Shoulder Injury Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
An injury in any form proves to be an unpleasing condition for a person. You must have heard about several kinds of injuries. In this blog, we will deliver some information about shoulder injury and pain. Due to different causes, a person can notice something wrong with his shoulder. Such conditions can sometimes obstruct daily-life activities badly. Before talking about this occurrence, let’s take an idea of the shoulder anatomy.
Shoulder Anatomy
A lot of joints are present in the body and all of them have a different range of movements. Talking about shoulder joint, it is made up of three bones, namely:
* Scapula (shoulder blade)
* Humerus (bone of the upper arm), and
* Clavicle (collarbone)
It stands as the largest, most flexible, and complex multiaxial ball-and-socket joint of the body. Two joints are there to move the shoulder, namely: the acromioclavicular joint and the glenohumeral joint. The formation of this joint is when the humerus fits into the scapula. A total of 17 muscles are there to see near this joint. There is a presence of a rotator cuff that attaches the humerus to the scapula. This rotator cuff is made from the tendons of four muscles. Regarding tendons, they are soft tissues that connect muscle to the bone. With the help of the muscles of the rotator cuff, the humerus can stay tightly in the socket.
Apart from that, there is a thick piece of tissue called the labrum. It helps keep the ball of the joint in its position. Thereafter, you can find the presence of bursa and ligaments.
Although our shoulder allows a wide range of movement, it is susceptible to face an injury. In the below section, we are listing some conditions that account for shoulder injury and pain.
Causes Behind Shoulder Injury And Pain
1 Rotator Cuff Injury
It is one of the most common shoulder injuries that can create serious pain in the shoulder side. The likelihood of this injury can increase as the person ages. It can happen earlier to people involved in those activities that contain repeated overhead movements. For example, carpenters or painters. One of the main reasons behind this kind of injury include progressive wear and tear of the tendon, heavy lifting, falls, or vehicle collisions. Even some kinds of sports like baseball and tennis can contribute to bring this problem. Else, if someone has a family history of this injury need to be attentive and must talk to the doctor for preventative measures. Kindly contact the doctors of Mewar Hospitals for related assistance.
2. Osteoarthritis
Not only for the shoulder joint, but it also proves to be a terrible condition for any joint in the body. This form of arthritis can lead to damage to the cartilage by which the bones rub together. Ultimately, a person suffers from pain and stiffness and doesn’t feel well. This degenerative joint disease can negatively impact joint health. That’s why one must not avoid the feeling of pain especially if it persists for long.
3. Frozen Shoulder
In this condition, a person doesn’t get able to move his shoulder anywhere without pain. This situation can be clumsy and can occur to anyone. You can identify its presence in people having diabetes, heart problems, thyroid problems, or a condition called Parkinson disease. It can also happen to people who have immobilized their shoulder for a longer time, due to problems like a fracture or after surgery.
4. Rheumatoid Arthritis
This is also a known kind of arthritis that can turn out to be terrible for the health of joints. In this inflammatory arthritis, various components of the body can affect including the shoulder. It is said that RA takes place when the immune system of the body attacks the healthy tissues mistakenly. In case of the shoulder, the RA creates inflammation in the synovium by which the cartilage is damaged. Talk to the doctor for getting relief in pain or if there is a presence of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
5. Dislocated Shoulder
A blow to the shoulder or a fall can become the reason for a dislocated shoulder. When the round ball present at the top of the humerus leaves the socket in the scapula, the problem of dislocation occurs. A shoulder can also dislocate at the time of playing certain sports-based activities. In this case, a person can endure too much pain along with weakness, swelling, bruising, redness, numbness, etc. If something feels unordinary with the shoulder, talk to the doctor straight away so he could suspect the presence of dislocation by imaging tests.
6. Shoulder Impingement
The reason behind an impingement syndrome is too much squeezing or rubbing of the rotator cuff and the shoulder blade. There can be a feeling of pain due to an inflamed bursa or inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons. Even it can also be due to calcium deposits in tendons because of wear and tear.
7. Gout
This is yet another form of arthritis that can take place in the shoulder but in rare cases. Identifying its presence is essential as it can be managed with the help of diet and medicines. If left untreated, it can lead to several problems. You can get in touch with the doctor if there is sudden or serious pain in the shoulder. The area in such circumstances can turn out to be swollen, red, stiff, hot, or burning.
8. Tendinitis
When the tendons of the rotator cuff or biceps tendon suffer from inflammation or wear out, the problem of tendinitis in the shoulder can occur. A person who has experienced a fall or a direct hit to the shoulder that is creating pain should consult the doctor. This problem can also take place slowly over time.
9. Bursitis
Bursitis is a condition in which the bursa, a fluid-filled sac present in the joint becomes inflamed. Shoulder bursitis is one of the most common forms of bursitis that can affect the movement of the arm and create pain. Some effective measures to treat shoulder bursitis are rest and gentle exercise.
