Bone tissue provides support for muscles, cartilage and tendons. The shoulder joint is made up of three bones: the collarbone, the scapula and the head. They provide motor activity of the hand simultaneously in three planes.
It is this mobility of the upper limbs that can lead to some instability and the risk of dysfunction of the joints and tissue structures.
Many people go to the doctor complaining of pain in the shoulder joint. Treatment should always be based on determining the cause of the pain. This may be an inherited pathology, trauma, inflammation (capsulitis).
In fact, there are many such reasons, here are the main ones:
The intensity of pain and its nature also directly depend on the causes of the disease. Each pain has its own explanation, for example, pain occurs when the elbow joint is pressed against the body - the pathological process occurs in the area of the scapula.
Pain occurs when raising or moving the right or left arm to the side - the cause is the supraspinal tendon. If pain occurs during external rotation, the infraspiral tendon is damaged.
Pain and limited movement in the entire joint indicate that capsulitis (inflammation of the joint capsule) is developing; if pain occurs when lifting heavy objects, the source of inflammation is localized in the ligament located next to the biceps muscle.
The front part of the shoulder hurts - the biceps is inflamed.
Sudden movements, falls, and excessive loads can cause injury in the shoulder area. Most often, dislocations, bruises, fractures, muscle or tendon ruptures occur in adolescents and the elderly. Athletes are also at risk. Any injury is accompanied by acute pain, which intensifies when trying to move or lifting a load.
If the patient experiences intense pain in the shoulder and arm when turning his head, this indicates the presence of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae. In addition to these symptoms, numbness of the limb may also occur. Osteochondrosis, in turn, can lead to the development of periarthrosis. This disease is characterized by the occurrence of night pain in the shoulder, which, if left untreated, loses mobility.
Arthritis of the joint capsule (capsulitis) can cause excruciating pain. Gradually, the shoulder joint becomes deformed and begins to hurt even when touched lightly. Body temperature rises.
Pain in the shoulder and collarbone can be the consequences of arthrosis - degenerative-dystrophic changes in cartilage tissue. This pathology can lead to the fact that over time a person will not be able to lift even a light object, and the joint will lose its mobility. Often such patients become incapacitated and receive disability.
Shoulder tendinitis is characterized by a dull, aching pain in the shoulder that occurs primarily at night. Capsulitis has the same symptoms, however, with capsulitis, pain is also noted in the neck area.
When calcium metabolism is disturbed, calcification of the ligaments occurs, which leads to regular pain when moving.
Neuritis is a special case. With this disease, imaginary pain occurs in the joints and muscles, but in reality the nerve suffers.
Pain when lifting or any other movement of the arm is usually accompanied by:
To cure the shoulder joint, the doctor prescribes consistent measures. First, pain and inflammation are relieved. To do this, the patient must take NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Next, it is necessary to influence the cause of the disease.
Joint diseases need to be treated comprehensively. Therefore, the patient must attend physiotherapy sessions and daily perform a gymnastic complex compiled by a doctor.
The fracture can only be cured by immobilizing the shoulder. First aid consists of placing the patient on a flat, hard surface. To prevent swelling and hematoma, apply a heating pad with ice or any other cold object to the fracture area.
For fresh injuries, do not use hot compresses. They and treatment with ointments are allowed only a few days after the injury, when the swelling subsides. External preparations may contain Novocaine, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Methyl salicylate.
Arthritis, arthrosis, bursitis and capsulitis must be treated with NSAIDs, corticosteroids and analgesics. These drugs are prescribed in different dosage forms: tablets, capsules, suppositories, powders, injections, including intra-articular ones.
It is impossible to cure arthrosis, bursitis, tendinitis or capsulitis at home using folk remedies alone. However, these drugs can significantly enhance the effect of traditional medicine.
For example, vinegar, lilac flowers, burdock root, propolis, cinquefoil and burdock roots relieve inflammation; garlic cleanses the blood; cranberries dissolve salts; and honey supplies the body with minerals and vitamins necessary for bones.
The most popular folk recipes that can be used to prepare medicine at home:
However, any folk remedies can be used only with an accurate diagnosis and with the permission of a doctor.
Why does pain occur in the left shoulder joint? Pain in the left shoulder joint may indicate a serious illness, not necessarily related to the shoulder. In any case, the pain syndrome cannot be ignored. Any pathology requires immediate diagnosis and treatment. Let's figure out what diseases the shoulder joint hurts.
The upper limb of a person is exposed to heavy loads every day, because the hands are the main tool for performing everyday tasks. However, in the absence of pathology, there should be no pain. If pain appears, this indicates changes in the structure of the joint.
Pain syndrome of varying intensity often occurs in the right hand. This is due to the fact that most people are right-handed. The etiological factors, course of the pathological process and treatment of the disease in the area of the right shoulder do not differ from those in the area of the left.
The following causes of pain are identified:
Pain syndrome can be a manifestation of the following diseases:
Even if the pain syndrome is mild, you still need to consult a specialist to find out the cause of the pain. If the shoulder area is bruised, the pain may go away on its own. Other causes of pain require treatment, otherwise serious complications may develop.
In the case of an inflammatory process localized in the area of articular structures and surrounding tissues, it is necessary to ensure rest of the limb. There should be no stress on the upper limb. To treat inflammation you can use:
A slight injury to the shoulder area may result in unpleasant sensations and slight pain that go away on their own. Sprains, torn ligaments, and fractures of the shoulder joint cause acute pain and in this case you cannot do without the help of a specialist. What to do if an articular ligament is sprained?
