Nighttime Shoulder Pain - What Millions Don't Know

       

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Nighttime shoulder pain is a frequent issue resulting from rotator cuff tendonitis. Nighttime shoulder pain occurs fairly early on in the process. This pain also causes the patient to frequently experience disturbed sleep. For the observer, nighttime shoulder pain is interesting in that during the night the body typically restores itself and does its own healing; however, when the body is suffering from rotator cuff problems during this process, there is actually more damage being done to the superspinatus tendon.

Chronic pain is alleviated to become nighttime shoulder pain because the vertical, active, daytime body leaves its arm to act as a traction upon the shoulder that opens up space and allows blood to flow freely to the tendons. At night, the body is horizontal and so gravity is lost as a traction force, causing the pain to return.

Nighttime shoulder pain is caused by the top of the arm pinching the superspinatus tendon, and therefore, impairing blood flow and healing. This relative starvation of oxygen and blood to the superspinatus causes inflammation and this results in nighttime shoulder pain.

This is a problem for many reasons, primarily it sets up a rather vicious cycle as people tend to sleep horizontally. Typically if someone sleeps with their arm away from their head, that can make matters worse as the greater tuberosity of the upper part of the humerous will further impinge the superspinatus against the coracoacromial ligament.

Again, the nighttime shoulder pain is quite common with rotator cuff tendonitis and if this symptom is present, certainly the patient needs a medical assessment of the shoulder pain.

Michael Carroll, MD is a board certified family physician with a special interest in sports medicine. He is the founding partner of Creekside Clinic, LLC, a progressive primary care center in Traverse City, Michigan and a member of both the American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He also holds special interest in shoulder pain and rotator cuff injuries, specifically with regard to cutting-edge treatments