If shoulder pain keeps you up at night, then it is time to determine the underlying problem and develop a strategy to get a better night’s sleep. For many people, shoulder pain that is particularly noticeable at night is associated with rotator cuff irritation.
The rotator cuff includes the muscles and their tendons that keep your shoulder stabilized. Its important role in facilitating shoulder movement means that an injury can have a big impact on sleep and daily living. The typical rotator cuff injury impedes the normal range of motion (ROM) for the shoulder joint, making simple actions such as reaching overhead or even putting on a jacket painful.
If your sleeping posture is already poor, you can exacerbate a rotator cuff injury. Even if you maintain a healthy posture, the wrong movements and positioning can make you awaken with pain. These can:
- prevent full recovery for the injured rotator cuff
- increase the time needed to regain normal ROM
- put the shoulder under additional stress
To make matters worse, while you sleep your shoulder can become trapped under your head and kept in a locked position for the duration of the night. This can result in reduced blood flow to the joint or cause muscle cramps.
Whether your pain comes from irritation or tear of the rotator cuff, we can design a program to help relieve your discomfort.
Approaches may include:
- modifying sleep posture (placing a pillow between your elbow and trunk)
- choosing a pillow of the correct height and fill
- ensuring that your arm does not end up underneath the pillow
- strengthening your shoulder muscles
Visit our office to find the best strategies to handle your shoulder pain. You deserve a good night’s rest, and with our support, you can soon enjoy a better, pain-free sleep.
