Your shoulder joints are one of the commonly used joints, making them prone to injuries. Anyone can injure their Cumming shoulder joint, but athletes are more susceptible to it. You may not realize how essential your shoulders are until you can’t lift your arm to comb your hair. Most of the time, shoulder injuries improve with rest, cold compression, and rest. However, if the pain is intense or you can’t use your shoulder, you may need to see a professional. The following are some of the most common shoulder injuries.
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Shoulder Bursitis
In between your bones and tissue is a cushioning pad called a bursa. The subacromial bursa in the shoulder allows you to move and lift your arms without the tendons and bones rubbing against each other. Repetitive motions or injuries affecting your shoulders can cause bursitis – accumulation of fluid in the bursae. Inflammation of the bursa causes sharp pain, dull ache, or mild tenderness, which may come and go. You may experience a painful range of motion and pain at night when you sleep on the affected shoulder. Simple remedies like using ice packs and avoiding activities that aggravate the pain can reduce symptoms of shoulder bursitis. Other treatment options include steroid injections, physical therapy, exercise, and surgery.
Shoulder impingement
Shoulder impingent is a common cause of shoulder pain; it occurs when the rotator cuff tendon rubs or catches on surrounding bone or tissue when you lift your arm. Most people with an impinging shoulder experience relief from symptoms in a few weeks with the right type of shoulder exercises. However, shoulder impingement can sometimes be an ongoing problem. This type of shoulder injury causes pain in your shoulder’s tip and outer side. The pain worsens when you lift your arm above your head, and it may disrupt your sleep at night.
Rotator cuff tear
The rotator cuff muscles and tendons surround the shoulder joint and firmly keep the head of your upper arm bone into the shoulder socket. A rotator cuff tear mainly results from progressive wear and tear of tissues over time, but it can also be due to a single accident. The tendons can also get damaged due to repeated overhead motions or lifting heavy objects. Older people are at risk of developing this injury and those with occupations that require repetitive overhead arm motions.
Rotator cuff tear causes a dull ache deep in your shoulder, affecting your sleep. The pain is usually accompanied by arm weakness, making it challenging to lift your arm or reach behind your back.
Fracture or broken shoulder
The bones in your shoulder, including the humerus or glenoid, can break when you fall or take a hard hit. Shoulder fractures can be displaced or non-displaced – most people usually have non-displaced fractures. That means that the broken bones remain close to their anatomic position. Treating non-displaced shoulder fractures requires immobilization using a sling until the bone heals. If you have a fractured shoulder, you may have pain, swelling, and tenderness in the affected shoulder. There may be deformity and discoloration at the site of the fracture.
If you have ongoing shoulder pain, visit your specialist at Stephen Fisher, MD, for treatment to improve your quality of life.
