You can also alternate between cold and heat and see if you get more benefit that way. After the first 36-48 hours, you likely won’t get any benefit from ice.
Check with your doctor beforehand to make sure it’s okay for you to take these medications, especially if you’re taking anything else.
Chin tucks: Sit up straight with your back flat against a chair and push your chin back into your neck without lowering your head. Hold the tuck for 3-5 seconds, breathing deeply. Repeat 10-20 times. [4] X Research source Chin tucks with extension: When you do the chin tuck exercise, extend back as far as you comfortably can, arching your back. Hold the extension for 3-5 seconds, breathing deeply. Repeat 10-20 times. [5] X Research source Scapular pinches: While standing or sitting up straight, squeeze your shoulder blades down and back together behind you. Hold for 3 seconds, then relax. Do 3 sets of 10 reps once or twice a day. [6] X Research source
This can be difficult if you pinched a nerve at work or while doing a necessary task. Just try to take it easy for a couple of days and look for alternatives to using your shoulder. Repetitive motion also puts pressure on your shoulder and can compress your nerves. If you have to do repetitive activities, break up the repetition. For example, if you have 100 boxes to lift over your head onto a shelf, take a break every 10 boxes or so. [8] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
If you’re used to hunching, it can take some practice to get in the habit of good posture. Make an effort to start in the right position, then mentally check and adjust your position once every few minutes until it becomes automatic.
Putting pillows around you will help keep you from rolling over onto your shoulder while you’re sleeping. If you normally sleep on your stomach or back, you should be fine. If your position is putting undue pressure on your shoulder, you’ll feel it and likely won’t be comfortable sleeping that way.
If heat makes your shoulder feel better, you might want to buy heat wraps online or at your local pharmacy. You put these on in the morning and they’re designed to provide up to 8 hours of relief.
Your doctor will talk to you about what you were doing leading up to the onset of pain in your shoulder and ask if you’ve ever had this problem before. Based on your description of the problem and a physical exam, your doctor might order imaging tests, such as an MRI, to better identify the problem.
The collar simply keeps you from moving your head, so it has the most benefit if you only feel pain when you move your head in a certain way. A cervical collar is a short-term solution—don’t wear one for more than a week unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Long-term use will cause you to lose strength in your neck muscles, which can actually increase your likelihood of having a pinched nerve again. [13] X Research source Doctors typically recommend a cervical collar for pain radiating from the neck. For example, if you’ve had an MRI that shows the pinched nerve is in your neck, a cervical collar might help.
If you get an injection, you might find that your shoulder feels better almost immediately. Don’t let this fool you! The injury is still there and going back to normal activity can worsen your condition. After taking corticosteroids, continue to rest your shoulder until your doctor gives you the all-clear. Typically, you’ll start to have an increased range of motion within a few days.
If your pinched nerve resulted from repetitive motion, a physical therapist can help you strengthen your shoulder as well as showing you different ways to move that are less likely to cause the same issue from happening again.
In more extreme cases, the surgeon might need to remove parts of vertebrae or fuse vertebrae together. If the pinched nerve is directly in your shoulder, surgery might involve shaving off part of the bone that’s compressing the nerve.