If the pain is very severe, this may indicate a fracture. In this case, it is necessary to do an x-ray examination of the articular area. If the diagnosis is confirmed, a plaster cast is applied. The patient is prescribed painkillers and NSAIDs, as well as medications containing calcium. The latter are necessary to accelerate fracture healing.
Pain can occur not only due to injuries. If pain occurs in the left shoulder joint due to arthritis or arthrosis, the integrity of the cartilage should be restored. The following drugs are mainly prescribed:
In complex therapy, an important role belongs to physical therapy, massage with elements of joint development, and acupuncture. It is necessary to use physiotherapy on the sore joint, including electrophoresis, phonophoresis, magnetic therapy, heat treatment using mud and paraffin. In the remission phase, swimming has a good effect.
Proper nutrition will help speed up recovery. The diet should include foods high in calcium and protein. Do not forget about vitamin supplements, because hypovitaminosis will make the healing process slower.
If pain occurs in the left shoulder joint, you should immediately contact a specialist. Early diagnosis of pathology and correctly prescribed treatment lead to a reduction in treatment time and improve the prognosis.
The human body is a complex mechanism in which different tissues, intertwined with nerves and blood vessels, are combined in each area.
In some areas there are more nerves, in others there may be none at all. One fiber can transmit information to other tissues nearby.
In addition, there are nerves that are long enough to carry information about the sensations of organs located at a great distance.
Therefore, if you feel pain in the shoulder joint of your right hand, the reasons can be very different - from disorders in the structure of the muscles of the shoulder joints themselves, to diseases of the internal organs. To create a treatment program, you need to know exactly why your shoulder hurts.
The causes of pain can be divided into 2 groups:
Now we will take a closer look at possible pathologies.
Since the shoulder joint is surrounded by many muscles attached by tendons, tendinitis can have different locations, which will determine the symptoms of the disease.
All tendonitis have the following common features:
Here the pain in the right shoulder either weakens or intensifies - intermittently. The peak of pain in the shoulder joints is noted when the patient withdraws his arm by 60-120 degrees. to the side. Severe pain is also especially pronounced when pressing on the shoulder.
Pain in the muscle is detected when raising the arm.
Occurs on the second day after intense work, especially if heavy loads are unusual. The pain is strong, acute, and goes away when the patient puts his hands down. Doesn't bother me when I'm at rest.
If you conduct an X-ray examination of this disease, the doctor will say that he does not see any pathology. The diagnosis can only be made by a sports medicine doctor or traumatologist.
This condition is observed very rarely, so it should be assumed only by excluding serious diseases, such as arthritis, radiating pain, accompanied by diseases of the abdominal organs or ligament ruptures.
Capsulitis most often affects women aged 40-50 years and who had to lie for a long time without moving their arms.
Inflammation of the shoulder joint develops unnoticed by the patient, gradually. At a certain point, he notes that it has become difficult to perform the usual movement, which requires raising your hand up or behind your back. This phenomenon is called the “frozen shoulder” symptom.
The disease develops due to:
Arthritis
If arthritis did not arise as a result of injury, it may have a 2-sided localization.
Arthritis has the following symptoms:
This disease most often develops as a result of frequent arthritis and as a result of impaired blood supply to the joint, often in old age.
Pain experienced after heavy lifting, a fall, a blow, or an unnatural/sudden movement is evidence that a person has suffered an injury to the shoulder joint or surrounding tendons or ligaments.
If the patient only has pain in the shoulder, without impaired motor function, then he has a bruise of the periarticular tissues. If after an injury there is pain in the area up to the elbow, it is painful or impossible to move the arm, then tendon rupture or muscle damage is possible - only a traumatologist can distinguish between these conditions.
These may be pathologies in the cervical region between the 4th and 7th vertebrae:
Diseases of the spinal column are characterized by the following:
to contents ^
1, 2 or 3 nerve trunks located below the collarbone are affected.
Pathology develops after:
The disease is characterized by the following symptoms:
Pain can radiate to the shoulder due to diseases of the internal organs. For example, such as:
The result in the fight against pain largely depends on proper diagnosis and the chosen course of treatment. Therefore, you should not try to find out the cause on your own, as well as start treating the pathology yourself and take medications without a doctor’s prescription - this can cause “blurring” of symptoms, which will complicate further diagnosis.
We hope that in our article you have found all the answers to your questions, we wish you and your shoulders long health!
Are you worried about pain in your left shoulder joint? Is it difficult to raise your arm even without additional load? This may be a sign of a serious pathology. If the pain does not go away for several days or weeks, you should immediately consult a doctor to determine the nature of the problem. Correct diagnosis in this situation is necessary for successful treatment, which is carried out both at home and in the hospital.
The shoulder joint includes several functional elements. Each of them is regularly exposed to physical activity, because with the help of hands a person performs most everyday tasks. And in the normal state of things, pain does not occur in the left shoulder joint. However, various disorders provoke unpleasant sensations that sometimes bother you for quite a long time. Doctors associate the reasons for this course of events with changes in the structure of the joint or systemic disorders of the body:
As you can see from this list, the causes of shoulder pain are quite varied. At the same time, unpleasant sensations in the left and right hands rarely differ. Such disorders often occur in people involved in physical labor or weightlifting. However, age cannot be written off, because after 40-50 years it is much more difficult for the body to resist the development of diseases.
Still, there is one point that needs to be paid attention to: after excluding possible physical injuries and related factors, systemic disorders come first. And if the pain is localized in the left arm, then doctors require a heart examination due to the risk of developing myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease.
