Shoulder Pain, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

This book describes Shoulder Pain, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Shoulder pain is the main symptom of many shoulder disorders.

Movement of the shoulder joint can be extremely painful and may be extremely difficult.

When something goes wrong with the shoulder, it hinders the ability to move freely and can produce a great deal of pain and discomfort.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint that comprises 3 main bones: the humerus (long arm bone), the clavicle (collarbone), and the scapula (also known as the shoulder blade).

These bones are enclosed by a layer of cartilage.

There are 2 main joints:

1. The acromioclavicular joint connects the highest part of the scapula and the clavicle.

2. The glenohumeral joint comprises the top, ball-shaped part of the humerus bone and the outer edge of the scapula.

This joint is also termed the shoulder joint.

The shoulder joint is the most movable joint in the body.

It moves the shoulder forward and backward.

It also permits the arm to move in a circular motion and to move up and away from the body.

The shoulder has many important parts:

1. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that enclose the shoulder, giving it support and permitting a wide range of motion.
2. The bursa is a small sac of fluid that cushions and protects the tendons of the rotator cuff.
3. A cuff of cartilage termed the labrum produces a cup for the ball-like head of the humerus to move into.
4. The humerus goes relatively loosely into the shoulder joint.
This supplies the shoulder a wide range of movement, but also makes it vulnerable to injury.

Causes of shoulder pain

Several risk factors and disorders can cause shoulder pain.

The most frequent cause is rotator cuff tendinitis.
This is a disorder featured by swollen tendons.

Another frequent cause of shoulder pain is the impingement syndrome where the rotator cuff gets wedged between the acromium (part of the scapula that covers the ball) and humeral head (the ball part of the humerus).

Sometimes shoulder pain is the result of injury to another location in the body, normally the neck or biceps.
This is termed referred pain.

Referred pain normally does not become worse when the patient moves the shoulder.

Other causes of shoulder pain are:
1. Arthritis
2. Torn cartilage
3. Torn rotator cuff
4. Swollen bursa sacs or tendons
5. Bone spurs (bony projections that develop along the edges of bones)
6. Pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder
7. Broken shoulder or arm bone
8. Frozen shoulder
9. Dislocated shoulder
10. Injury due to overuse or repetitive use
11. Spinal cord injury
12. Heart attack

Shoulder Disorders

Frozen shoulder:
The inflammation happens in the shoulder that causes pain and stiffness.

Osteoarthritis:
The frequent "wear-and-tear" arthritis happens with aging.

Rheumatoid arthritis:
This is a form of autoimmune arthritis in which the immune system attacks the joints, producing inflammation and pain.

Gout:
This is a form of arthritis in which crystals form in the joints, producing inflammation and pain.

Rotator cuff tears:
A tear may happen in one of the muscles or tendons covering the top of the humerus.

Shoulder impingement:
The acromion (edge of the scapula) compresses on the rotator cuff when the arm is lifted.

Shoulder dislocation:
The humerus or one of the other bones in the shoulder moves out of its normal position.

Shoulder tendonitis:
This is the inflammation of the tendons in the shoulder's rotator cuff

Shoulder bursitis and labral tears can also cause pain.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Shoulder Pain
Chapter 2 Acromioclavicular Joint Injury
Chapter 3 Shoulder Arthritis
Chapter 4 Shoulder Dislocation
Chapter 5 Frozen Shoulder
Chapter 6 Rotator Cuff Injury
Chapter 7 Shoulder Bursitis
Chapter 8 Distal Clavicle Osteolysis
Chapter 9 Floating Shoulder
Epilogue

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