10. Labral Tear
The labrum in the shoulder refers to a piece of soft cartilage that helps to keep the ball of the joint in place. It can tear in some ways anywhere around the glenoid socket. Two main kinds of tears are SLAP tears and Bankart tears. In this condition, a person can suffer from pain and instability. Symptoms, as well as treatment, can differ based on the kind of labral tear a person has experienced.
11. Sprains And Strains
The problem of sprain occurs when the ligaments present in the shoulder overstretch or tear. On the other side, strain can happen if the fibers in the tendons or muscles overstretch or tear. Both the problems can restrict many actions that we manage to perform with the help of our shoulders. Sometimes, you may not get able to lift the arm properly and suffer from serious pain.
12. Fractures
An occurrence of a fracture especially in the shoulder side is an unpleasing event. A fall or accident are the prime causes of suffering from a fracture. Apart from pain and swelling, a person can suffer from other problems like bruising or trouble to move the arm. Sometimes, if the bone has been severely broken, surgery may be needed to fix it. Talk to one of the best orthopedic doctors from Mewar Hospital for the treatment of shoulder fractures.
13. Others
Sometimes, pain in the shoulder can arrive due to referred pain. This means the shoulder can start hurting if there is an issue with other components of the body like the liver or gallbladder. Else, a heart attack is also referred to as one of the causes of shoulder pain. Yes, a feeling of pain in the shoulders is a symptom of cardiac arrest. Another possible reason for shoulder pain involves bone spurs (osteophytes).
Diagnosing A Shoulder Injury
While experiencing a pain that doesn’t go on its own even after multiple days, it is best to see a doctor. You can visit the centers of Mewar Hospitals for the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder injury and pain. At the time of visit, you can expect a physical examination. With its help, the doctor will have a look at the structural problems or other issues that are causing pain or discomfort. They can also have a look at the strength and flexibility of the shoulder. You may need to move your arms in different ways.
To determine the cause or to find out the problem in detail, there is an option of some imaging tests. For example, X-rays, MRI scan, and CT scan are generally recommended. There can also be a recommendation of EMG or electromyography to detect the problem of nerves.
Treatment Options For Shoulder Injury
If the pain is due to dislocation, there will be an attempt to put the arm bone in the shoulder socket properly. This process is known as the closed reduction technique in which the problem of dislocation is solved without the need for surgery. Thereafter, if there is a presence of a fracture, the treatment generally includes immobilization with an arm sling.
If a person is suffering from pain and discomfort, the doctor can recommend RICE therapy. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Apart from that, some medicines are available to bring ease in pain and swelling. This includes ibuprofen or aspirin. If the condition doesn’t look good after taking medicines or applying the RICE method, there can be a suggestion of corticosteroid injection.
Surgeries For Shoulder
However, in a lot of cases, the shoulder injury can get fine with the help of non-surgical methods. Still, some conditions can turn out to be worse which calls for an advanced mode of treatment. The time when conservative options don’t work for the patient, the doctor decides to go for surgery. Let’s know what kind of surgical options are available for a person regarding shoulder injury.
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Traditional Surgery
Nowadays, one of the most effective and well-known surgeries benefitting thousands of people is joint replacement surgery. Especially when a person is suffering from osteoarthritis, it helps to restore function and relieves pain. Shoulder replacement surgery is a procedure in which the damaged parts of the shoulder are removed and replaced with artificial components.
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Arthroscopy
It is a minimally invasive mode of treatment that doesn’t take much time as open surgery. It involves faster recovery, less blood loss, smaller cuts, lower infection rate, less post-operative pain, and shorter hospital stays. Here, a tiny cut is made near the joint and a very thin tube goes inside. That tube has an attachment of a camera by which the doctor sees the inside of the joint. Shoulder arthroscopy can be performed for frozen shoulder, impingement syndrome, dislocation, etc.
Tips To Prevent A Shoulder Injury
- Try to perform exercise regularly and be in good physical form. Make attempts in strengthening your shoulders. But remember, you need to perform them properly. Especially in case of weight-bearing exercises, be attentive. At the time of lifting excessive weight, use proper technique.
- Make sure to take a healthy diet and focus on essential nutrients that are helpful for bones and muscles.
- Be in a correct posture at the time of standing or sitting. If you work on PCs or laptops for long, take a break after every hour or if possible, half an hour. Thereafter, take some steps here and there and stretch.
- If you’re feeling pain after any kind of activity, try to give rest to the body and apply home-based remedies like ice packs. If there is a feeling of pain in one side of the shoulder, try to sleep on the opposite one or the back.
The Ending Note
We hope you would have taken a great knowledge about shoulder injury and learned some ideas to prevent it. Still, if anything feels annoying with the shoulder, you can visit Mewar Hospital. Our doctors are there to deliver support and guidance regarding this kind of orthopedic complaint. Even if you’re experiencing any other problem, get in touch with our team so they would assist with better information.
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