Any pain is an unpleasant thing, you want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. But when your shoulder hurts, motor limitations are added to the painful sensations. And it greatly worsens a person’s quality of life, preventing him from working, caring for himself, and even resting.
Shoulder pain can be caused by various causes. Even doctors whose expertise does not include joint diseases cannot always say what problem a particular patient is facing. Sometimes, to make a diagnosis, doctors have to refer the patient for various tests and hardware examinations. Most often, the shoulder joint hurts for the following reasons.
It is important to know! Doctors are shocked: “An effective and affordable remedy for joint pain exists. " Read more.
A healthy person who does not have noticeable age-related changes in the body usually experiences traumatic pain in the shoulder joints. Their treatment is usually symptomatic, aimed at eliminating the consequences and restoring the functionality of the limb. There can be several types of injuries.
If the shoulder joint hurts for the reasons listed above, how to treat it is determined by an orthopedic traumatologist. Most often, a set of medical recommendations includes limiting exercise, physical therapy, massages and a course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for example, Piracetam or Diclofenac. The only exception is ligament rupture: in this case, surgical intervention is inevitable.
Due to the development of this disease, the shoulder joint hurts in half of the patients who seek help. It begins after an awkward sudden movement of the hand. Sometimes as a result of sleeping in the wrong position. In some cases, periarthritis can be a consequence of overloading the shoulder with physical work that is unusual for you, even completely uncomplicated - there is a known case when the disease developed after a couple of hours of a patient throwing a stick at a dog that was left to him by relatives who had gone on vacation.
In women, periarthritis often occurs as a complication after removal of the mammary gland - the operation redistributes blood flow in areas adjacent to the site where it was performed.
They provoke the development of periarthritis and any problems with the cervical spine. Displacement of the vertebrae and spasm of the neck muscles, which is chronic in nature, lead to a reflex contraction of the vessels supplying the arm - and with it, pain in the shoulder joint. These reasons need to be identified and eliminated. As soon as the original problem is eliminated, the unpleasant sensations caused by it will disappear.
Usually pain appears in the left shoulder or right; Rarely do both suffer.
The main symptom of the disease is limitation in some movements of the hand: it is difficult to rotate it clockwise (or in the opposite direction), it is difficult to move the limb back or lift it above the head from the side, only from the front. When you try to make a “forbidden” movement, pain shoots through your shoulder. The mobility of the limb drops to a critical level: the person is not even able to lift it or put it into the sleeve.
The sensations during periarthritis are aching and mild, but the intensity can be strong. And in severe advanced cases, the pain is simply unbearable.
Treatment of shoulder joints affected by the disease is successful even in advanced stages. Only the ankylosing variant, also called “frozen shoulder,” is difficult to treat. Before treating pain in the right shoulder joint, the causes of its occurrence must be identified and eliminated. The displacement of the vertebrae is corrected by an experienced chiropractor, and if the blood flow is impaired after breast surgery, then a course of angioprotectors is taken to stabilize the blood circulation.
To relieve inflammation, the doctor usually prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; recommends compresses with bischofite or dimexide. Sometimes laser therapy gives good results, and treatment with leeches helps very well. Another treatment regimen may be chosen: a cycle of hormonal injections injected into the joint capsule.
One of the best methods, which restores about 90% of patients, is post-isometric relaxation. Its effects produce results faster if you additionally use gentle massage, laser, restorative exercises and/or manual therapy.
May cause pain in the right shoulder or left. Arthrosis is an age-related disease: patients under 45 are practically never encountered in medical practice. To some extent, this is also an occupational disease, since it affects mainly men engaged in heavy physical labor: blacksmiths, mechanics, loaders, builders. Arthrosis is also typical for many athletes: wrestlers, weightlifters and tennis players.
Patients describe shoulder pain with arthrosis as mild. In extreme cases, it is tolerable. And it occurs during movements. Shoulder mobility is also not limited. The disease does not manifest itself visually, is not accompanied by fever, and the person’s general condition can be characterized as normal. But the movement of the affected hand is accompanied by a crunching sound.
So, your shoulder joints hurt due to arthrosis. Your doctor will tell you how to treat it. But if he only prescribes medications, you should consider changing your supervising doctor. Because they relieve symptoms, but do not solve the underlying problem. The doctor must prescribe:
The treatment program is strictly individual - it must take into account the characteristics of the disease and the physical condition of the patient. You should be advised of certain dietary guidelines. It’s hard to call them a diet. However, the doctor is simply obliged to say that it is necessary to enrich the diet with seafood, bananas, meat, dried fruits, watermelons - products containing collagen, an indispensable “building material” for cartilage.
Not all types of arthritis affect the shoulder joints; they are affected by rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Much less frequently, the shoulder is affected by psoriatic arthritis and rheumatism of the joints. Isolated cases of inflammation, which causes pain in the shoulder joint, have been reported with gout.
The main characteristic feature of the arthritic origin of shoulder pain is that other joints suffer first. More often, the development of the disease begins in the fingers, knees or feet. The upper belt is affected by arthritis in the later stages. But there are special cases where the disease started from the shoulder.
Even “advanced” joint problems can be cured at home! Just remember to apply this once a day.
Unpleasant sensations appear at rest, and not during movement. The peak of pain occurs in the dead of night or very early morning, and by noon it subsides. A light warm-up can reduce the intensity of pain.
With arthritis, the mobility of the affected shoulder in the morning is difficult, but the same exercises or ordinary household mobility restore it almost completely. The exception is chronic arthritis .
