Why does my shoulder hurt?


why does my shoulder hurt

Why does my shoulder hurt?

Shoulder pathologies are fairly common. In fact, 1 in 20 patients I see in my everyday ortho practice would come to me with complaints of severe shoulder pain/discomfort.

Hello! and this is Dr. Salam and I a consultant orthopedic surgeon at the One Care Medical Center which is an international orthopedic hospital in coimbatore. In this article, I am going to tell you about the common causes of shoulder pain.

Read on!

There are many reasons for the pain that affects the shoulder. A simple fall on your shoulder can result in injury or some in cases the simple act of overdoing day to day household chores can also lead to severe shoulder pain. In some scenarios, shoulder pain can develop due to arthritis. In worse cases, shoulder pain can be due to a pathology in some other body part. This scenario is also called referred pain.

When should you take a treatment for shoulder pain?

Here are few questions you can definitely ask yourself if you have sustained a shoulder injury.

See if you are able to move your shoulder?

Do you have a sensation of your shoulder popping out?

Do you feel you would be able to lift weight?

Some shoulder injuries that are trivial can be treated at home comfortably with ice packs and some basic bandage to keep it in place. However, in some instances, the shoulder injury in itself will be severe to the extent that you cannot ignore professional help. These include..

Visible shoulder deformity

Severe intense pain

Sudden swelling in and around the shoulder joint

Weakness or numbness in the hand

Common shoulder injuries you should know:-

Shoulder fracture: –

The commonest fracture that is encountered in the shoulder join is that of the clavicle, this bone easily breaks on impact as it relatively soft compared to other harder bones in the body. If you find yourself unable to lift your shoulder after a fall, you could have suffered a possible clavicle fracture

Joint Separation:-

Do you see a bump on your shoulder?. Well, this probably indicates an AC joint injury (acromioclavicular joint). A high impact blow or fall can usually dislocate this joint pretty easily.

Rotator cuff injury:-

Your rotator cuff is nothing but a group of muscles and tendons that hold your shoulder in place. This can be easily damaged just by overuse!. If you hear crackling noises while moving your shoulder, or if you have pain while trying to lift things, you might have suffered a rotator cuff injury.

The Frozen shoulder:-

This shoulder condition particularly affects the mobility of the shoulder joint. Adhesions usually build up in the joint and limits joint movement. Adhesions can build up either due to past surgery or due to constant pain.

Bursitis:-

This is another condition where the fluid-filled sac cushioning the joint gets inflamed. The pain of bursitis is most apparent when you move your shoulder.

Osteoarthritis:-

This is a degenerative joint disease and can potentially affect any given joint of the human body.

Heart attack:-

Sometimes shoulder pain associated with heavy breathing or a tight chest signals a cardiac attack rather than a shoulder pain in itself

Treatment options

Treatment options for shoulder pain are fairly straightforward and simple. Anti-inflammatory medications combined with painkillers, rest, ice and immobilization is what is used by most doctors.

Sometimes in addition to routine treatments, your orthopedic doctor may also prescribe you physiotherapy to strengthen the joint.

If you are suffering from severe shoulder pain, do not ever hesitate to meet your orthopedic consultant

References:-

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/why-does-my-shoulder-hurt#3

https://www.medicinenet.com/shoulder_and_neck_pain_health/article.htm#what_is_shoulder_and_neck_pain

 

 

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