Shoulder arthritis comes in a variety of forms and can affect two separate parts of your shoulder joint. The first of these is the area where the collarbone meets the acromion, or the tip of the shoulder. The other part is the head of the upper arm bone, or the humerus. It's important to find out which part of your shoulder is affected and which kind of arthritis you're suffering from. Once your doctor knows this, they can advise you on which treatment methods will be beneficial and whether a shoulder brace will be helpful.
Why Does Arthritis Occur?
There are many kinds of arthritis that can affect the body and they are broadly split into five different categories when it comes to the shoulder joint. The most commonly occurring kind is known as osteoarthritis. This involves wear and tear damage to the joint over years, leading to a gradual loss of cartilage within the joint. As the underlying bone is exposed within the joint, the rubbing that occurs causes pain and inflammation.
This kind of arthritis tends to occur in the over-50s and will only get worse over time. There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but the correct treatment can slow down and sometimes even halt the progression of the disease. A good way to achieve this goal is to combine special exercises with the use of a shoulder brace for extra support of joint function.
What Are the Symptoms of Shoulder Arthritis?
There are some symptoms that are common to all kinds of arthritis, and once you know what they are, you can start doing something about them.
Pain in the glenohumeral joint at the top of the arm bone feels like a deep ache that is located in the back of the shoulder. If the acromioclavicular joint is affected, the pain will occur closer to the top of the shoulder and can even radiate into the neck. In both cases, the pain tends to be exacerbated by intense movement, so you should take it easy when you have a flare-up.
You may find that your range of motion in your shoulder is decreased and everyday tasks like brushing your hair become more and more difficult. This can progress to a state when you feel pain when you move your shoulder joint in any direction. Of course, this may affect the quality of your sleep as the pain occurs more often at night.
What Can Be Done to Treat Shoulder Arthritis?
Generally speaking, surgical is unhelpful in the treatment of most cases of shoulder arthritis. Your best bet is to adopt a conservative treatment regime involving appropriate levels of rest, specially developed exercises and the use of a shoulder brace.
As osteoarthritis is caused by overuse of the joint to begin with, it makes perfect sense that you have to rest to slow the progression of the disease. You can also change the way you do certain everyday tasks to limit your reliance on painful movements.
Your doctor may advise that you take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen to control the pain on a daily basis, but if the pain is too unbearable, then corticosteroid injections may relieve your pain. It's important not to become to reliant on such injections though, because steroids have wide-ranging effects on the body including thinning of the bones and weight gain.
Physiotherapy alongside the use of a shoulder brace will help you to retain a good range of movement in your shoulder joint. Your physiotherapist can advise you on which exercises will be best for your individual situation, leaving you with a list of the most suitable strength and flexibility exercises.
You can use a shoulder brace specially designed for sufferers of arthritis if you want to give your joint that extra level of vital physical support. With a shoulder brace, you'll be resting your joint even when you're out and about during the day. You'll be able to get on with your usual activities while giving your shoulder all the care it needs.
Check out all the expertly designed shoulder braces online now and you'll find exactly what you need to get your joint health back on track.