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    2019
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Common Reasons for Shoulder Pain

Common Reasons for Shoulder Pain

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint of the body.  Be it lifting a bucket of water or reaching up into the cupboard, given the number of everyday activities it is involved in, shoulder pain is something that you get from time to time.  Our shoulder has the flexibility to turn in many directions.  But this advantage can be the very disadvantage that makes the shoulder prone to injuries and pain thereafter.  The reasons for shoulder pain can be from osteoarthritis, muscle tears, tendonitis etc.  In fact, there are are numerous possibilities due to the anatomy involved in allowing your shoulder to do what it does.  Shoulder pain is also called deltoid pain and it is an extremely common problem.

The shoulder consists of three bones – humerus (upper arm), scapula (shoulder blade) and clavicle (collarbone).  Given the shoulder’s complex structure, problems with any part of the shoulder can lead to severe pain.  In order to zero in on the correct treatment of the shoulder pain, it is very important to pinpoint exactly what part of the shoulder hurts.

Let’s go through some of the common reasons for shoulder pain.

Rotator cuff injury:

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint, keeping the head of your upper arm bone firmly within the shallow socket of the shoulder.  A rotator cuff injury can cause a dull ache in the shoulder, which often worsens when you try to sleep on the involved side.  Rotator cuff injuries occur most often in people who repeatedly perform overhead motions in their jobs or sports.  Examples include painters, carpenters, and people who play cricket or tennis.

Brachial plexus injury:

The brachial plexus is the network of nerves that sends signals from your spinal cord to your shoulder, arm and hand.  A brachial plexus injury occurs when these nerves are stretched, compressed or in the most serious cases, ripped apart or torn away from the spinal cord.

Broken shoulder:

A broken shoulder is most commonly a fractured humerus.  The humerus is your upper arm bone between your shoulder and elbow.  When your humerus is fractured near or at the ball of your shoulder joint, it is commonly known as a broken shoulder.  Your humerus can be broken in many places and the fracture is normally described by its location e.g. a fractured neck of humerus.

Broken collarbone:

A broken collarbone is a common injury, particularly in children and young adults.  Symptoms include a bulge on or near your shoulder, a grinding or crackling sound when you try to move your shoulder, a stiffness or inability to move your shoulder.

Shoulder bursitis:

Subacromial bursitis is a common cause of shoulder pain that is usually related to shoulder impingement of your bursa between your rotator cuff tendons and bone (acromion).

Cervical radiculopathy:

Cervical radiculopathy, commonly called a “pinched nerve” occurs when a nerve in the neck is compressed or irritated where it branches away from the spinal cord.  This may cause pain that radiates into the shoulder, as well as muscle weakness and numbness that travels down the arm and into the hand.

Dislocated shoulder:

A dislocated shoulder is an injury in which your upper arm bone pops out of the cup-shaped socket that is part of your shoulder blade.  It will cause intense pain, swelling bruising around the shoulder.

Frozen shoulder:

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, worsen over time and then resolve, usually within one to three years.

Heart attack:

Angina is discomfort or pain felt when the heart is getting less oxygen than it needs.  Along with left arm pain, symptoms might occur in the shoulders, neck, back, or jaw.  Angina can also feel like indigestion.  Angina is not a heart attack, but a sign of a heart problem.

Osteoarthritis:

Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease is the most common type of arthritis in the shoulder.  Irregular motion and bone spurs along with inflammation can result in pain and loss of motion in the shoulder.

Polymyalgia rheumatica:

Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disorder that causes muscle pain and stiffness, especially in the shoulders.  Signs and symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica usually begin quickly and are worse in the morning.

Shoulder arthritis:

Shoulder arthritis is one particularly painful condition that affects the shoulder joints.  Arthritis doesn’t only damage your muscles and tendons but also your joints and ligaments.  Shoulder arthritis generally causes symptoms such as joint pain and limited range of motion.

Separated shoulder:

A separated shoulder or shoulder sprain is an injury to the ligaments that hold your collarbone (clavicle) to your shoulder blade.  Symptoms include shoulder pain, shoulder weakness, shoulder bruising or swelling.

Septic arthritis:

Septic arthritis is a painful infection in a joint.  The infection can come from germs that travel through your bloodstream from another part of your body.  Septic arthritis can also occur when a penetrating injury delivers germs directly into the joint.  Among other areas of the body, shoulder can also be attacked, resulting shoulder pain.

Shoulder tendinitis:

Shoulder tendonitis (or tendinitis) is an inflammation injury to the tendons of your shoulder’s rotator cuff.  Symptoms include pain in front of the shoulder, pain triggered by raising or lowering your arm, pain that causes you to wake from sleep and pain when reaching behind your back.

Thoracic outlet syndrome:

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a condition whereby symptoms are produced due to compression of nerves and/or blood vessels in the upper chest.  Among other symptoms, shoulder pain is a major one.

Shoulder cartilage tear (glenoid labrum tear):

The labrum is a piece of fibrocartilage (rubbery tissue) attached to the rim of the shoulder socket that helps keep the ball of the joint in place.  When this cartilage is torn, it is called a labral tear.  A shoulder cartilage tear can cause severe shoulder pain.

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