Don't Let Shoulder Pain Ruin Your Sleep: Expert Strategies for Lasting Relief

You fall into bed, exhausted after another long day. But instead of slumber, your shoulder pain starts flaring up, making sleep nearly impossible, no matter what position you try.

Shoulder pain is incredibly common — about 30% of Americans complain of upper limb pain, which is likely dominated by shoulder issues. Also common is shoulder pain that flares at night.

To shed some light on this phenomenon, we turn to our highly experienced team of pain management experts at Revive Spine and Pain Center. In the following, we dive into what might be behind the shoulder pain, why it flares at night, and some best practices.

Main culprits behind shoulder pain

Let’s start with what might be causing your shoulder pain, no matter what time of day it is. 

Your shoulders are ball-and-socket joints that are more vulnerable to injury and damage due to a very shallow socket that allows for a greater range of motion. As a result, shoulder joints are inherently unstable and prone to different issues, with these leading the pack:

• Rotator cuff tears, which affect about 3 million Americans at any given time
• Shoulder impingement syndrome
• Shoulder bursitis
• Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis
• Shoulder arthritis
• Shoulder dislocation

This list is far from complete, but it includes the most common causes of shoulder pain.

Why the shoulder pain at night?

There are two main reasons why shoulder pain tends to strike more at night:

Less distraction

Pain anywhere in your body tends to seem worse at night, and this isn’t because the condition worsens. Instead, it only seems this way because there are far fewer distractions at night, which turns the spotlight on your pain.

Sleep position

When it comes to shoulders, sleep position is a big culprit behind nighttime pain. Sleeping on the affected side, for example, can become very painful. And if that’s the position you’re used to, your body will likely roll onto your shoulder as you sleep.

And shoulder joints are unsupported when you sleep, often hanging in a way that stretches the injured and/or inflamed areas, such as your rotator cuff, causing more pain.

Finding pain relief and sleep at night

If you're struggling with shoulder pain that’s keeping you up at night, we have a few recommendations:

Get the right treatment

We first want you to come see us for an evaluation so we can see what you’re up against. From there, we can take steps to minimize the pain through:

• Joint injections
• Physical therapy and sports medicine rehabilitation
• Medical acupuncture
• Regenerative medicine

These treatments can offer both immediate and long-term relief of your shoulder pain.

Sleep support

One of the best things you can do to improve your sleep is to wedge a pillow under your arm to support your shoulder and keep it from hanging down. As you lie on your back, put the pillow along your side and rest your arm along its length.

For a more tailored plan that will help with your nighttime shoulder pain, please don't hesitate to contact us at one of our conveniently located offices in Marlton, Hamilton Township, Northfield, or East Brunswick, New Jersey, to schedule an appointment.