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If your shoulder pain is one that often strikes at night robbing you off your sleep then this could be because of some serious underlying condition. Such shoulder pain that can come from 11 pm to 3 am can be so excruciating and keep you from sleeping. If this is a phenomenon that repeats itself for many continuous nights then it is important to find the root cause rather than taking it lightly.

As sleep involves little or no movement in one position for several
hours then this could mean extra pressure on the tendons and bursa of the
shoulder. The muscles and tendons may also settle in a slightly different
position resulting in pressure and reduced blood flow as well aggravating the
pain at night.

Night time pains could be the body’s response to some inflammation in
the shoulder area. Have a specialist take a look at the shoulder to ascertain
what the actual problem could be. Let’s look at some of the commonly seen
shoulder conditions that could be wreaking havoc with your sleep at night.

Tendonitis – The tendons of the rotator cuff
are quite prone to injury and can become inflamed, degenerated, or torn.  This can happen from overuse, repetitive
motion, trauma, poor blood flow or prior surgery.  Shoulder pain at night is common with
shoulder tendonitis.

Bursitis – The 6 bursae in the shoulder can
become inflamed and be a source of shoulder pain at night. Bursitis can cause shoulder
pain at night as pressure is applied to the bursae when lying on the affected
side.

Osteoarthritis – With much overuse the cartilage
of the shoulder joint can be damaged or eroded causing shoulder arthritis.  There could especially be reduced range of
motion and shoulder pain at night as the arthritis advances.

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome – Shoulder pain
at night is common in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome when there is
an increased inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons.

Neck Injury – Referred pain in the shoulder due
to disc protrusion or herniations in the neck cannot also be overlooked.

To treat shoulder pain that occurs during the night time, it is
imperative to find out what the underlying issue is. Once this is done the
treatment therapy can focus solely on the exact problem. In scenarios when the
shoulder pain is extremely severe at night some practical sleep position change
tips could offer some amount of relief.

Though not advisable for the long-term you can try sleeping in a semi-reclined
position, either in a reclining chair or an adjustable bed. Try sleeping on the
side of the unaffected shoulder so weight and pressure can be taken off from
the painful shoulder. But in some cases, sleeping on the painful side could
also be surprisingly helpful as it is almost like putting pressure on a wound
to compress it thereby reducing the sharpness of the pain. Sleeping on your
back can help to evenly distribute body weight. If the shoulder pain is near
the front, this position can keep the pressure off but this can be difficult if
the pain is on the back side of the joint.

For enquiries and online appointments, send a message
to www.BangaloreShoulderInstitute.com/contact

For informative videos related to Shoulder problems
and their treatment options, Sports Injuries and other orthopaedic conditions,
visit the youtube channel Bangalore Shoulder Institute – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJldz_Osg88qFYM99IEsjew