What most people call the shoulder is really several joints that combine with tendons and muscles to allow a wide range of motion in the arm — from scratching your back to throwing the perfect pitch.
Mobility has its price, however. It may lead to increasing problems with instability or impingement of the soft tissue or bony structures in your shoulder, resulting in pain. You may feel pain only when you move your shoulder or all of the time. The pain may be temporary or it may continue and require medical diagnosis and treatment.
Here some common causes of shoulder pain:
- Rotator Cuff Tears
- Proximal Humerus Fractures
- Biceps Tendon Tear
Rotator Cuff Tears
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 baseball or tennis. The risk of rotator cuff injury also increases with age.
Many people recover from rotator cuff disease with physical therapy exercises that improve flexibility and strength of the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint.
Sometimes, rotator cuff tears may occur as a result of a single injury. In those circumstances, medical care should be provided as soon as possible. Extensive rotator cuff tears may require surgical repair, transfer of alternative tendons or joint replacement.
Proximal Humerus Fractures (Shoulder Fractures)
A proximal humerus fracture is a serious injury to the humerus bone in the shoulder joint that requires immediate treatment to preserve the function of the shoulder. A fracture to the humerus bone is a possible consequence of a traumatic event, such as a fall or forceful collision. Depending on the specific location and type of fracture to the proximal humerus, surgical intervention may be required. Whether surgical or nonsurgical treatment is needed, physical therapy treatment is essential to safely and effectively restore shoulder function, and return an individual to normal activity
Biceps Tendon Tear
Tendons attach muscles to bones. Your biceps tendons attach the biceps muscle to bones in the shoulder and in the elbow. If you tear the biceps tendon at the shoulder, you may lose some strength in your arm and have pain when you forcefully turn your arm from palm down to palm up.
Many people can still function with a biceps tendon tear, and only need simple treatments to relieve symptoms. If symptoms cannot be relieved by nonsurgical treatments, or if a patient requires complete recovery of strength, surgery to repair the torn tendon may be required.