The shoulder is the multi jointed structure which combines tendons and muscles so as to allow different degrees of motion in the arm. The most mobile joint in the body is shoulder joint. All the forward and backward movements, circular motions, upward movements and downward movements are governed by the mobility of joint. Mobility of the joint is accompanied by natural wear and tear of the joint.
Let us take a brief glimpse at the anatomical position of shoulder joint. Shoulder joint is a beautifully placed ball-and-socket joint having three pillar bones: long arm bone (Humerus), collar bone (Clavicle) and shoulder blade (Scapula).A layer of cartilage provides a cushioning support to these three pillar bones. The Acromioclavicular joint is the first joint placed between scapula and the clavicle. Glenohumeral joint is the second joint placed between ball-shaped part of the Humerus bone and the scapula bone’s outer edge. This second joint is called as shoulder joint.
The Rotator Cuff is the life of the shoulder. The rotator cuff helps in allowing different degrees to the joint. Four tendons make this solid rotator cuff. Tendons connect muscles to bone as we all know. A damage or injury to the tendons or bones surrounding the rotator cuff make movement of shoulder joint difficult accompanied by a pain or a swelling in some cases.
Causes of Shoulder Pain
Causes of shoulder Pain are diverse. Usually another problem may be the cause of your shoulder pain. Common causes of shoulder pain are as follows:
Poor posture is the cause of many pains which arise in the body like neck pain, arm pain, elbow pain and hand pain. Shoulder pain too is commonly caused by the poor posture adoption by us. Leaning over your Smartphone and computer typing for hours in wrong postures, doing exercises and yoga in inappropriate way, sleeping in uncomfortable positions etc., these all lead to postural shoulder pain problems.
This name seems interesting enough. Have you seen movie Frozen?? Now you will remember to relate one of the causes of shoulder pain to be frozen shoulder. Technical medical name of this is adhesive capsulitis. Stiffness of the shoulder is felt in the shoulder accompanied by pain and a difficulty in moving your shoulder in various mathematical angles. An injury/medical conditions like diabetes and stroke /overuse can result in frozen joint. This condition develops slowly and also takes more than a year to go in most of the cases. A traffic jam happens in your shoulder joint due to this.
- Acromioclavicular joint injuries
These joint injuries are very common in athletes and young fellas who play sports regularly. This name seems heavier than shoulder itself. But its importance is in direct correlation to its heavy name. The acromioclavicular joint is located at the apex of the shoulder like a tip of iceberg. It occurs at a point where acromion process (it is the bony kind of process on the bone scapula also called shoulder blade) and the clavicle (collar bone) meets. Ligaments surrounding this joint may undergo tears, sprains and acute to chronic separations due to life threatening injuries involving car sports accidents, contact sports (requires physical proximities between player like rugby, mixed martial arts).
- Osteoarthritis in the shoulder joints
Everyone knows the catchy term osteoarthritis. Many people relate it to knees specially women (post menopause).It can affect any joint of body like hips, small joints of fingers, base of big toe,shoulder,knees or neck. Osteoarthritis commonly affects the acromioclavicular joint, which is the joint located at the apex of the shoulder like a tip of iceberg.
A tiny fluid-filled sac is the bursa that acts as a smooth surface which helps to minimize friction between tissues of the body. There are around 160 bursae located in proximity to tendons in large joints like hips, elbows and shoulder. Inflammation of bursae is bursititis. Injury and some underlying infection can lead to bursititis.
Most common cause of shoulder pain is bursitis or tendinitis/tendonitis. Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendons which join muscles to bones. Sports injury, sudden fall and low level impact on already inflamed and pained shoulder can cause tendinitis. Swimmers, tennis players who use their hands predominantly are more prone to injuries resulting in tendinitis in their shoulders, arms, and elbows.
- Labral tears of the torn cartilage
Fibro cartilage which is like the rubber, its flexibility and stretching tension helps to keep the ball of the shoulder joint in place. Attached to the rim of the shoulder socket, fibro cartilage is very important part of shoulder joint. Thiscartilagecan be torn while a fall or some injury.
- Fractures of the shoulder bones
Fractures can happen anytime. They are something unpredictable sudden fall/injury/sports injury can cause fractures. While talking of shoulder, fractures of Humerus (upper arm bone) and clavicle (collarbone/beauty bone) are very common.
Nobody can avoid it, a stage/episode of human life. Soon your fifteen start and around 60 percent of the population start experiencing problems of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
You can always make your old age better by taking care of yourself in your early thirties by good diet, going for exercise a, doing yoga .In other words, Immerse yourself in good lifestyle. Take care of shoulder health by identifying the causes as soon as possible. Wish you happy shoulder health.
Causes of Shoulder Pain? In case of any info or query regarding this, please add in comments.
