Are you shouldering the burden of shoulder pain?

When Kobe Bryant scheduled rotator cuff surgery in 2015, he said, “The funny thing about it is, I’ve been playing with it, I guess,

torn for a long Dr. Michael time. I can shoot, but I just keep Roizen tearing it more and more and more.” Not the best approach for most folk with shoulder problems!

The rotator cuff is made up of four tendons around the ball joint of the upper arm. It’s a complex structure, allowing motion in many directions — but it’s easy to damage. Shoulder pain often happens when rotator cuff tendons become inflamed or damaged — causing tendinitis or bursitis. Shoulder pain also is caused by arthritis, bone spurs, frozen shoulder, overuse or injury of nearby tendons or muscles, poor posture or lousy ergonomics at computer/desk, and nerve injury from trauma or misuse.

I had rotator cuff surgery in December 2022, because I tore three tendons and partially tore a fourth doing a chest press with my usual weights but without my usual lighter weight warmup. I’m recovering well — but the message is: Don’t skip the warmup!

If you have mild shoulder pain, you can ease the discomfort. Check out https://health.clevelandclinic.org. Search for “shoulder.” Other tips:

■ Ice the shoulder for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, several times a day.

■ Practice good posture and do range-of-motion exercises (get instruction from a physical therapist).

■ Take NSAIDs to ease inflammation or acetaminophen for pain relief. But if the pain worsens or doesn’t fade in a couple of weeks, see your doctor.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.