What to do when it Hurts to Reach Up

  • April 18, 2022

Are you someone who finds yourself saying that it hurts to reach up? Someone who finds yourself reaching with your opposite arm or assisting your arm up? If so, know that this is a very common problem facing many folks.

Everyday tens of thousands of individuals struggle with shoulder pain. These people will routinely report sharp, catching, or pinching pain when trying to reach overhead or away from their body. It hurts to the point of not wanting to use their arm to perform simple tasks.

For people living with this problem, they often ask what is wrong and what can be done? 

With regards to what is wrong…many folks instantly go to the rotator cuff. They will think something is torn or severely wrong, but that is not often the case. While there may be some rotator cuff irritation, rarely is it severe from a medical standpoint. In most instances this pain is caused by stiffness (tightness) of the shoulder. The other common issue happens when there is a slight alteration in the muscle patterns of the shoulder. This can easily happen due to the many muscles responsible for moving the shoulder. Regardless of the exact cause, this situation often has an easy solution.

What is this solution? (More in just a moment here…)

Often folks with attempt to take pain medication, visit their PCP, request an x-ray/MRI, or visit an orthopedic surgeon. While these options are just that options. An even better solution is getting to the root cause. A muscle and joint expert is able to perform a skilled examination to determine the true source. They will then be able to develop a specific action plan for the individual in question.

Quite often people will eventually end up with these muscle and joint experts, but only after weeks or months of suffering. This delay in care results in prolonged pain and suffering. A better plan is to see one straight away and get put on a path to solve the problem more quickly.

If you are done living with shoulder pain, then time to reach out to a muscle and joint expert to schedule a professional examination. At this examination, you will not only learn why the pain is happening but THE SOLUTION to the problem.

For more information on the next best steps, click this LINK to request a phone consultation to learn more about how this plan will solve your shoulder pain.