Shoulder Pain

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Shoulder pain

Content:

• Causes of pain in the shoulder joint
• Diagnostics
• Shoulder pain treatment

Shoulder pain is a symptom of a number of different conditions. It can be associated with changes in bone, muscle and tendons, or it can indicate an infection in the body.

Causes of pain in the shoulder joint

• Excessive exercise is often the cause of pain. For example, long-term training with a barbell in the gym, carrying weights. Sports injury (dislocation of the shoulder, sprain or rupture of ligaments, damage to muscle tissue) is also possible.
• People over the age of 50 often suffer from arthrosis, which causes ossification of cartilaginous tissues, which makes itself felt with an unpleasant pain symptom and decreased mobility.
• Infectious diseases such as chlamydia, candidiasis, tuberculosis and some others can also provoke problems with the shoulder joint.
• Any inflammatory processes directly in the joint and in the tissues surrounding it will certainly respond with long-term and constant discomfort in the shoulder area.

Diagnostics

To correctly determine the real cause of the problem, it is necessary to specify the nature of the pain in the shoulder joint:

• Pain in the upper part of the shoulder, radiating to the arm (right up to the wrist), may indicate problems with the spine (osteochondrosis, hernia). As a rule, the character is aching, constant. Aggravated by neck movement. Swelling may occur.
• Pain associated with tendon inflammation or damage to the rotator cuff may be temporary. Typically, the cause is excessive stress on the joint, for example, sawing wood, painting the ceiling, playing golf, or doing other repetitive activities for a long time.
• Intense and persistent shoulder pain that occurs when the arm is lifted may be the result of salt deposits. They accumulate gradually, but appear suddenly. Similar symptoms occur in arthritis and arthrosis.

With a disease such as periarthrosis, the nature of the pain can change. It makes it difficult to move the arms during the day (during normal activity), often worse at night (at rest).

A separate topic is sports injuries. They make themselves felt by impulsive pain that follows the performance of certain movements (for example, bench press). As a rule, they manifest themselves as tendon problems. An increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome when making certain movements of the hand will help to determine which tendons have suffered. Typical diseases are bursitis, tendinitis and tendobursitis. In this case, not only tendons can suffer, but also individual muscles or an articular bag.

As a result of falling or making sudden movements, a dislocation can occur, characterized by severe, ongoing pain and swelling. It is very important in this case to undergo an examination (X-ray, examination). If the tissues grow together improperly (fix in an inappropriate position), then the pain in the shoulder joint runs the risk of becoming lifelong and not subject to treatment.

Muscle stiffness (aka capsulitis) usually develops gradually. The disease becomes noticeable when it becomes difficult to move the hand back or to the side.

Infectious diseases and diseases of internal organs are characterized by aching, sometimes acute throbbing pain that spreads to the entire shoulder region, often affects the scapular region and gives it to the arm.

Shoulder pain treatment

If the pain in the shoulder was caused by an injury (fracture, dislocation), the first step is to apply a cold compress to the affected area. It will help stop internal hemorrhage (as a result, reduce swelling), as well as relieve discomfort. In other cases, it is worth paying attention to pharmacological drugs.

To relieve joint pain that has arisen as a result of overstrain, it is enough to use special means for external exposure (ointments or gels) - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are pain relieving as well as anti-inflammatory and are usually sold without a prescription. For example, Dolaren, Voltaren, Nise Gel or Collagen Ultra.

At home, it is more convenient to use gels - they are absorbed faster, do not leave a greasy film on the skin, do not clog pores and penetrate deep into tissues. As for active active ingredients, diclofenac sodium, capsacin, menthol, nimesulide can be included in the composition of complex medicines.

On the subject: Effective Home Remedies

When using ointments, creams or gels, it should be remembered that they should not be applied to damaged skin and mucous membranes. It is also not recommended to apply such products under an airtight bandage or combine them with the influence of warming objects (heating pad, elastic bandage, compress) in order to avoid burns. If an allergic reaction manifests itself (burning, itching, sharp redness of the skin, swelling, etc.), you must immediately wash off the drug with warm water without soap.

If the action of local remedies is not enough to eliminate the problem, complex solutions may be needed - tablets or drops.

It is better to select medications for oral administration together with the attending physician, taking into account the general condition of the body and the presence of certain diseases, including possible allergic reactions.

In some situations, hormonal medications (such as Dexamethasone or Prednisolone) must be used. Dosage is assigned individually.

In especially severe cases, with intense and severe pain, short-term use of narcotic analgesics (Promedol, Morphine) is allowed under the supervision of the attending physician. Indications for the use of drugs of this kind can be severe injuries, myocardial infarction, or other cases at the discretion of the doctor.

On the subject: List of modern drugs and drugs for joints

To determine an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an effective treatment, you should consult an orthopedic doctor. If the pain is the result of physical exertion, it will be useful to contact an orthopedist with experience in the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries, or a trauma surgeon.

Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist

Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.