{"id":6948,"date":"2019-05-29T21:04:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T21:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6948"},"modified":"2021-05-04T17:27:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T17:27:12","slug":"14-most-common-shoulder-pain-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-most-common-shoulder-pain-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Most Common Shoulder Pain Causes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Shoulder pain affects millions of people all over the world at any one time, and it can be a problem that comes and goes or sticks around for the long run. Several joints combine together to make up the part of the body that most people know as the shoulder, and the mobility of the shoulder is what makes it so important in our day to day lives. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pain felt in the shoulder that this article refers to can range from the annoying to the debilitating and whilst the common feature is that the pain always occurs in the shoulder, the causes and contributing factors can be numerous and varies. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a range of treatment options for shoulder pain, with the best option typically depending on the type of injury and the prognosis for recovery, but a list of 8 of the most common cause of shoulder pain is explained and expanded upon here.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Bursitis <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The tiny, liquid-filled sacs known as bursae, are located in and around joints throughout the body, with the shoulder being no exception. These bursae act as a suspension system, giving cushioning or padding between our muscles and our soft tissues. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, due to overuse, these bursae can become inflamed or irritated, leading to a reduction in mobility of the rotator cuff, and ultimately, to some pretty nasty pain. The pain of bursitis is often described as being similar to tendinitis, however, it is usually pretty difficult to diagnose as it can come on at the same time and in conjunction with tendinitis itself. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately for sportsmen and women, overuse of the shoulder is part and parcel of the job, and so regular massage and maintenance is necessary to keep on top of all the inner workings of the shoulder, including the bursae. Bursitis <\/a>sounds like something that should hurt just from the name, and it certainly does smart!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Tendinitis  <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tendinitis<\/a>, which usually occurs as a result of overuse and inflammation of the tendons of the shoulder joints, can be categorized into two types. Acute tendonitis can come as a result of too much ball throwing for example, or following an extended period of overhead activities at work or during recreational or professional sport. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other type of tendinitis, chronic tendinitis, tends to be the result of degenerative diseases such as dreaded arthritis. It can also come about as a result of general wear and tear, associated with old age in most cases. It is the four tendons of the rotator cuff which are most commonly affected by tendinitis, which is particularly problematic as the rotator cuff is what gives a person\u2019s shoulder the stability and maneuverability it needs in order to be effective. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For acute episodes of tendinitis, shoulders should respond well to icing and resting, but for more chronic episodes surgery and other interventions may be required.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Tendon Tears<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Partial or complete tears of the tendons in the shoulder can happen to anyone. Whether it\u2019s a super fit and highly trained sportsman, or an average Joe on the street, there are a great number of things which can result in tendon tears. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, overuse could cause a tendon tear, given that the more a tendon is stretched and compromised, the more likely it is to eventually give way. This degenerative type of tendon <\/a>tear is more commonly found in older people, though younger people, particularly sportspeople may be susceptible to this type of long term, overuse tear. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other way in which a tear can be caused is through sudden injury. It can be very unpleasant to tear a tendon in this way, but a heavy impact, a knock or an awkward overstretch could cause a tendon to either tear partially or snap completely. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the instance of a complete severance, it is usually the case that surgery is required to stitch the tendon back together. Recovery can be long and complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Impingement<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any change in the function of the shoulder could indicate impingement<\/a>. Impingement is a very painful thing that can happen when the upper part of the shoulder puts unusual pressure on the soft tissues within the shoulder, especially when the arm is moved up and away from the body. Someone suffering from impingement might appear as though they are shrugging their shoulders before lifting their arm, but in actual fact, it is the functionality of the shoulder that is causing them to do this, and not the other way round. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the person lifts the arm on the affected side, the rotator cuff and its bursa and tendons are impinged upon, causing limited movement, discomfort and often a great deal of pain. Sometimes, impingements can be rectified through stretching and with the support of a physiotherapist, however, icing and resting are advisable treatment options in the early stages, as impingement has a nasty habit of leading to bursitis and tendinitis if not managed carefully.