But the general condition is assessed as unsatisfactory. The temperature may rise, although not to critical levels, the body aches, the person shudders, and he feels weak.
In this case, only one half of the body is always affected: if the left shoulder hurts, then the right one remains normal. Or there are sensations, but much weaker in other parts of the limb.
The hernia radiates not only to the shoulder - the pain shoots down the entire length of the arm, even affecting the fingertips. She can be very strong. It is curious that there is no general trend in the manifestation of painful sensations. In some patients they appear during movement, in others - at rest, during night sleep.
Backache caused by a herniated neck vertebrae practically does not limit the mobility of the shoulder and arm. Rarely, the patient experiences slight difficulty lifting the limb above the head and fully extending it upward.
It is possible to get rid of this disease of the shoulder joint without the intervention of a surgeon only in the early stages. At first, until the pain is relieved, you will have to wear an orthopedic collar, take anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve spasms and restorative drugs (chondroprotectors that reanimate the fibrous ring). Then the doctor will try to correct the situation with the help of physiotherapeutic procedures, manual therapy, massage and gymnastics specially designed for such cases.
But conservative treatment very often turns out to be ineffective , even if the patient does not shy away from following any of the doctor’s recommendations. If you experience progression of symptoms, there are signs of cerebral circulation disorders (deterioration of hearing, smell, vision; constant headaches; dizziness), large-scale sequesters are detected, that is, separated fragments of the nucleus pulposus, do not try to avoid surgery. It will literally save your life.
Rigidity refers to muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulders . Very often it hurts the right shoulder and forearm. How to treat - gymnastics and a variety of movements. Muscle tightness is caused by being in one position and is typical for office workers: economists, secretaries, programmers, accountants. A sedentary work pattern keeps the muscles of the shoulders and neck in constant tension. Because of this, they spasm, contract and become fixed in this position. Over time, due to chronic spasms in the collar area, blood circulation deteriorates, a feeling of heaviness appears in the back of the head, and the neck and shoulders begin to ache. Often these sensations are complemented by numbness in the fingers.
Muscle stiffness can also be symmetrical if both hands are involved in sedentary work. The pain gradually increases towards the end of the working day, although sometimes it can occur immediately upon awakening. A man gets out of bed with aching shoulders and neck. And on weekends, when the body is not in a standard position, the pain disappears.
Muscular rigidity also manifests itself externally: the neck is visually shortened, the head is constantly pulled into the shoulders.
Rigid pain is not too severe, but it is imperative to deal with its cause. Muscle stiffness in this part of the body can lead to hypertension.
Why does the shoulder of my right arm (and maybe the entire shoulder girdle) hurt? If the cause is muscle stiffness, then your health is largely in your own hands. Unloading movements - turning the head and body, stretching, pressing the chin to the chest - will help avoid muscle spasms. And if it has already formed, greatly reduce its degree. In the fight against rigidity, massage will be a good helper. It doesn't have to be professional. Kneading your neck and shoulders yourself is a little worse. You just need to act gently to avoid painful sensations.
It won't hurt to go to the doctor for a consultation either. He may recommend wearing an orthopedic collar. Don't be afraid that your appearance will become ridiculous: this device is well hidden by clothes if they have a high collar. And even if strangers notice, health is more valuable. You need to wear the collar longer, several hours. But getting used to it should be gradual. And you need to start with 10 minutes a day, gradually prolonging the time.
The disease is not very common, but you need to know about it: without timely treatment of the shoulder joint affected by polymyalgia, a person risks dying earlier than nature intended.
The disease affects women over 50 years of age. Younger women practically do not suffer from polymyalgia rheumatica, and doctors have not heard of men with this diagnosis. The “trigger” for the disease is severe influenza, severe stress or severe hypothermia. The first symptoms of polymyalgia are severe pain in the shoulders and hips with muscle stiffness in these same areas of the body. Very often, patients with arthrosis are susceptible to pathology.
However, it is easy to understand that the verdict is wrong. Polymyalgia rheumatica causes incredible weakness. If the patient is brought under the arms and she is able to move her legs, we can assume that the woman is in excellent shape. Many have to be taken to the hospital on stretchers or wheelchairs because they cannot move on their own. And not because of pain, but precisely because of powerlessness. A characteristic feature of the disease is the localization of weakness: it does not affect the entire body, but only the shoulders, from neck to elbow, hips and gluteal muscles.
Pain with polymyalgia is also unusual: it is especially strong in the morning, when the patient begins to move. At night, if a person lies comfortably and does not move, there is no pain at all. Indirect symptoms of the disease are loss of appetite, weight loss, sometimes significant, and fever.
If you do have polymyalgia rheumatica, the prognosis is bleak. The only way to get a more or less stable remission is to take hormonal corticosteroids. The most affordable and popular of them is prednisolone. The drug significantly reduces severe pain in the shoulder joint, returns the functionality of this part of the body, and eliminates fever. Even the appetite returns, and weight loss stops. One of the dissenting opinions: the patients have endogenous corticosteroid deficiency. From this position, treatment with such drugs can be considered replacement.
The bad news is that while eliminating pain in the shoulder joint of the right arm, treatment with corticosteroids leads to a lot of complications. The most common are cataracts, diabetes and chronic depression. But if corticosteroids are not used, the patient may develop temporal arteritis and go blind. If corticosteroid treatment is further neglected, the medical history will end with a stroke due to developed ischemia.
