Shoulder Pain

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Are any of the following familiar to you?

 

• Stiffness in your shoulders or neck

• Tenderness or pain that comes and goes

• Reduced range of motion

• Sharp pain in your shoulder or upper arm

• Pain when lifting or throwing, even light objects

• Trouble reaching above your head

• Crunching or popping in your shoulder (crepitus)

• Difficulty and pain during and after sports like golf, bowling, tennis, basketball or baseball

• Swelling, especially after strenuous activity

 

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, do not ignore them. It may be tempting to assume your shoulder pain is something minor, but we must be careful not to ignore what could be a more serious problem.

 

It’s true that many causes of shoulder pain can be relatively minor bruises, strains or overstressed muscles. But these symptoms may also be related to more serious, possibly degenerative or debilitating, conditions. If your shoulder is hurting, here are some things that will help you better understand the nature of your pain.

Anatomy of the shoulder

As a complex ball-and-socket joint, the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body.

 

The shoulder joint includes three bones: the upper arm (humerus), the shoulder blade (scapula) and collarbone (clavicle). The humerus fits into a rounded socket in the scapula called the glenoid. Several muscles and tendons, collectively called the rotator cuff, hold all of that together and allow your shoulder to operate properly.

 

The shoulder is a combination of three joints and one ‘false’ joint that work together to provide that wide range of motion:

• Acromioclavicular Joint: where the shoulder blade meets the collarbone

• Glenohumeral Joint: where the upper arm fits into the shoulder blade

• Sternoclavicular Joint: supports the connection of the arms and shoulders to the chest

• Scapulothoracic Joint: sometimes called a ‘false joint,’ because it is not truly synovial, this ‘joint’ keeps the shoulder socket properly aligned

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Because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the socket it fits into, any damage to the connective tendons, ligaments or muscles may result in loss of stability or function in the joint.

 

If any of these joints, bones, muscles or tendons are injured or inflamed, this may result in pain, weakness, stiffness and reduced range of motion. While injury can result in immediate pain, swelling and other symptoms, simple wear and tear over time can also cause pain and limit flexibility.

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Acute injuries that cause shoulder pain:

• Broken Bones

• Bruises

• Joint dislocation

• Ligament sprain

• Nerve damage

• Rotator Cuff tear

• Shoulder separation

 

Wear and tear that causes shoulder pain:

• Bursitis – inflammation of the bursa, fluid sacs that cushion the joints

• Cartilage (SLAP) tears in the shoulder socket

• Frozen shoulder – limited shoulder movement, often subsequent to an injury

• Muscle strain

• Osteoarthritis – a joint condition in which cartilage is worn away, causing bone spurs, pain and, potentially, nerve damage

• Repeated reaching overhead – causes tendons to rub and scrape against a part of the shoulder blade called the acromion

• Rotator Cuff injury – while this could be caused by acute injury, Rotator Cuff damage may also be the result of repetitive stress

• Tendonitis – inflammation of the ropy fibers that connect bones and muscles

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Shoulder pain may also be “referred.” This is when the pain experienced is caused by a condition or symptom not located in the shoulder joint. Osteoarthritis , Disc Degeneration  or a Herniated Disc  in the cervical vertebra may lead to shoulder pain. A pinched nerve (Radiculopathy) in the Cervical Spine may also lead to pain.