Either from a childhood injury or aches that have developed through age, shoulder pain is a very common disability within society. Pain can resonate and stop the ability to move the arm, causing sleepless nights and numbness/tingling feelings within the fingers. 

As a Hong Kong-based professional trigger point therapist running a sports recovery lab. I encounter a lot of clients suffering from shoulder pain. All they want to do is getting rid of this pain as soon as possible, luckily, there are many little things we can do to help relieve shoulder pain.

In this article, we will focus on what sorts of treatment or products are great for quick shoulder pain relief.

Quick Summary

Here are my picks of the shoulder pain treatment products which I have found to be the best solutions for temporary relief: 

1. Therma comfort and weighted hot neck/shoulder wrap
2. Pain relieving patches
3. Thera band – SKL Resistance Bands
4. Gel ice packs – Best Oversized Gel Ice Packs for Injuries for Men and Women- Flexible

What are the Most Common Shoulder Pain Symptoms?

According to the National Health Service UK, the most common Shoulder Pain Symptoms could include: 

• Continuous shoulder pain and stiffness for over months and years
• Bad pain occurs in a sudden, the pain is so bad that you feel that it’s very difficult to move your arm, or cannot move at all
• Pain caused by changing shoulder shape
• Pain occurs or worsens when you are using your arm or shoulder
• Clicking or Locking Shoulder, experiencing tingling, numbing, weakness
• Pain on top of the shoulder (where collarbone and shoulder join meet)

What are the Causes of Shoulder Pain?

Shoulder pain could occur for many reasons, such as frozen shoulder, arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, impingement, shoulder instability, hypermobility, dislocated shoulder, broken bones, torn of the tendon, joint problems and stretched or torn ligaments.

Who Should Read This Guide?

Many of my clients suffer from shoulder pain and stiffness, with most of them around ages 30+, some are with shoulder pain caused by poor posture, lack of exercises or sketchings, while some are feeling pain because of overusing their shoulders.

A common inquiry is a cause as to why their shoulders are hurting, as they do not know how to handle it or find relief.

There are a lot of methods that can be used to “prevent” pain from occurring, however, the below article is focused on talking about the best product that could relieve the pain specifically for the shoulder area quickly. 

We will talk about symptoms with initial temporary relief and solutions before it becomes serious enough to require seeing a doctor. 

Best Shoulder Pain Treatment 2020 – Out Picks

Calming Comfort ThermaComfort Weighted Hot Neck Shoulder Wrap

Besides all of the above benefits, I want to emphasize that this wrap provides the most heavenly feeling when you are stressed and tired from a hard day. It motivates you to relax a little bit longer, which is important for a balanced lifestyle. 

In today’s society, we rush around causing ourselves unnecessary stress at times, doing more than what’s required and we need to remember to slow down.

I like to carry this in my luggage when going on a ski trip or an outdoor escapade, so it can be just a grab away when I need to tend to my sore muscles. You can feel your stiff shoulders and upper back are relaxed in around 15 mins.

I like this product because the aromatherapy smell really relaxes you. The slight weight that sits on my shoulders is really comforting like someone is trying to hug you. And the best part is it’s easy, just stick it in the microwave and 30 sec later you have warmth on your shoulder to release those pains.

Heating pads or wraps are great for treating pain problems, I have suggested different types of heating pads in my other articles about best neck pain treatments and best elbow pain treatments.

What We Also Like:

• Weighs 3 lbs to provide pressured deep tissue stimulation with soft fabric that molds to your neck
• Clay beads with aromatherapy to stay calm and relaxed
• With both warming and cooling options, using a microwave to heat and the refrigerator or freezer to cool
• Portable and easy for travel

Salonpas Pain Relieving Patches

This is easy to carry and small enough that it does not take up much space. They are patches that provide pain relief to help with muscle soreness that can last up to 8 hours. However, I recommend that if you have sensitive skin, this may not be the best product for you. Some people can develop a rash over a period of time. 

Most of the time, these types of pain-relieving patches would come with cold and hot feelings. I use them quite often when I experience pains and stiffness on my shoulder, neck, and knee from sleep or too much exercise. 

If that’s like a little twist of my muscles, I will apply the cold patches on the first 2 days, then follow with hot patches. It’s sort of like we should apply ice bags to twisted ankles instead of hot pads to prevent swallowing.

I love these patches because they offer you great feelings immediately and that helps a lot!

Thera band – SKL Resistance Bands Set

One of the best solutions to reduce shoulder pain is stretching, one of my sports recovery lab clients came to me with a really bad frozen shoulder, after treating him with trigger point therapy to relieve his shoulder pain immediately, I made him develop a daily habit of 15 mins sketching and exercises. He has been pain-free for over a year now!

I have written articles suggesting stretching exercises for fixing neck pain, knee pain, and hip pain caused by a tight hip. Do go and take a look if you are suffering from those pain or simply want to avoid them!

The Thera band is great to travel with or throw in your bag to do a few stretches here and there when you can squeeze in a few minutes. It’s also great for your home or workplace to release tension. 

I use these bands a lot when I teach rehabilitation exercises, as this strengthens and lengthens the muscles at the same time.

When you are really tired, a proper 10 mins sketching will save your shoulder, neck and back by improving the blood circulation and relaxing the muscles.

What We Also Like:

• 5 feet in length and 6 inches in width
• Portable with a carry bag
• There are 4 levels of resistance to choose from
• It is eco-friendly and latex-free
• Ideal for everyone, from athlete to physical therapy
• Satisfaction guaranteed
• Lightweight and multi-functional

Gel ice packs – Flexible Hot and Cold Reusable Therapy Gel Ice Packs

I love gel packs, as they are small enough to fit in your travel or gym bag. They weigh less and are actually colder / hotter than any other products that are not gel and you can save time on your therapy.

Make sure you put a towel over it, so you don’t burn your skin. 

If you have read my article “What to do when you hurt your knee“, you will found that applying ice on it would be the first step to prevent swelling. It also numbs the area and cools it off.

What We Also Like:

• Molds to fit any part of your body and are adjustable with straps
• Hot and cold functions that can be reusable
• wrapping them on your body for around 15 mins you will be feeling the difference, with a nice massage your stiff muscles will relax in a couple of minutes

Useful Tips and Resources

1. Remember that these are only temporary solutions and not a cure. They will give you a quick initial relief and I suggest to specifically use these products which target your shoulder pain until you find out what is wrong. 
2. Getting a professional opinion and MRI is the first step and will provide the knowledge of your problem so we can tackle it and find a solution. 
3. When you are suffering from shoulder pain, try to avoid stop using your shoulders completely and try to stay active and move them gently and slowly
4. A very good method to prevent shoulder pain is trying to correct your stance, sit or stand straight with your shoulder gently rolling backward, stop bringing your shoulders and neck forward
5. Do warm-ups and sketching before exercises, on the other day I was meeting my friend TSE, Bun, who is a very famous badminton instructor in Hong Kong. He also agreed that students or players who don’t like doing warm-ups are more likely to suffer from cramping or pulled muscles.
6. Massages, Sketchings, and Exercises can provide great help in preventing shoulder pains, so stay active and treat yourself nice!

Final Words

Anyone that has ever experienced shoulder pain would agree that it is no fun. Try not to carry a heavy bag to prevent any added pressure or pain. It’s easy to forget that we sometimes carry our bags on the same shoulder, remembering to switch shoulders from time to time. Every little bit helps, in our day to day routine.