If you are worried about pain in the shoulder joint, which doctor to contact is a natural question. You should be examined by a therapist: he will assess the depth of the problem and the general state of your health. If you have a recent injury, the next specialist should be an orthopedic surgeon who will examine your shoulder for physical damage. You may need to consult an arthrologist (if arthritis or arthrosis is diagnosed), osteopath, rheumatologist, or physiotherapist. After determining the causes of pain in the shoulder joint, treatment will be prescribed in accordance with the diagnosis.
If you have pain in your right shoulder, the causes are not necessarily related to the joints or muscles. If the pain is sharp, occurs suddenly while feeling normal and without additional symptoms, it may signal the development of cholelithiasis. And before you diagnose yourself with arthrosis and start treating it, you immediately need to visit a gastroenterologist. Delay and self-medication will cost you long and expensive treatment.
For the treatment and prevention of DISEASES OF THE JOINTS and SPINE, our readers use the method of quick and non-surgical treatment recommended by leading rheumatologists in Russia, who decided to speak out against pharmaceutical lawlessness and presented a medicine that REALLY TREATS! We have become familiar with this technique and decided to bring it to your attention. Read more.
It is even more dangerous to ignore pain in your left shoulder. The causes and treatment should be determined by a specialist - you need to visit a cardiologist. If the sensation is acute, sudden, against the background of relative well-being in health, a shot in the left shoulder may well serve as a signal of an imminent heart attack, or even be the first symptom of a heart attack.
If your shoulder joint hurts, see a doctor. Shoulder joints hurt for a variety of reasons, and you won’t be able to establish the truth on your own, without special knowledge.
But orthopedist Valentin Dikul claims that a truly effective remedy for joint pain exists! Read more >>>
If you want to get the same treatment, ask us how?
The shoulder joint is made up of bones held in place by muscles, tendons and ligaments. Tendons are tough cords of tissue that hold the shoulder muscles down to the bones.
Men, women and children can have shoulder problems. They occur in people of all races and ethnicities.
Many shoulder problems are caused by destruction of the soft tissue in the shoulder area. Using the shoulder too much can cause the soft tissue to break down faster as people get older. Manual labor and sports can cause shoulder problems.
Shoulder pain can be felt in one small place, in a larger area, or down the arm. Pain that travels along the nerves to the shoulder can be caused by diseases such as: gallbladder disease, liver disease, heart disease, spinal disease in the neck.
Shoulder pain
Pain in the shoulder joint can have a variety of origins.
So, if the pain “spreads” along the arm right up to the fingers, becomes more intense when turning or tilting the head, and is accompanied by a feeling of numbness or “goosebumps” – the cause of the discomfort should be looked for in the neck area.
A common cause of pain in the shoulder joint is a herniated disc, diagnosed by examining the spine in the cervical or thoracic region.
Damaged discs wear out, become thinner and cease to be a reliable “lining” between the vertebrae; Accordingly, the vertebrae come closer together and pinch the nerve endings, which causes pain. Often the situation is aggravated by the occurrence of edema that develops in the pinched area.
In medicine, the term “frozen shoulder” is known: this is the name for capsulitis (damage to the synovial membrane and joint capsule), a rather rare disease in which the shoulder muscles are stiff and painful.
With capsulitis, the shoulder joint hurts, so much so that the patient has difficulty raising his arm up and to the side, and cannot move it behind his back at all - these are the most characteristic external signs.
The disease is insidious and can develop unnoticed: at first a person experiences slight discomfort, then some stiffness, and then there comes a moment when a woman is unable to unfasten her bra buckle, and a man is unable to scratch his shoulder blade.
In severe cases of capsulitis, the mobility of the hand may be almost completely lost, up to the inability to use a dinner spoon.
The group of muscles connecting the shoulder blade and humerus is called the rotator cuff. Damage can occur if a person overdoes it in unusual movements - for example, he spent the whole day putting putty on the ceiling or washing high windows.
Shoulder pain usually occurs the next day - in the form of acute attacks when trying to raise your arm. X-ray examination most often does not show any pathologies, and the doctor makes a diagnosis based on a physical examination, during which the tension of the shoulder muscles and the range of motion of the joint are determined.
Pain in the shoulder joint, involving the shoulder itself, as well as the arm and neck, is caused by tendobursitis. This is a kind of “two in one” disease: a combination of tendonitis - inflammation of the tendons, and bursitis - damage to the joint capsule. Shoulder pain is usually acute and comes on suddenly; the patient can hardly move his shoulder, not to mention any active movements.
Tendonitis can rightfully be called one of the most common diseases that cause shoulder pain. The disease is characterized by inflammatory processes in the tendons adjacent to the shoulder joint; they can be caused by too much physical exertion, as well as by the occurrence of calcifications in the tendon tissue.
Tendonitis of the biceps brachii muscle can be identified as a separate type. The muscle is located on the inner surface of the arm from the shoulder to the elbow; its defeat is accompanied by constant pain, which becomes more intense with hand movements, as well as with digital examination. Sometimes a biceps injury results in a tendon rupture; in this case, a characteristic swelling forms on the patient’s shoulder, similar to a ball placed under the skin.
Bursitis is often observed in conjunction with tendinitis, but can also be diagnosed as an independent disease. The main causes of its occurrence are injuries, regular overload (and, as a result, mechanical irritation), and various infections. Painful sensations with bursitis can be very intense, as swelling of the mucous membranes of the joint capsule (capsule) occurs.
If the patient complains that the shoulder joint hurts when raising the arm, salt deposition should be suspected; calcium salts cause the formation of calcareous growths in the articular tendon located in the area of the collarbone and scapula.
This pathology is also called subacromial syndrome (“shoulder impingement syndrome”); It is most often diagnosed in people between 30 and 50 years old.
