to lift correctly.

Overuse.
Overuse is the most common cause of shoulder pain at night. The following situations can lead to overuse:
Repeated overhead activity, such as basketball or tennis
Repetitive tasks that require you to lift heavy objects (for example, carrying boxes)
Repetitive activities like playing the keyboard or guitar.

Bone spurs.
Bone spurs are a result of the body trying to heal itself. They can be caused by arthritis, injury, and overuse, resulting in shoulder pain.
Bone spurs are small bone growths that occur when routine healing does not happen properly from an injury or osteoarthritis (OA). OA is joint in older people but can also affect younger adults with specific conditions such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. The most common type of OA affects your hip or knee joints; however, it may also be found in other areas, such as your shoulder blade area, where there is cartilage between each bone, where you would expect normal joint movement without the pain associated with this condition.

Surgery recovery
Recovery from shoulder surgery can take a long time. It depends on the type of surgery and your age, health, and pain tolerance.
For example: If you had arthroscopic shoulder surgery (in which only one or two small incisions are made), recovery would be much shorter than if you had a total shoulder replacement (in which an entire joint is replaced).

Call POSMC today!

If you are experiencing shoulder pain in the Dallas, TX area call POSMC today!

To schedule an appointment with one our specialists, contact our scheduling department at 972-250-5700 or request an appointment online.

POSMC is a full-service medical facility specializing in the evaluation and treatment of orthopedic injuries. The practice is led by a group of 12 board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons and a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. Contact us today!