Causes Of Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is soreness of the tendon of the Rotator Cuff ~the part of the shoulder that confers stability on the shoulder.
Shoulder pain has very common cases of which over 4 million people in the USA seek medical care for.
Each year, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, over 1.5 million visits to the orthopaedic surgeons are accounted for by shoulder pain.
A very sound reason for this is due to the fact that we use our arms for so many activities, therefore, such a "mobile machine" is susceptible to wear and tear.
In other words, it is prone to injuries because the ball of the upper arm (humerus) is larger than the shoulder socket (glenoid cavity of the scapula) that holds it. It is therefore unstable.
To remain stable, it must be anchored in place by its muscles,tendons and ligament. Some shoulder problems arise from disruption of the linking soft tissues, from overuse or underuse of the shoulder.
While many others may be caused by one or more of the following:
Causes Of Shoulder Pain, Sore Shoulders & Injuries
Shoulder Dislocation and Separation: The shoulder joint is the most frequently dislocated major joint of the body.
For example, a strong force that pulls the shoulder outward or causes extreme rotation of the joint, pops the ball of the humerus out of the socket.
Shoulder Dislocation occurs when there is a backward pull on the arm in such a way that the muscles that resist this pull are caught unawares or are overwhelmed. Shoulder Instability therefore results when a dislocation occurs too often.
Subluxation is a term that describes a partial dislocation where the humerus is partially in and partially out of the socket.
Torn Rotator Cuff and Frozen Shoulder: One or more Rotator cuff tendons may become inflamed as a result of overuse,aging, a fall on an outstretched hand or collision. Sports requiring repeated overhead arm motion or heavy lifting can strain the rotator cuff tendons and muscles. Usually, tendons are strong but a long- standing wearing down process may lead to tear.
Tendinitis,Bursitis and Impingement Syndrom: These can occur in combination or alone. If the rotator cuff and bursa are inflamed and swollen or irritated, they may become squeezed between the head of the humerus and the acromium.
Repeated process involving shoulder motion over many years may also irritate and cause wear in tendon, muscles and the surrounding structures.
Tendinitis is an inflammation(redness,soreness and swelling) of a tendon.
In shoulder tendinities, the rotator cuff and or biceps tendon become inflamed because of being pinched by a surrounding structure.
The injury may occur from mild to serious inflammation of most of the rotator cuff. When the rotator cuff is inflamed and thickened, it becomes trapped under the acromium.
This queezing of the rotator cuff is called Impingenent Syndrome(IS) . Both tendinitis and IS are accompanied by inflammation of the bursal sac(called bursities) meant to protect the shoulder.
Inflammatory Diseases like Rheumatoid or Osteo- Arthritis can cause tendinities, bursities and rotator cuff problems.
Using the shoulder too frequently to reach overhead in some sports and occupation can also lead to IS, rotator cuff injuries or bursities.
Finally, shoulder pain is a very common complaint that has many causes. Because of the numerous activities we put our arms to, supported by the wide range of movement offered by the ball-and-socket joint, such a mobile joint as the shoulder is susceptible to wear and tear.
So it is necessary to answer these questions:
What is the activity you engage in too often? How negatively does it affect your shoulder apparatus?... It is about time to take note and stop it !