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Instability <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If someone has an unstable shoulder, it won’t be long before the pain comes along with it as part of the package. Caused either by overuse or by a sudden injury<\/a>, a shoulder dislocation is ranked as one of the most painful things that someone can experience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proximity of the shoulder to the core of the body is perhaps one of these reasons, as sometimes people feel they can distance themselves from a broken wrist or a sprained ankle, but with a shoulder, it is at the heart of everything we do. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dislocations may be partial or complete, where the entire ball slips out of the socket. Whilst both of these types of dislocation are unquestionably painful, some people claim that a complete dislocation is easier to deal with, and plenty of sportspeople have had their shoulders popped back in during competition or practice. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A partial dislocation tends to come with tears to the tendons, often making recovery more complex.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Arthritis<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another cause of shoulder pain can be arthritis<\/a>, and there are many types of arthritis that could be responsible. In terms of causing pain in the shoulder though, osteoarthritis, which occurs as a result of wear and tear, is by far the most common. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overuse causes wear and tear and for the vast majority of people, there is little way of avoiding using your shoulder virtually all of the time. The symptoms which cause pain from osteoarthritis include stiffness and swelling, and these usually develop from middle age and get worse over time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment is complicated, as movement can both help and hinder recovery and repair. Where a shoulder is kept completely immobilized, the threat of frozen shoulder creeps in, which is another extremely painful thing to endure, however when a shoulder is kept moving, it is possible that the wear and tear damage can be exacerbated or worsened even.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Fracture<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to shoulders, some people say that they would rather a fracture than a tendon tear, but try telling that to someone who has fractured one part of their shoulder. A broken bone in the shoulder can occur virtually anywhere, from the collarbone to the upper arm, to the shoulder blade. These fractures <\/a>can be extremely painful and require painkilling medications jus to give the person light relief. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In older patients, shoulder fractures usually occur as a result of a fall, either from a raised platform or simply from standing. Younger patients with shoulder fractures are usually more complex, as the breaks can be more severe, given that they commonly occur due to more high energy types of injury. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These high energy types of injury can range from vehicle crashes to sports-related injuries, which takes us on nicely to our final example of common causes of shoulder pain.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Sporting Injury<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Arguably the most common cause of shoulder pain is a sporting injury. Children, teenagers, and adults playing a range of sports can find that their shoulders are amongst the most exposed and vulnerable parts of the body. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soccer players, football players, baseball players, basketball players, tennis players, and swimmers, there really is no sport that is immune to the threat of injury to the shoulder. Once an injury has been sustained in sport, either through a fall, a tangle or an impact, it then lies with a medical professional to determine the extent of the injury. This is usually done with some kind of imaging, such as MRI or X-ray<\/a>, though the inflammation that occurs within the shoulder following an injury can sometimes cloud judgment. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way for an amateur or professional sportsperson to get back to playing as soon as possible is for an accurate diagnosis of the injury to be obtained at the earliest possible opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Rotator Cuff Tear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The rotator cuff<\/a> comprises a group of tendons and muscles surrounding the shoulder joint. The task of the rotator cuff is to assist with keeping the upper-arm bone located in the shoulder joint.
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Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common injuries involved in weight training, where the athlete places to much weight on the bar during a pressing exercise, resulting in a tear of the tendons and muscles in the rotator cuff.
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Rotator cuff injuries often require surgery to repair the tendons, and those individuals that choose to avoid surgery may end up with the rotator cuff healing poorly. As a result, the patient may experience weakness in their shoulder due to the scar tissue affecting the range of motion of the joint. In severe rotator cuff tears, the patient may require replacement of the joint.
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Rotator cuff injury feels painful when raising your shoulder, and it may feel uncomfortable when sleeping on the affected side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10. Untreated Injuries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Athletes and sportspeople that continue to train through an injury may be placing other regions of the body at risk. If you are training with weights, and you have a tear or strain in your back or chest, it may affect your range of motion and posture when exercising. As a result, you might end up straining your shoulder, causing symptoms of pain.
