Pain When Sleeping on Shoulder | Rejuvinix
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Pain When Sleeping On Shoulder

Pain When Sleeping on Shoulder

Have you ever tried to sleep only to have your sleep disrupted by shoulder pain? Some people have noticed that their shoulder hurts after sleeping, or that sleep makes their preexisting shoulder pain worse. There are several reasons you may be experiencing shoulder pain when resting.

Sleeping position

In some cases, shoulder pain from sleeping occurs due to a person’s sleeping position. When you sleep on your side, your shoulder ends up bearing a lot of the weight of your torso. After being in this position for 6-8 hours every night, you might experience some pain and discomfort the following morning.

Rotator cuff injury

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint. These muscles improve stability in the arm. Sometimes people can injure this set of muscles, either through overuse or as a result of osteoarthritis. Common symptoms associated with a rotator cuff injury may include:

  • Dull ache deep in the shoulder
  • Disturbed sleep
  • Difficulty lifting the arms above the head
  • Arm weakness

Shoulder bursitis

Bursae are fluid-filled, sac-like structures that help cushion the tissues around your joints and are found all over the body. When there is too much friction between a tendon and bone, the bursae become irritated and inflamed, resulting in bursitis. The shoulder is one the most common locations for bursitis and is usually caused by an injury that affects the shoulder, or from repetitive movements that overwork the shoulder joint.

Osteoarthritis of the shoulder

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of degenerative joint disease. This joint disease occurs when the cushiony cartilage in a given joint breaks down, causing the bones to painfully rub together. Osteoarthritis can affect various joints throughout the body, including the shoulder. Symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis can include;

  • Pain that is initially worse when moving the shoulder, but can eventually occur when at rest or sleeping
  • Limited motion and stiffness
  • Crepitus (hearing and feeling grinding and clicking noises as you move the shoulder)

Shoulder impingement

Shoulder impingement occurs as the result of chronic and repetitive compression or “impingement” of the rotator-cuff tendons in the shoulder. This results in pain and movement impairments. Several causes to shoulder impingement syndrome include:

  • Repetitive overhead movements, such as golfing, throwing, swimming, etc.
  • Injury, such as a fall where the shoulder gets compressed
  • Osteoarthritis in the shoulder region
  • Thickening of the bursa or ligaments in the area
  • Muscular imbalance in the shoulder

Contact us

At Rejuvinix, our doctors perform non-surgical joint therapies, including regenerative cell therapy and advanced Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. For more information, call (757) 345-2318 or make an appointment online.

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