You may be offered a range of treatments depending on the severity of the condition and how long it has bothered you. If there has been an injury of if there are tears in your rotator cuff then treatment may need to be focussed on repairing the damage rather than treating the impingement directly.
Painkilling medication and anti-inflammatories can help relieve pain. You should avoid activities that aggravate the condition but it’s important to continue moving your arm to keep the muscles in good condition and prevent stiffness.
An exercise program is an important part of treatment and you may be referred to a physiotherapist to guide you through this. This is designed to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and make sure the shoulder is well balanced. It takes time to achieve this and hard work over many months may be required to get the best results.
In some cases, you may be offered injections such as steroid into the shoulder to reduce inflammation in the bursa and tendons.
Surgery for impingement can be helpful for some people with pain that isn’t improving satisfactorily with other treatments. This is called subacromial decompression.
Subacromial decompression surgery is used to widen the space around the rotator cuff tendon so it does not rub or catch on anything nearby. It is normally performed as a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure under general anaesthetic.