Shoulder pain is rarely a sign of a more serious problem. But sudden severe shoulder pain may be a sign of a heart attack.
You should see your GP, urgent doctor, physiotherapist or other healthcare provider if any of the following apply:
- The pain is getting worse rather than better, despite following self-management or initial pain medication.
- There’s a possibility of a fracture or dislocation (go to the emergency department or Urgent Doctors if you suspect a fracture or dislocation).
- You’re unable to lift your arm.
- You have pain at night, possibly worse than during that day, that stops you sleeping.
- You have tingling (pins and needles), numbness or a burning feeling in your arm, hand or fingers.
- There’s blueness or a cold feeling in your arm, hand or fingers.
- The joint is becoming hot and swollen.
- You feel unwell, and have symptoms, eg, a fever, night sweats or weight loss.
Your shoulder is perfectly designed for its function, which is to place or move your hand into the position and direction that’s needed for the task. That might be taking a cup out of the cupboard, hammering a nail into the wall or throwing a ball.
The muscles of your shoulder and shoulder blade (scapula) work together in thousands of different coordinated patterns. Your brain can change those patterns in a split-second, to protect your shoulder and for the movement to be as effective as possible.
The image below shows the bones and tendons of the shoulder.
Causes of shoulder pain can divid into the following:
- painful shoulder
- stiff shoulder
- loose shoulder
- other shoulder conditions.
The painful shoulder
Rotator cuff related shoulder pain: The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint, keeping the head of your upper arm bone firmly within the socket of the shoulder. Pain associated with the tendon is often call a ‘tendinopathy’ or ‘tendinitis’. A tear of the tendon may also be present, or the bursa (small fluid-filled sacks. Which cushion the tendons and capsule) can be temporarily inflamed. This condition has also call a ‘tendinitis’, ‘impingement’ or ‘bursitis’. Changes like these can also be part of normal ageing. Instead of finding out exactly what is causing the pain, it’s more important to find out what treatment can help your pain, or what you can do yourself to manage the pain.
The stiff shoulder
Frozen shoulder: A frozen shoulder can cause severe pain and stiffness in your shoulder. It may have 2 phases – first the pain is worse than the stiffness, then the stiffness is worse than the pain. It can often come on without a cause, but in some cases it can develop after surgery or an injury. It can also be more common in people with diabetes. Recovery can be slow and may take more than a year. If you think you have a frozen shoulder, you should see your healthcare provider to find out if there’s an underlying reason for the condition.
Osteoarthritis: This is the most common form of arthritis affecting people as they get older. Read more about osteoarthritis.
The loose shoulder
Dislocated or subluxed shoulder: These injuries are usually due to an injury or an accident, eg, a fall. If you felt your shoulder dislocate (pop out). You should go to the emergency department (ED) as your shoulder may need put back into place. An X-ray or other investigation is usually need to check for a fracture or another injury.
Instability or increased flexibility: A ‘loose’ shoulder can be due to an instability following an injury, or due to hypermobility or flexibility. If you have a shoulder instability you may experience an occasional subluxation (when a bone is partly out of a joint) without a full dislocation. This means the shoulder can move back into place by itself.
Other shoulder conditions
Fractures: Various bones in your shoulder can fracture – including your shoulder blade, collarbone and upper arm. If you suspect a fracture after an injury, you should go to your hospital emergency department.
Acromioclavicular joint pain: This joint is at the tip of your shoulder between your shoulder blade and collar bone (see the image above). The joint can injure by falling directly onto your shoulder, eg, during a skiing fall, when falling off a mountain bike or when playing a contact sport.
Nerve injuries: A number of nerves supply your shoulder. These can be injured during an accident or fall. Can develop symptoms due to คาสิโนออนไลน์ UFABET ฝากถอนรวดเร็ว เริ่มต้นเล่นง่าย other reasons, eg, a ganglion or cyst developing on the nerve. If the nerve is injure. You’ll have pain in the specific area supplied by the nerve, pins and needles, loss of sensation to the skin. That is supplied by the nerve, and weakness of specific muscles. If you suspect a nerve injury, you should talk to your healthcare provider.