
What causes shoulder pain?
Your shoulder pain can be serious or minor. Your symptoms may be acute (meaning with a sudden onset) or chronic (meaning they develop over and last for a long period of time).
The causes of shoulder pain include:
- osteoarthritis, due to general wear and tear with increasing age or an injury
- inflammation of the shoulder capsule
- inflammation in the fluid sacs in your joints, called bursitis
- a frozen shoulder (when the tissues harden around your joint)
- an injury to your shoulder (tears or strains, dislocation or fracture)
- pain from a problem in your neck or spine
- nerve pain
Other causes of shoulder pain can include:
- weakness or overuse of the muscles around your shoulder, called the rotator cuff
- poor posture
- inflammation of the tendons, called tendonitis
- problems with the muscles, ligaments or tendons around your shoulder
Often shoulder pain is caused by a combination of these factors — as one factor can aggravate another. For example a torn muscle in the rotator cuff might cause:
- bursitis
- tendonitis
- inflammation of the ligaments
Your shoulder pain could sometimes be caused by an underlying medical condition, such as fibromyalgia or polymyalgia rheumatica. Occasionally, someone having a heart attack may have shoulder pain and shortness of breath.
In many cases of shoulder pain, it’s not be possible to find the exact cause. However, it’s still possible to treat your shoulder pain even if the exact cause is unknown.
Contact us or book online today to get your shoulder pain back under control!
J. Press
Physiotherapist