Skip to main content

Treatments and Remedies for Shoulder Pain

When you feel pain in your shoulder, it may be time to seek out some shoulder pain treatment. Whether it’s dull and achy, or sharp and stingy, shoulder pain is no fun. We’ve put together this guide on how to get rid of shoulder pain.

Shoulders have a wide range of motion. So, when something goes wrong, shoulder pain can really hamper your ability to move freely and carry out basic, everyday tasks. In fact, continued movement of your arm or shoulder can often make shoulder pain worse. Shoulder pain can be caused by friction in the shoulder joint itself, or injury to the surrounding muscles, ligaments, tendons, or nerves.1 Shoulder pain can also radiate, affecting the neck, arm, and shoulder blade.

There are a number of shoulder pain remedies you can try out to get moving again and put a little joy back into your favourite everyday activities (hello, taking the pup for a walk around the block again!) However, if your shoulder pain doesn’t start feeling better after 7 days of shoulder pain remedies, consult a doctor to make sure there's nothing more serious at play.

Home remedies and treatments for shoulder pain

Not all shoulder pain needs a doctor’s visit. There are a number of at-home shoulder pain remedies you can try out. They include:

  1. Rest

    2. There’s nothing like rest to speed recovery. Repeat motion is likely to further aggravate you shoulder joint and the surrounding muscles, tendons, and nerves. Avoid using your shoulder in ways that make your pain worse. Consider resting your arm on a cushion in your lap.2

  2. Ice

    3. Icing your shoulder can help reduce inflammation, as well as numb the area so that pain subsides. An ice pack, or even a bag of frozen veggies, should do the trick. Be careful not to place ice directly on your skin. Always wrap any ice pack or frozen veggie bag in a thin towel before applying it to your skin. Do this for around 20 minutes, 4 or more times per day. If after 2 days this isn't doing the trick, consult a pharmacist.3

  3. Over-the-counter pain medication

    4. Our shoulders serve us in nearly any task we undertake throughout the day. Taking a break from all activities can often be unfeasible, plain and simple. If your pain is from a sprain, strain or bruise to your muscles or tendons, using an NSAID like diclofenac (which is the ingredient in Voltaren products), which fights inflammation, reduces pain, and aids healing: So you can get back to doing the little things in your day that make you happy.

    Read the label to check how long you should use the medication before seeking advice from a health care professional if the pain isn't getting better.

Group of women in yoga pose - learn about good body posture for back pain relief
  1. Maintain good posture

    2. Keep your shoulder down and gently back. Maintaining good posture will take the pressure off your shoulder muscles. In this way, you can reduce stress on your shoulder joint and relieve tension in your shoulder muscles4.

Treatments for shoulder pain your doctor may recommend

If your pain isn't going away after at-home treatments, after a week you should ask your doctor how to get rid of shoulder pain, here are some shoulder pain treatments he or she may recommend. They include:

  1. Dispense prescription pain medication

    2. Depending on the severity of your shoulder affliction your doctor may recommend another course of treatment beyond what you can do at home. That could be a prescription for medication that you can't get over the counter from your pharmacist, or they could give you an injection directly into your shoulder while you’re at the doctor’s office in order to reduce pain and swelling.

  2. Recommend physiotherapy

    3. Your doctor may recommend that you make a regular appointment to see a physiotherapist. Alternatively, he or she may provide you with some physiotherapy exercises and stretches that you can perform on your own at home. These often involve stretchy exercise bands and it's important to keep to the routine set to make the difference!

  3. Immobilize your joint

    4. If it turns out that your shoulder is sprained or broken, your doctor may provide you with a sling or brace to keep your shoulder from moving too much

man receiving physio treatment

Voltaren products for shoulder pain relief

Voltaren shoulder pain products include our:

  • Emulgels

How does Voltaren Emulgel work to relieve shoulder pain

Voltaren Emulgels work on sprains, strains, bruising, or sports injuries, that have caused trauma to a tendon, ligament, muscle or joint in your shoulder. You can also use Voltaren Emulgel on tendonitis or bursitis, both of which are common in the shoulder. Voltaren Emulgel is also indicated for use in shoulder-hand syndrome.

Voltaren Emulgels work as they are formulated with the active ingredient Diclofenac. Voltaren's concentrated power strikes directly with a triple effect

  1. Relieves pain
  2. Reduces inflammation, a major cause of pain
  3. Speeds up recovery

Diclofenac is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Voltaren Emulgels are specially formulated with microemulsions, (hence 'Emulgel') which penetrates deep through the skin to target a major root cause of pain, inflammation. As diclofenac accumulates under the skin, it acts as a reservoir from where there is a sustained release of the pain-busting ingredient into underlying tissues. More people get clinical benefit from Emulgel5 than from other topical NSAIDs6 when compared with a placebo.7

Unlike non-medicated gels that may have a sensorial effect (providing a cooling or heating feeling which masks the pain8) or even heat patches that provide heat to the affected area, Voltaren Emulgels are medicated and clinically proven not only to relieve pain but also to reduce inflammation, a main source of pain.

Voltaren Emulgels are also gentle on the body, unlike pills that need to travel through the stomach to work on your pain, they are targeted to the point of pain; because of this they also have lower risk of systemic side effects than pain relief pills.

How to use Voltaren Emulgel to relieve shoulder pain

Easy Open Cap
Tamper evident tabs located on each side of the flip-top cap will break when the cap is opened for the first time. Before first use check if the tamper evident tabs are not broken.
Just flip the cap lid. Use a finger, thumb, side of your hand or even edge of a table against the underside of the cap lid to open the flip-top cap. Easy peasy!

Open your tube of Voltaren Emulgel by twisting off the cap. Squeeze out an amount ranging in size from a cherry to a walnut, depending on the size of the affected area

  1. Gently rub into the skin above where you are experiencing body pain
  2. Apply Voltaren Emulgel as indicated on the label

  3. Start to regain your joy of movement. Feel better

Voltaren Emulgel dosage to relieve shoulder pain

Voltaren Emulgel delivers diclofenac, a potent and effective anti-inflammatory, directly to the source of your pain. That’s why a little bit goes a long way. For the proper Voltaren Emulgel dosage, apply between a cherry and walnut size amount, depending on the size of your affected area. You can find more information on the label about application and dosage.

How long does Voltaren Emulgel take to relieve shoulder pain

A study shows that Voltaren Emulgel reduced the pain felt upon movement, just one hour after application9; and that it cuts pain in half within 24 hours.10 Voltaren Emulgel works 2x faster11 and is 3x more effective12 than non-medicated gel- so you can get regain your joy of movement, and fast!13

References