Shoulder

Where It Hurts: My Shoulder

Your shoulder is one of the most flexible joints in your body. This makes it more susceptible to injuries, whether from wear and tear, athletics, or trauma.

Rotator cuff problems are especially common with the shoulder. Impingement Syndrome is a combination of bursitis and tendinosis of the rotator cuff muscle group. Rotator cuff tears can occur from chronic degeneration or from an acute injury such as a fall.

Arthritis, fractures, tendon problems, and issues with instability also cause shoulder pain. Possible shoulder fractures include the clavicle, proximal humerus or the scapula or “shoulder blade” fractures. Instability is caused by tears of the labrum or capsule with associated laxity or extreme looseness of the shoulder ligaments.

Frozen shoulder syndrome otherwise known as adhesive capsulitis is also a very common shoulder condition. This condition is caused by inflammation in the lining or capsule of the shoulder joint. The inflammation causes the capsule to thicken resulting in loss of motion and painful motion. It is most often a result of a minor trauma but can be triggered by associated medical problems such as diabetes and thyroid disease.

Learn more about common shoulder injuries and conditions as well as when a shoulder replacement can be indicated, and how Sports Medicine North can help.

Common Shoulder Injuries and Conditions

We see patients with all types of shoulder pain. The most common injuries and conditions we treat are:

Arthritis: Arthritis causes pain and loss of mobility in your shoulder joint. Arthritis can happen over time as your cartilage wears out (osteoarthritis). Sometimes symptoms don’t become evident until significant motion has been lost.
Collarbone fracture: You can break your collarbone by falling on an outstretched arm or hitting your shoulder hard. With a broken collarbone, lifting your arm will be very painful and a visible deformity can be obvious.
Frozen shoulder: With frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), the deepest layer of the shoulder or capsule becomes inflamed and thickened. At first, it can feel like a dull, aching pain when moving your shoulder. The shoulder gets stiffer as you restrict movement until it hurts to move at all. It can take up to a year to resolve.
Humerus fracture: You can break part of your shoulder, the top of the humerus bone, by falling on an outstretched arm or hitting your shoulder hard. With a broken proximal humerus, lifting your arm will be very painful, and weak and might cause a painful grinding sensation. It’s one of the few shoulder injuries that cause visible swelling and bruising around the shoulder.
Labral tears:The labrum is the cartilage that lines your shoulder joint. Overhead athletes who make repetitive forceful snapping motions often tear the labrum. Contact athletes can sublux or dislocate their shoulders resulting in labral tears causing pain and a feeling of instability when moving your shoulder.
Rotator cuff and impingement: Rotator cuff pain usually hurts in the side of your shoulder and can shoot down the side of the arm, especially when doing overhead activities. Even brushing your hair or reaching behind your back can hurt. You can have pain from rotator cuff tendonitis (irritated tendons) or because of a tear related to traumatic injury or overuse.
Shoulder dislocation: A strong blow or twisting motion can make your upper arm bone slip out of the socket. Shoulder dislocations usually cause intense pain. A doctor needs to maneuver the bone back in place. These injuries cause labral and or capsular tears even fractures about the joint surfaces that often require surgery.
Shoulder separation: An injury that occurs where the clavicle meets the acromion or scapula. It is the most common contact injury to the shoulder. This injury complex involves tearing of the ligaments that hold these bones stable and aligned. Severe separations cause visible deformity at the end of the clavicle and can result in dysfunction of the shoulder girdle.

We see patients with all types of shoulder pain. The most common injuries and conditions we treat are:

Arthritis: Arthritis causes pain and loss of mobility in your shoulder joint. Arthritis can happen over time as your cartilage wears out (osteoarthritis). Sometimes symptoms don’t become evident until significant motion has been lost.
Collarbone fracture: You can break your collarbone by falling on an outstretched arm or hitting your shoulder hard. With a broken collarbone, lifting your arm will be very painful and a visible deformity can be obvious.
Frozen shoulder: With frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), the deepest layer of the shoulder or capsule becomes inflamed and thickened. At first, it can feel like a dull, aching pain when moving your shoulder. The shoulder gets stiffer as you restrict movement until it hurts to move at all. It can take up to a year to resolve.
Humerus fracture: You can break part of your shoulder, the top of the humerus bone, by falling on an outstretched arm or hitting your shoulder hard. With a broken proximal humerus, lifting your arm will be very painful, and weak and might cause a painful grinding sensation. It’s one of the few shoulder injuries that cause visible swelling and bruising around the shoulder.
Labral tears:The labrum is the cartilage that lines your shoulder joint. Overhead athletes who make repetitive forceful snapping motions often tear the labrum. Contact athletes can sublux or dislocate their shoulders resulting in labral tears causing pain and a feeling of instability when moving your shoulder.
Rotator cuff and impingement: Rotator cuff pain usually hurts in the side of your shoulder and can shoot down the side of the arm, especially when doing overhead activities. Even brushing your hair or reaching behind your back can hurt. You can have pain from rotator cuff tendonitis (irritated tendons) or because of a tear related to traumatic injury or overuse.
Shoulder dislocation: A strong blow or twisting motion can make your upper arm bone slip out of the socket. Shoulder dislocations usually cause intense pain. A doctor needs to maneuver the bone back in place. These injuries cause labral and or capsular tears even fractures about the joint surfaces that often require surgery.
Shoulder separation: An injury that occurs where the clavicle meets the acromion or scapula. It is the most common contact injury to the shoulder. This injury complex involves tearing of the ligaments that hold these bones stable and aligned. Severe separations cause visible deformity at the end of the clavicle and can result in dysfunction of the shoulder girdle.