When to see a doctor

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Call 911 or emergency medical assistance

Shoulder pain accompanied by difficulty breathing or a sense of tightness in the chest may be a symptom of a heart attack and requires immediate medical attention.

Seek immediate medical attention

Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if your shoulder pain is caused by an injury and is accompanied by:

  • A joint that appears deformed
  • Inability to use the joint or move your arm away from your body
  • Intense pain
  • Sudden swelling

Schedule an office visit

Make an appointment with your doctor if your shoulder pain is accompanied by:

  • Swelling
  • Redness
  • Tenderness and warmth around the joint

Self-care

To relieve minor shoulder pain you might try:

  • Pain relievers. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) may help.
  • Rest. Avoid using your shoulder in ways that cause or worsen pain.
  • Ice. Apply an ice pack to your painful shoulder for 15 to 20 minutes a few times each day.

Often, self-care measures and a little time could be all you need to relieve your shoulder pain.

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May 20, 2021

See also

  1. Angina
  2. Bone spurs
  3. Reverse shoulder replacement
  4. Rotator cuff damage
  5. Rotator cuff: Tendon transfer
  6. Coronary artery spasm: Cause for concern?
  7. CSF leak (Cerebrospinal fluid leak)
  8. Dislocated shoulder
  9. Ectopic pregnancy
  10. Eyestrain
  11. Frozen shoulder
  12. Gallbladder cleanse: A 'natural' remedy for gallstones?
  13. Gallstones
  14. Headaches and stress
  15. Hemophilia
  16. Hidden Heart Attack
  17. Infographic: How heart-healthy people can suffer a heart attack
  18. Myocardial ischemia
  19. Pleurisy
  20. Polymyalgia rheumatica
  21. Pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
  22. Recurrent breast cancer
  23. Rotator cuff injury
  24. Rotator Cuff Repair
  25. SCAD 2 Social Media as a Lifesaving Link
  26. Screen time making your eyes buggy?
  27. Separated shoulder
  28. Shoulder disorder
  29. Small vessel disease
  30. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
  31. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
  32. Take headache relief into your own hands
  33. Tension headache
  34. Relieving tension-type headaches
  35. Thoracic outlet syndrome
  36. Integrative approaches to treating pain
  37. Nutrition and pain
  38. Pain rehabilitation
  39. Wiiitis