Conditions
Shoulder Pain
Your shoulder consists of a ball-and-socket joint that comprises of three primary bones: your long bone (humerus), your clavicle (collar bone) and your shoulder blade (scapula). A layer of thick cartilage protects these primary bones. Your shoulder has the highest range of motion thanks to your rotator cuff, which has four central tendons. When your bones or tendons that surround the rotator cuff become inflamed, you will experience shoulder pain.
What are some of the reasons for shoulder pain?
You will most likely experience problems with your shoulders as you age. Usually, after the age of sixty, the soft tissues around your shoulders start to degenerate, and you become prone to shoulder pain. You may also begin to notice signs of shoulder pain after you engage in contact sports, manual labour or move your shoulder in a repetitive, circular motion.
In addition to injury and age, shoulder pain can form once degenerative diseases of your gallbladder, liver, heart, and neck start to manifest. If you have any of these diseases, pain migrates through your shoulder and leads to severe shoulder pain.
Rotator cuff tendonitis is the most widespread cause of shoulder pain. Rotator cuff tendonitis also called impingement syndrome, begins when the tendons that surround the rotator cuff become irritated.
What are the symptoms of rotator cuff tendonitis?
- Shoulder pain
- Clicking noises when you lift your arm
- Stiff shoulder
- Loss of mobility
Although rotator cuff tendonitis is the primary cause of shoulder pain, other conditions that result in severe shoulder pain include:
- Shoulder arthritis: Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that affects your shoulder joints and causes shoulder pain.
- Frozen shoulder: Frozen shoulder, referred to as "adhesive capsulitis" is a prevalent shoulder issue that affects your range of motion. Scar tissue forms once the tissues within your shoulder joint start to tighten and become thicker. If you have a frozen shoulder, you will most likely experience severe shoulder pain and a limited range of motion.
- Pinched shoulder or neck nerve: Although shoulder pain arises from conditions of a torn cartilage, shoulder arthritis or tendonitis, a pinched nerve may also be the cause of shoulder pain. Your nerve becomes pinched once bone spurs surround your spinal discs. Shoulder or neck pain, as well as headaches, are signs of a pinched nerve.
- Bone spurs: Bone spurs are firm lumps of excess bone that develop on the edges of your bones. Once these hard lumps of the bone press against nerves or other bones, you will experience sharp pain.
How is shoulder pain treated?
Before Dr Botha can prescribe treatment, she will diagnose the cause of your shoulder pain through a physical exam, x-ray +- sonar/ MRI. If your condition is severe, Dr Botha will recommend and discuss surgery options that include arthroscopy or shoulder joint replacement surgery with you and your family. If you experience mild or moderate shoulder pain, the doctor will prescribe the following treatments:
- Medication: The doctor prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) and analgesia to treat shoulder pain.
- Injections: Should you benefit from an infiltration: Dr Botha will inject corticosteroids into your shoulder to reduce shoulder pain.