In some cases, salt deposits are detected at an asymptomatic stage (for example, during X-ray); pronounced symptoms are constant or regularly occurring pain in the shoulder joint, which intensifies when trying to raise the shoulder relative to the body at an angle of up to 90°.
Shoulder pain can be caused by hereditary (genetic) pathologies or tumors, but a more common cause is traumatic injury. During an unexpected fall, the humerus can twist out of the joint; when trying to absorb shock with your hands, a rupture of the shoulder tendon is quite possible.
In case of such injuries, it is necessary to consult a doctor, otherwise the person risks acquiring chronic pathologies that will impair the motor functions of the shoulder, and the complaint that the shoulder joint hurts will remain for life.
The shoulder joint can be injured not only during an accidental fall, but also during intense sports activities or active movements typical of young people - habitual shoulder dislocation is a common diagnosis.
Older people are susceptible to injuries caused by tissue wear, impaired calcium metabolism in the body and, as a consequence, the development of osteoporosis.
Pain in the shoulder joint is often the lot of bodybuilders, as well as pain in the lower back, knee joints, and elbows. Unfortunately, many bodybuilders do not think that an injured shoulder will significantly limit their training, and they abuse the barbell press, exercises with dumbbells (arm raises), training exercises and lifting the barbell from behind the head.
The result is excessive stretching of the shoulder ligaments, unstable position of the shoulder joint, as well as pain: the muscles of the joint capsule try to ensure the correct position of the humerus in the joint and literally “strain” while solving this problem.
The actual tear may occur in the area of the fibrocartilaginous ring located around the perimeter of the joint socket; in this case, the bursa and tendons are deprived of additional support.
In many cases, shoulder pain is a symptom of diseases of the internal organs: damage to the liver, heart (angina, myocardial infarction), oncological processes in the chest, radiculitis of the cervical region.
Shoulder pain is a symptom that occurs in various types of pathology:
Problems arise in the shoulder joints for many reasons: stress as a consequence of viral diseases, lack or excess of minerals, vitamins, and so on.
In any case, pain has a cause and effect; your task is to recognize the changes that have begun in the body and prevent the chronic development of the disease. It is worth noting a few of the most important reasons.
Bursitis. A disease whose symptoms are caused by heavy physical exertion, but are accompanied by extensive disorders. The sharp pain in this case is caused by swelling of the joint capsule, which encircles the joint like a soft sac.
Osteoporosis. In other words, a violation of calcium metabolism in the bones. In this case, wear of the joint occurs faster and, as a result, acute pain.
It may also be associated with pressure from the brachial plexus on the subclavian artery. The consequence is anemia, swelling, and weakness in the arm.
Severe pain can develop due to the deposition of calcium salts in the tendons located under the collarbone and scapula. Aching, sometimes sharp pain appears when the arm is moved away from the body by 40-90 degrees.
Discomfort occurs in the right shoulder joint, as a rule, in right-handed people, due to the increased load on the right arm. But distributing the load evenly does not always help, since the disease is already present and requires certain treatment measures.
Here is only a small list of diseases associated with impaired functionality of the shoulder complex, but the information is aimed at drawing your attention to painful sensations and promptly responding to discomfort.
Shoulder pain is usually difficult to ignore because it severely limits your normal range of motion. It becomes difficult to perform the simplest manipulations: getting dressed, fastening your shoes, moving even a not very heavy object from place to place.
In connection with the above, there can only be one answer to the question of what to do if your shoulder hurts: urgently consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
With tendinitis, sharp or nagging pain increases suddenly and often appears at night. The tendon becomes inflamed due to excessive stress on the shoulder and prevents free movement of the arm.
With bursitis, pain persists for a long time, the shoulder constantly ache. There is swelling, the patient is unable to raise his arm up, and has difficulty moving it to the side.
When a shoulder injury occurs, as a rule, acute pain is felt in the damaged area, which becomes more intense when moving the arm. The shoulder joint can be injured as a result of bruise, muscle or tendon rupture, dislocation and fracture.
With arthritis, the temperature of the skin around the inflamed shoulder joint increases, swelling is observed, and arm movements are constrained, but the pain is periodic: after a short acute period, it usually subsides.
With arthrosis, the symptoms are similar to those described above. The hand moves with difficulty, a specific crunch is heard in the joint. In the advanced stage of the disease, the pain becomes constant; upon palpation, it is also felt in the area of the scapula and collarbone. Subsequently, due to degeneration of cartilage tissue, the joint is also deformed.
With cervical osteochondrosis, pain and tingling sensations spread to the entire arm and intensify when the patient moves his head or neck.
With glenohumeral periarthritis, a burning, nagging pain in the shoulder radiates to the neck and arm, especially when trying to lift it up or behind the back, as well as at night. This disease is a complication of osteochondrosis in the cervical region; the affected limb may become numb, and the muscles gradually atrophy.
With osteoporosis, the functions of the shoulder joint are impaired and the arm weakens. The pain increases with additional physical activity.
With neuritis of the brachial nerve, it deceptively seems that the right or left shoulder joint hurts, discomfort occurs unexpectedly, and the pain syndrome is usually of high intensity.
If the shoulder constantly aches, has increased in volume, the skin turns red and becomes hot to the touch, this indicates inflammation of the joint. There can be many reasons for it:
Rheumatic pain occurs after a sore throat, pustules on the skin or scarlet fever. They are unstable, involve several joints in turn (volatile), and are often accompanied by increased body temperature, weakness, and sweating. Similar symptoms are observed with reactive arthritis, but it usually affects only one joint.
