You must have noticed that men, women and children complain about pain in shoulder. Shoulder pain is the most common pain and it can happen at any age. There are number of factors associated with shoulder pain and in many cases the pain can be felt in the neck as well. The pain originates from any area of shoulder like join or muscles or tendons or ligaments. In majority of cases, it gets worse as you do various physical activities. There are certain diseases such as gall bladder problem or heart diseases also causes shoulder pain and this type of pain is called is referred pain.
Pain in Shoulder Overview:
Shoulder pain occurs as a result of various factors such as injury, disease or shoulder joint. If a person suffers from injury then it can affect any area of tendons, ligaments or shoulder joints. As a result he feels extreme pain on any physical activity. When we see the anatomy of shoulder then we notice that shoulder is made up of three types of bones, the upper arm bone is called humerus, the shoulder blade is called scapula and collarbone is called clavicle.
How Shoulder problems are diagnosed?
When a person experiences pain in shoulder then doctors diagnose the shoulder problems using various techniques and way such as medical history of patient, medical examination and medical tests such as x-ray, MRI and ultrasound. If there any kind of fracture in bone then it will be visible in x-ray while other problems like inflammation can be detected through ultrasound or MRI.
Most common problems associated with shoulder Pain:
Shoulder pain is associated with a number of causes such as tendon inflammation, arthritis, fracture, tumors, instability and other nerve related problems, dislocation, frozen shoulder, rotator cough disease.
Dislocation of shoulder
Dislocation is a common problem of shoulder and it happens when the ball at the top of upper arm bone pops out of socket. This incident occurs when the shoulder is twisted or pulled hard. In this case person feels worst pain in his shoulder. It is the most common type of problem and doctors perform certain procedure to fix the problem. The treatment of dislocation includes proper rest, slow exercises to improve muscle strength, application of ice and wearing a sling. You must keep in mind that when the shoulder is once dislocated then it can happen again as well. This type of injury is most common among young and active people. In some cases the problem becomes severe when the nerve and tissues of shoulder are damaged and in that case surgery is required.
In some cases, the movement of shoulder is restricted in case of frozen shoulder. There are various causes of frozen shoulder such as Rheumatic disease, band of tissues which grow in the joint or lack of fluids which helps in shoulder movement. The symptoms of frozen shoulder include pain or stiffness in shoulder and symptoms grow worse with the passage of time. The treatment of frozen shoulder involves various exercises and certain medicines. Surgery is required in certain cases as well.
Fracture of Shoulder:
Fracture occurs in case of crack in any part of bone of shoulder. In major cases, the fracture occurs in the collarbone and upper arm bone of shoulder. In case of shoulder bone damage, the doctors fix the bone in its position to have quick heeling. During the recovery, doctors recommend certain exercises to strengthen the muscles of shoulder.
Tendinitis refers to the inflammation of tendon or any fibrous cords which attach muscles to bones. When inflammation occurs in this area then it causes pain and tenderness. You must note that tendinitis can occur in any tendon such as wrist, heels, knee, elbow or shoulder. The treatment of tendinitis involves rest, physical therapy and medications to relive the pain.
Bursa is a fluid filled sac that protects the shoulder joint and when bursa is inflamed then this condition refers to bursitis. Sometimes bursitis is also caused by a disease called rheumatoid arthritis. Sports players suffer from these kinds of injuries because of overuse of muscles of shoulder. Doctors give pain reducing medicines to the patient. Gentle stretching exercises are done to regain muscle strength and improve blood flow. Surgery may be required in certain cases.
A person feels intense pain in shoulder when shoulder separation occurs and in that case ligaments of collarbone and shoulder are torn. The treatment of this problem involves rest, application of ice, exercises and surgery in rare cases.
Rotator Cuff Tear or Rotator cuff injury:
What is rotator cuff? Rotator cuff is groups of various tendons and muscles which surround the shoulder. Function of the muscles is to keep the upper arm bone with shoulder socket. A small injury or tear to the rotator cuff can be painful and it gets worse when you sleep on your side. This type of injury is common among athletes of sports people and it increases with age as well. The treatment of rotator cuff injury includes certain exercises for muscles strength, medications for swelling, rest and surgery in some cases.
Pain in shoulder can also caused due to arthritis. Arthritis affects the bones of body parts and there are various types of arthritis. Arthritis related to shoulder bones is known as osteoarthritis and it is also called as wear and tear arthritis. The symptoms of arthritis include swelling, stiffness and pain. It is common among athletes. It is noticed that people don’t move their muscles due to pain so leads to tightening of soft tissues of body. Physical therapy is required for the patients suffering from this problem.
If a person experience pain in shoulder whether mild or severe, he should consult the doctor to find out the exact problem specially in recurring shoulder pain. Doctor will examine and diagnose the problem. If you are overweight then you need to reduce your weight because obese people have weak bones due to muscle mass. You must keep in mind that Healthy eating and healthy lifestyle leads to a healthy life.