Sleeping Better With Rotator Cuff Pain
Are you frustrated and exhausted from not being able to get comfortable at night and unable to get a good night’s sleep because of rotator cuff tendon pain? If so, we’re here to tell you’re not alone. In fact, there is an estimated two million adults each year who present to their Doctor’s office complaining of shoulder pain triggered by the rotator cuff tendons.
Let’s start by understanding what the rotator cuff is and what it’s function is in the shoulder. The rotator cuff is a set of four muscles and tendons that come off the shoulder blade (also called the scapula) and attach onto the upper arm bone (also called the humerus). The names of the specific muscles that collectively make up the rotator cuff are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. In simplest terms, whenever you move your shoulder the muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff are actively helping to stabilize the shoulder joint.
The rotator cuff tendons can become injured commonly in most adults. There are two major causes of rotator cuff injuries: acute tear and degenerative tear. An acute rotator cuff tear can occur, for example, if you fall on your arm or lift something too heavy with a jerking motion. On the other hand, degenerative tears occur because of a wearing down of the tendon that occurs slowly over time. Several factors contribute to a degenerative rotator cuff tear including a lack of blood supply to the tendon as we age, repetitive stress to the shoulder, and development of bone spurs under or around the area of the tendons. It’s also important to realize that rotator cuff tendon tears are classified as either partial thickness tears or full thickness tears. Basically, a partial thickness tear only affects part of the tendon and a full thickness tear goes completely through the tendon and may affect other surrounding tendons therefore, a full thickness rotator cuff tear is worse than a partial thickness tear.
It’s common for people with rotator cuff pain to complain about shoulder pain when trying to fall asleep at night. Fortunately, there are a couple things you can do tonight to help you get to sleep faster without rolling around trying to get comfortable.
1. Ice Your Shoulder 15-20 Minutes Before Bed
Ice is a great and safer way of reducing pain on the shoulder without having to take medication. Try wrapping an ice pack in a towel and holding it on your shoulder for 15-20 minutes before going to bed. Don’t apply the ice pack directly onto the skin without a towel or fall asleep on the ice pack as this could cause injury to the skin.
If you are experiencing rotator cuff tendon pain potentially due to a degenerative tear (without specific injury to the shoulder), try using a heating pad to help manage pain before bed. Heat can be applied for 10 minutes before bed to help soothe the chronic pain associated with a degenerative tear. Again, don’t apply the heat directly to the skin or fall asleep with the heat to avoid risk of sustaining skin injury or burn.
2. Try Changing Up Your Sleep Position
Side Sleeping: Avoid sleeping directly on your injured shoulder or on your stomach. Sleeping directly on your injured side or on your stomach will significantly flare up your symptoms making it nearly impossible to fall asleep or get comfortable while trying to get to bed. Instead, try sleeping on your non-painful side with a pillow underneath your painful shoulder’s armpit or try gently hugging the pillow. This will position your shoulder in a neutral position taking stress off the rotator cuff tendons making it significantly less painful and easier to fall asleep.
Back Sleeping: If you sleep facing up while lying on your back, try putting a thin pillow underneath your painful shoulder. This will help to relieve pressure and tension on the rotator cuff tendons.
Reclined Sleeping: The final position that I recommend for those individuals who can’t find comfort lying in a bed is to try sleeping semi reclined in a recliner. Sleeping with the recliner propped up will help to provide support to the shoulder thus reducing pain and pressure on the rotator cuff. This position should only be reserved for those who are in the early stages of rotator cuff pain (acute tear) or for those who can’t find relief with sleeping in a bed. For those of you who have an adjustable reclining bed, move the headrest up to a reclining position to sleep.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Garrett Desrosiers PT, DPT
Garrett is the CEO and Co-Owner of ProResults Physical Therapy Inc. in San Marcos, CA (North San Diego County). Garrett has been helping on-the-go active adults and athletes across the south western United States return to a pain-free active lifestyle without medications, injections, surgery or making unnecessary trips to the physician’s office since 2015. He graduated in 2013 with his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology then went on to receive his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Husson University in 2015. After working for three years in multiple fast paced outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinics, Garrett quickly realized he was not able to provide the elite quality care he knew his clients deserved. Garrett felt clients were more than just a number or diagnosis and that in order to provide the time, empathy, passion, and high-quality treatment they deserved, starting his own private practice was the only option. Garrett is committed to helping every client make the best decision in regard to their health. His unique, personalized, eclectic, multifaceted approach takes those individuals who have decreased their activities or stopped being active all together to a real solution.