Severe pain in the shoulder joint occurs with gouty or rheumatoid arthritis. It hinders movement and, without treatment, quickly leads to deformation and complete immobility.
Shoulders most often begin to hurt due to overload. By strenuously playing sports and lifting weights, we provoke the appearance of pain. It can be a symptom of various diseases. Let's look at what diseases cause what type of shoulder pain.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. The pain radiates to the arm and intensifies when turning the head. They get worse at night and become unbearable. In advanced cases, a person does not raise his hand.
Arthritis is inflammation of a joint. With arthritis, the right or left shoulder hurts a lot.
Arthrosis is a common cause of acute pain in the shoulder joint. More common in older people. It is painful for a person to raise his arm and perform another movement. Arthrosis can be caused by bruises, dislocations, fractures, and sprains.
Brachial nerve neuritis. It is caused by inflammatory processes, tumors, and injuries. A person suddenly feels a sharp pain in the shoulder joint.
Tendobursitis is inflammation of the joint capsule. It is caused by deposits of calcium salts. Tenobursitis is characterized by acute pain throughout the entire arm from the neck to the fingertips. It is difficult for the patient to move his arm.
Capsulitis of the shoulder joint. The disease causes stiffness in the muscles of the shoulder girdle. A person has severe pain in his right or left shoulder, he cannot freely raise his arm up, move it to the side or put it behind his back.
Shoulder injuries - fractures, sprains, dislocations. Injuries must be treated, otherwise they will lead to permanent impairment of shoulder function and become chronic.
Tendinitis. This is an inflammation of the tendons surrounding the shoulder joint. Tendonitis is usually caused by overuse. During heavy physical work, the tendons rub against the surface of the joint. This causes chronic aching pain.
Biceps tendonitis. This is an inflammation of the tendon of the muscle on the inside of the shoulder. A person constantly has shoulder pain. The pain intensifies when moving the arm and palpating the muscle. When the biceps tendon ruptures, a balloon-shaped swelling appears.
Bursitis. Occurs when there is excessive load on the joint, after injuries to the periarticular bursa or tendons. The person experiences sharp pain, accompanied by swelling. It is impossible to sleep on the affected shoulder.
Collision syndrome. The disease causes the deposition of calcium salts. The pain occurs suddenly when raising the arm, it is intense and constant. The syndrome most often affects people aged 30-50 years.
Overextension of shoulder ligaments. This problem is familiar to bodybuilders. Sprains are caused by strenuous exercise. The pain intensifies when moving or palpating the muscle, and bruising appears.
Intervertebral hernia of the cervical spine. Causes intermittent aching pain in the shoulder joint and neck. It is accompanied by headaches and dizziness. As the disease progresses, the situation worsens. The pain becomes constant and unbearable.
Humeroscapular periarthritis. The pain can be burning, aching and shooting. It begins gradually, without obvious reasons. Often “wakes me up” at night, and my hands get cold. Movement causes pain in the joints. In advanced cases, the functions of the hand are impaired and the hands become numb.
Myalgia. The disease is caused by physical overload, hypothermia, and viral infections. A person feels aching, sometimes sharp pain in the muscles, and cannot move his arms at full strength.
A person has shoulder pain, but the problem is in another part of the body. Referred pain in the shoulder appears due to heart disease, liver pathology, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, pneumonia, cervical radiculitis and tumors of the chest organs. During a heart attack, a person’s arm hurts from the shoulder to the elbow. The patient feels heaviness and compression in the chest, dizziness occurs.
There are many assessment and diagnostic methods available to determine the cause of shoulder pain. Among the most effective are x-ray examinations.
Initially, photographs are taken in the normal position of the hands, additionally in a transverse section relative to the plane of the body. If necessary, radiography is done in special positions.
Another diagnostic method is radionuclide diagnostics. The condition of the shoulder joint is assessed using scintigraphy scanning. By introducing a radiopharmaceutical into the patient's blood, visualization of internal organs is ensured.
Distribution of the drug in a damaged organ or focus of pathology makes it possible to identify and diagnose all functional disorders.
A good examination method is thermography. The method is based on the analysis of the resulting infrared radiation emitted by the human body using special thermal imaging equipment. Identifiable zones with higher temperatures help to more successfully identify pathological areas of the shoulder joint.
An experienced traumatologist or orthopedic doctor is able to determine the cause of pain in the shoulder joint and prescribe effective treatment, but self-diagnosis without sufficient knowledge in this area can only damage and worsen the condition. This is especially true for various injuries, dislocations or bruises.
For moderate and mild bruises, a bandage is applied to the shoulder area to secure the arm, pain symptoms are relieved with novocaine. The shoulders are restored in three days.
Severe bruises with hemorrhage require treatment in a hospital. Restoration of normal functions usually occurs within three weeks.
The recommended and correct treatment for shoulder pain should be carried out under the supervision of an appropriate doctor, depending on the type of injury, damage or disease.
Developing cervical osteochondrosis must be treated at the very beginning of its appearance. The sooner the necessary measures are started, the better the effect and faster the recovery.
Shoulder pain that occurs with osteochondrosis can be very severe, especially in the acute stage. Drug therapy for the treatment of osteochondrosis should be aimed at improving blood circulation and eliminating inflammatory processes. In case of severe pain, intramuscular injections of painkillers are prescribed.
A special corset for the cervical spine can influence the stretching of the vertebrae and relieve severe and acute pain. Special exercises are prescribed to strengthen the neck muscles, which strengthen and align the vertebrae and intervertebral discs.
