Painkillers

In the case of shoulder impingement syndrome, it may be advisable to take painkillers at times in addition to physiotherapy. Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac are particularly recommended for severe pain, but they should not be regarded as a long-term therapy as they cannot eliminate the cause of the pain. Their anti-inflammatory effect can be put to good use, especially after severe stress. Novamine sulfone can also be prescribed to relieve pain, and heat plasters or heat pads can also help. Opioids are not recommended for the treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome, and long-term therapy with painkillers is not recommended.

OP

Surgery for shoulder impingement syndrome can be considered if conservative therapy with physiotherapy and physical therapy has been unsuccessful for at least six months or if the symptoms have even worsened further. In most cases, surgery involves grinding off part of the acromion to give the affected tendon more space and to widen the narrowness under the acromion. If one or more tendons of the rotator cuff are damaged, they can be reattached to the bone or a tendon section during surgery.

It is also possible to remove any calcifications from the tendons or recurrently inflamed bursae from the joint. The operation can be minimally invasive and usually takes between one and two hours. You can find out what a proper follow-up treatment should look like in the article: MTT after shoulder impingement surgery To obtain more information about the diseases mentioned here, you can read these articles

Calcified shoulder
Rotator cuff tear

Pain after surgery

In the first days after the operation, wound pain is completely normal. Depending on the surgeon, the arm is placed in an abduction splint in the weeks following the operation to protect it, but the joint should still be moved in the first few days to avoid stiffening. A long-term therapy is usually not necessary, in most cases the pain should have decreased significantly after about a week, so that everyday movements and activities are possible. In physiotherapy, which is usually carried out on an outpatient basis as follow-up treatment, stretching, movement and strength exercises can cause sore muscles or slightly pulling pain, for example, which should disappear after a few days.