Why Your Shoulders Ache at the End of the Day

Over 4 million people suffer from some level of shoulder pain in the United States. For many, the pain is more obvious or intense at the end of the day or overnight. There’s no single reason behind this pain syndrome. 

Your shoulder is the most complex joint in the body. At 360 Orthopedics, we consider the many contributors to shoulder pain and diagnose those active in your case. Treatment is then based on the factors that create your specific end-of-day aches.  

Clues in your late-day symptoms

While many things can go wrong with the shoulder joint, some cause aches, discomfort, or pain around the clock. There’s no time factor to consider since you can always feel their effects. 

When you have shoulder aches toward the end of the day but before you go to bed, the most obvious culprit is overuse. If you have a strenuous job or work with your arms over your head, then it’s virtually certain that your aches are due to how you use your arms. 

When shoulder pain starts after you lie down to sleep, then the pressure on your arm and shoulder may contribute if you’re a side-sleeper, while gravity might pull on ligaments and tendons if you sleep on your back. 

Regardless of how your shoulder aches form, end-of-day problems often point to three common shoulder conditions as likely causes. 

Why your shoulders ache at the end of the day

If your nighttime shoulder aches are occasional issues that connect with a strenuous day and then vanish with over-the-counter pain medication and/or rest, then you likely have no lingering shoulder injury. 

Otherwise, when evaluating your late-day shoulder pain, we’d consider these three conditions as the most obvious reasons behind your symptoms. 

Arthritis

The most common form of the disease is osteoarthritis (OA), starting with the breakdown of cartilage covering the parts of bones that move against each other within the shoulder. In the early stages of OA, aches and pains may be intermittent and brought on by the end-of-day conditions mentioned above. Since OA is degenerative, pain may increase in duration and intensity over time. 

Bursitis

Each shoulder has four major bursae, fluid-filled sacs that aid motion and cushion the tissues of the joints. One in particular, the subacromial bursa, is most commonly affected by inflammation, called bursitis. This bursa is the most vulnerable to inflammation and is most likely to create aches and pains when under pressure. 

Tendonitis

Tendons attach muscle to bone, and in the shoulder, tendons in the rotator cuff are more likely to become irritated and inflamed by long-term repetitive strain. Tendons also become stiffer and more vulnerable to injury as you get older. As well as causing rotator cuff issues, inflamed tendons can cause nighttime shoulder aches. 

The shoulders' complexity means that any problem can slow you down. Call the nearest 360 Orthopedics location directly to schedule a shoulder pain assessment today.