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Physiotherapy Department
Ipswich Hospital
Tel: 01473 702 213

Shoulder injury

Shoulder pain can arise from an acute injury due to a fall onto an outstretched arm, a direct blow to the arm or abnormal twisting or bending of the arm. Pain may be sudden or come on gradually and may be accompanied by swelling and bruising. The amount of pain, swelling and bruising is not always an indication of the severity of the injury.

What can I do?

• Keep your arm moving – Do not completely stop using your arm; it’s best to keep it moving as much as possible. For this reason we don’t normally recommend a sling. You may need to modify what you do to prevent irritating the shoulder.
• Ice – Ice packs may help to reduce the pain. Wrap an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas in a damp towel and apply your shoulder for 15 minutes. Repeat this several times a day as needed. Be careful not to get an ice burn by keeping a close eye on the colour and temperature of your skin.
• Pain relief – To manage your pain it is advised that you regularly take simple pain relief medication (such as paracetamol or ibuprofen) which can be bought over the counter from your pharmacist. If you have allergies or conditions which prevent the use of pain relieving or anti-inflammatory medication, please seek advice from your doctor or a pharmacist.

Exercises

Ensure you continue to move the elbow, wrist and fingers as normal as it is common to quickly become stiff in these areas.

Gentle shoulder exercises

1. Standing in front of a wall, with your arm at right angles to your side, make a fist with your hand. Push your fist forwards into the wall as hard as is comfortable.
Hold this for 10 seconds.
Repeat 5 to10 times.

2. Standing side-on to a wall, with your arm at your side at a right angle, place the back of your hand against the wall. Push the back of your hand into the wall as hard as is comfortable.
Hold this for 10 seconds.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.

3. Standing in a doorway, with your arm at a right angle at your side, place the palm of your hand against the wall. Push the palm of your hand into the wall as hard as is comfortable.
Hold this for 10 seconds.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.

4. Standing next to a wall, with your arm at a right angle by your side, place your elbow against the wall. Push your elbow upwards and outwards into the wall as hard as is comfortable.
Hold this for 10 seconds.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.

5. Stand next to a table with  the hand of your affected arm on the table. Have one foot in front of the other. Bend your front knee and lean forward while sliding your hand along the table as far as you can. Then slide it back along the table to your side as you stand up.

Do I require further treatment?

If you don’t feel you are making good progress or would like some additional advice you can self-refer for physiotherapy at Allied Health Professionals Suffolk.
Self-refer online on the Allied Health Professionals Suffolk website (Opens in a new window).
Telephone: 03330 433 966

When to seek further help

If at two weeks following your injury you cannot raise your arm to the level of your shoulder, as shown in the illustration below, please contact the specialist physiotherapist at Ipswich Hospital on 01473 702 213 to book a review.

Please be aware that this is not physiotherapy treatment just a quick check.

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