Shoulder pain can develop due to many reasons. It could be due to an incident – such as a car accident, a sports accident, sleeping in a weird position, or from a fall. Such causes are fairly easy to pinpoint, and often cause enough alarm for you to seek medical attention.
However, other causes of shoulder pain are a little more difficult to detect and diagnose. For example, shoulder pain can be due to a health condition affecting the shoulder’s structures or due to an overuse injury that developed gradually over months or years. Many reasons for shoulder pain are not very obvious, and in such cases, an image-guided diagnosis is usually necessary to determine the cause.
If your shoulder hurts and it was not spurred by a traumatic incident that you can connect it to, it could be a sign of any of the following conditions.
Frozen Shoulder
Adhesive capsulitis, or more commonly referred to as frozen shoulder, is a condition caused by inflammation in the capsule of the ball socket joint, which leads to a thickening in the shoulder. Pain, stiffness, and the inability to move the arm are common symptoms of a frozen shoulder. Long periods of immobility is a leading cause of this condition. Patients who were immobile during recovery from an injury or surgery are particularly prone. If you live a sedentary lifestyle and notice your shoulder hurting, you could have a frozen shoulder.
Rotator Cuff Tear
The rotator cuff comprises of muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues that provide support to the shoulder joint. They can become irritated due to overuse, but mostly, this develops when the rotator cuff tendons are already weakened due to age-related or activity-related changes to the supporting structures in the shoulder. The pain associated with rotator cuff tears is a type of throbbing pain deep in the shoulder that can prevent you from falling asleep and performing day to day activities. A contributing factor is a history of rotator cuff tears, which can accelerate the degeneration of rotator cuff tendons.
Osteoarthritis
A leading cause of shoulder pain is osteoarthritis, which is due to a deterioration of the cartilage that protects the shoulder joint and keeps bones from rubbing against each other. Such friction can trigger an inflammatory response that leads to pain, swelling, and stiffness in the shoulder. Older people who suffer from shoulder pain without any injury may have osteoarthritis.
Get Relief From Shoulder Pain in North Dakota
Receive treatment from a regional leader in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions affecting the structures of the shoulder. At The Bone & Joint Center, our orthopedic surgeons specialize in nonsurgical and surgical treatments of conditions affecting the shoulder and elbow, hand and wrist, hip and knee, and foot and ankle. If you experience shoulder pain, we can help get you relief – regardless of the cause.
We have nine locations throughout North Dakota – choose the one most convenient for you. To request an appointment, call (701) 946-7400 / (866) 900-8650. You can also request an appointment online. We look forward to serving you soon.