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Consistent wear and tear on your joints over time, primarily through lifting heavy loads on the bench press and shoulder press, may result in the cartilage ion your joints wearing thin. When the cartilage <\/a>wears away, and bone-to-bone contact occurs, you may feel pain during the movement of the shoulder joint.
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Athletes with chronic shoulder injuries are at risk of developing spurs in the shoulder joint. These osteophytes cause pain when they rub against the surface of the joint. Patients with bone spurs in the shoulder require surgery to remove the osteophytes and return the range of motion in the shoulder joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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11. Lifting Overhead
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If you work in a job that requires you to lift objects overhead, then you run the risk of incurring a painful shoulder injury if you lift something too heavy to handle. Our muscles <\/a>have a strength threshold, and exceeding this threshold will result in the muscle failing, placing the ligaments and joints at risk of injury.
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If you lift something overhead that is too heavy, you may notice a sharp pain develop that radiates from the front of the shoulder to your back. This event is a sign of a rotator cuff injury, and you\u2019ll require medical attention to diagnose the extent of the damage.
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Severe injuries may require surgery for repair, while mild damage may heal by themselves in six to eight weeks. If you injure your shoulder, it\u2019s vital that you adhere to the RICE method. Rest the joint, elevate it, and ice it down to remove the inflammation associated with the injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12. Adhesive Capsulitis
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Adhesive capsulitis occurs due to a stiffening of the tendons and tissues in the shoulder joint. Commonly referred to as \u201cfrozen shoulder,\u201d by medical practitioners, adhesive capsulitis is more common in men over the age of 60-years old. The condition may also occur as a result of other diseases like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes<\/a>, or thyroid disorders.
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Doctors believe that a frozen shoulder occurs due to a complication related to a previous injury, such as a rotator cuff tear. However, medical science is still unclear as to the exact cause of the condition and how it arises in patients with shoulder injuries.
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In most cases, the condition heals on its own, with no medical assistance. However, patients can live with the disorder for up to three years before they start to see signs of improvement in their condition. Patients can manage their pain symptoms using ice, OTC anti-inflammatories, and painkillers to soothe symptoms of pain and inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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13. Failing to Warm Up Before Exercise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Athletes and sports people need to warm up before they start a training session. Even if all you do is run around the block after work, warming up is still necessary to avoid injury. If you exert your muscular system without getting your blood moving through your body, you reduce athletic performance and put your muscles, joints<\/a>, and tendons at risk.
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Warm-up with light stretching for five to ten minutes before your training. Runners should focus their stretching on the legs, calves, hips, and ankles. People performing upper body workouts should focus on warming up their lower back and shoulder girdle.  
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CrossFit is a popular workout program followed by millions of people all over the globe. It involves compound lifts and Olympic lifts using barbells, which place CrossFitters at risk of injury if they don\u2019t warm up properly. Visit a chiropractor\u2019s office or talk to a physiotherapist, and they will tell you that CrossFitters with rotator cuff injuries are the most common type of shoulder injury they see at their practice.
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14. Not Resting a Mild Injury <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Athletes and sports people that receive an injury as a result of training or competition need to take time to rest their shoulders. However, telling an athlete to take time off from training, and having them adhere to this advice is a challenge. Most athletes live for their training and competition; without it, they lack their daily dopamine boost from exercise<\/a>.
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Sitting around the house for two or three weeks to let the inflammation subside and allow the joint to heal is too much to bear for many athletes. As a result of impatience, many athletes decide to return to training too early, placing their shoulders at risk of further injury.
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Secondary injuries related to the initial injury place further delays on healing and may result in a worsening of the initial injury. It\u2019s best to take time off and let the joint heal, rather than train with a bad shoulder, and risk extending the duration of your recovery.
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