What is shoulder impingement?
The main cause of shoulder impingement is shoulder pain. When you lift the arm above the shoulder level, the subacromial space becomes narrow. Hence, the soft tissues, tendons, and muscles surrounding the area will become tired due to increased pressure. This extra pressure aggravates the rotator cuff, and this causes shoulder impingement. As shoulder impingement is common among swimmers, it is also called a swimmer’s shoulder. Shoulder impingement is also present among the racket players and the throwers as they frequently move their arms above shoulder level. It can also occur if someone falls by stretching the arms in the outer portion.
Suppose there is damage in the rotator cuff, the heaviness inside the tendon increases, which will lead to the compression of the blood capillaries. Hence, there is an inflammation in the tissues, and the pain slowly starts to aggravate. The pain will travel towards the backside, and you’ll have difficulty sleeping at night. This ailment, if not treated, may lead to the shoulder’s rotator cuff tear.
Reasons for Shoulder Impingement
There is no specific reason for getting shoulder impingement. However, the repeated usage of the shoulder may cause shoulder impingement. Excluding the sportspersons, many occupations involve lifting heavy things. These activities can increase the risk of shoulder impingement. People having shoulder injuries like dislocation and elders can also have shoulder impingement.
Signs of shoulder impingement
The signs that may appear when you have shoulder impingement include sudden pain in the shoulder when you lift your arms over your head and backwards. There are many other symptoms like weakness, restricted movements, and a nagging pain frequented from the front part of the sidearm. This nagging pain will worsen during the night time.
Conventional treatment method of shoulder impingement
There are many forms of conventional therapies like prescribing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, RICE formula (Rest, Ice therapy, Compression, and Elevation), and corticosteroid injections.
Many side-effects are involved in the conventional shoulder impingement methods of treatment. Prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lead to heart problems, kidney-related problems, and gastrointestinal problems. Administering steroid injections can cause damage to the normal tissues that are around the damaged area. Hence, usage of these steroidal injections for a prolonged period can lead to weakness. Some women also experience changes in their moods as well as the menstrual cycle.
As a last resort, your physician will suggest surgery to get rid of the symptoms. But shoulder surgeries may have many side effects like bleeding, stiffness of joints, infection, and the damage of nerves around the area of the surgery.
Regenerative cell therapy for shoulder impingement
If you are looking for an alternative to surgery for shoulder impingement, check out regenerative cell therapy. This alternative treatment for shoulder impingement is almost risk-free. Regenerative therapy is a minimal invasive non-surgical natural treatment method and includes treatments like Enhanced platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and regenerative cellular therapy. The patient’s own cells are used in this treatment, which targets the damaged area cells and helps heal the damaged tissues and generate new tissues. More than 30 bio-active proteins speed up the healing cascade and reduce pain levels. So, there is no risk of rejection or allergy hence. Though it takes some time for a complete improvement, patients can start experiencing improvement within two weeks. Therefore, regenerative cell therapy is the best alternative for shoulder joint surgery in some cases.
For more information regarding regenerative treatment for shoulder impingement, please feel free to contact Medica Stem Cells clinic in Ireland on 01 298 8000, in London on 020 8 168 2000 or India on +91 9106092301…
