If you're a senior citizen or an athlete, you've probably had to deal with a sharp, excruciating pain in your upper shoulder whenever you raise your arms or rest on them.
Chances are that you're probably suffering from a rotator cuff injury.
While there are surgical procedures to alleviate the pain, there are also several exercises and preventative measures to do before considering costly surgery.
First of, what is the rotator cuff.
The rotator cuff is a sleeve formed around the shoulder holding the head of the humerus (the bone of the upper arm) to the glenoid fossa (the grove where the humerus rests on your shoulder).
This sleeve is formed by the tendons of the four muscles of the shoulder: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapuraris.
Problems with the rotator cuff arise from inflammation of the tendons or the bursae, or tears in the tendon.
The pain involved comes from the pinching of nerves against the bones of the shoulder by the inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis) or the bursae (bursitis) on the nerves.
Symptoms include: pain/discomfort in the shoulder, especially when pressure and weight are applied, pain when arm is lifted away from the body or overhead.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure.
The same applies to rotator cuff injuries.
Often times rotator injuries come about from quick and drastic movements with the shoulder.
Before you do any strenuous activity, warm-up your shoulder to keep it supple and flexible.
Also, don't overextend yourself, if there something you're unable to do yourself, ask for assistance, or try something else.
I know it's a common sense suggestion, but many believe they're still young guns and try to pull of activities they know they probably shouldn't.
Here some suggestions and exercise you can do to help your condition if you are having issues:

• When exercising or playing sports, avoid activities that place your elbows behind your shoulders.
  
• If you have just begun to experience pain, have some R.
  I.
  C.
  E: Rest the joint, put some Ice, Compress the  area, and keep it Elevated.
  
• Take anti-inflammatory and pain relief medicines (asprin, naproxen, ibuprofen)
• Strengthen your rotator cuff with targeted exercises and stretches.
  Lateral dumb-bell raises, seated rowing, and shoulder adduction are all exercises that strengthen the muscles of the region.
  Just don't over do it.
  

You should, in any case, see a doctor if the problems persists.
If the problem continues to persist for 6-12 months, surgery might be needed.