Physiotherapy, UHF procedures, magnetic therapy, massage procedures using anti-inflammatory and analgesic ointments have a good effect.
Painkillers. Various painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are often used to relieve pain in the shoulder joint. These include ketanov, diclofenac, ketorol, ibuprofen.
Ointments. It is good to carry out additional general strengthening exercises simultaneously with drug treatment, rubbing with ointments. They will promote muscle development, improve blood circulation, and have a restorative effect on the area of the shoulder muscles and ligaments.
Stretch in the doorway
Lateral rotation lying on the floor
Expander traction to the body
Pain in the shoulder joint cannot occur without a reason. If your shoulder hurts, then it’s time to consult a doctor and at the same time start treating the shoulder joint with folk remedies at home.
But basically, the causes of shoulder pain are sprains, physical injuries, excessive stress, arthrosis, arthritis, osteochondrosis. Moreover, all these reasons can affect not only the mobility of the shoulder, but also the entire arm (the arm cannot rise) and even the neck.
Therefore, the sooner you see a doctor and start treatment, the better. But, as you know, it is very useful to supplement drug treatment with various traditional medicine recipes, massage, and possibly acupuncture.
Treatment of the shoulder joint with folk remedies mainly comes down to the use of various homemade ointments, rubs, tinctures, decoctions and healing baths.
The recipe for the simplest and most effective ointment for treating shoulder pain is this: you need 3–5 grams of propolis and 50–70 grams of fresh pork fat. To grind propolis, it should first be frozen and then broken into small pieces. Next, heat the fat in a water bath, add propolis and mix the whole mass thoroughly, cool. The medicine is ready. Store in the refrigerator.
It should be used 2 times a day - first, the required amount of ointment is warmed to room temperature, then rubbed into the sore shoulder, wrapped in cellophane and insulated.
Another recipe for folk ointment is a little more difficult to prepare, but it is worth it. It’s not for nothing that they call it gum. I have already described its recipe, so read about it in the article “Gum Ointment”.
For shoulder pain, lingonberry tea is a very useful remedy. Pour 2 teaspoons of lingonberries into a glass of boiling water and drink several sips throughout the day.
In case of rheumatoid pain, an ointment made from medicinal plants such as sweet clover and St. John's wort will help. Add 2 tablespoons of sweet clover and St. John's wort to 50 g of medical Vaseline. Mix thoroughly and apply either as a rub or compress on a sore shoulder.
Ointment made from marsh cinquefoil is very useful for joint diseases. To prepare it, take 3 tablespoons of dry cinquefoil grass and mix with 100 g of rendered lard. To enhance the effect, sometimes add 1 tablespoon of chopped red hot pepper to the prepared mass. But for sensitive skin, it is advisable to first add 1 teaspoon of pepper and check for tolerance.
Sabelnik is also useful in the form of an infusion. In the morning, add 1 tablespoon each of marsh cinquefoil and horsetail into a thermos and pour in a liter of boiling water. This is the daily dose. After an hour, you can take it instead of tea throughout the day.
For any joint diseases, these 2 folk remedies are used for treatment at home. Take a cabbage leaf or a burdock leaf, roll it with a rolling pin until a small amount of juice is released and wrap it around the sore joint and insulate it. Wear for several hours.
If you have salts in the shoulder joint, then read the articles “How to treat salt deposits in the joints” and “How to remove salts from the body.”
Speaking of salt. In the article “Salt Treatment” I described all the benefits of this product. It is also suitable for treating the shoulder joint with folk remedies. Dissolve 50 g of table salt in half a liter of warm water. Next, dip a long bandage of cotton fabric into the saline solution, let it soak, wring it out a little and wrap it around the sore shoulder. There is no need to wrap the salt dressings with anything. Keep until completely dry.
Traditional methods of treating shoulder joints include vinegar compresses. To do this, dilute 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar in half a liter of water, soak a cloth in it, wrap it around your shoulder and insulate it. This compress is made at night and kept until the morning.
I recently wrote about turpentine treatment and all its benefits. It will also help in treating a sore shoulder. To do this, add the same amount of 5% ammonia and 1 - 2 chicken eggs to 2 tablespoons of turpentine. Beat the mixture until slightly fluid. Use this mixture as a rub at night.
You can also use alcohol tincture as a rub. Grind burdock root (1 tablespoon) and 3 pods of hot pepper. Pour it all into a bottle, add 3 tablespoons of lilac flowers and pour in 0.5 liters of alcohol. Leave for 5 days in a dark place. Rub your sore joints 2 times a day. The tincture will retain all its healing properties for several years if stored in the refrigerator.
If you do not leave the house, then use onion remedy. Grind a couple of onions in a meat grinder, place them on a cloth and wrap it around your sore shoulder for several hours.
Treatment of the shoulder joint with folk remedies cannot do without healing baths. For the bath you will need young pine cones or spruce cones (Treatment with pine needles). Pour half a kilogram of cones with 3 liters of boiling water in a suitable container, wrap it and let it brew for 1 hour. Then pour the infusion into an evening hot bath and lie in it for half an hour.
If you experience shoulder pain, don't expect it to go away on its own. See your doctor immediately. Do not self-medicate under any circumstances, since only a specialist can make a correct diagnosis.
You may begin to treat yourself for supposed arthritis while actually being on the verge of a heart attack and risking your own life.
To reduce the likelihood of shoulder pain, you should maintain healthy physical activity, prevent colds and cardiovascular diseases, avoid stress, and eat right. If you have already undergone therapy for shoulder pain, you should be especially careful about preventing relapses.