What is Shoulder Pain: How does it affect you?
The shoulder joint consists of a shoulder blade further strengthened by two joints; the scapula and clavicle that joins the upper arm to the shoulder blade and the shoulder blade to the collar bone respectively. The shoulder joint can perform 360-degree rotation and free circular motion with strength.
The shoulder is used in several tasks that we perform each day from lifting light to heavy weight objects to simply changing your clothes. Without even realizing our shoulders are extensively used. With time we begin to feel shoulder pain which may occur due to many reasons which we will discuss later.
Although when any part of the body hurts, the whole body gets affected. When shoulder pain occurs it restricts the performance of daily tasks and often makes you dependent on others to help with the daily chores which no one likes. The shoulder becomes stiff or often restricts the otherwise flexible movement and the stability it provides is also missed. All in all, once the pain occurs only then the true functionality of the shoulder is revealed because before that it is only used unconsciously.
07 Most Common Causes of Shoulder Pain & Injuries
There are many ways through which the shoulder joint takes a hit and pain occurs. Given below are some of the causes why your shoulder hurts.
Arthritis
The most common and prevailing cause of shoulder pain to occur is arthritis which affects the bones and makes the bones weak with time. The joints are protected by the cartilage which is a soft tissue that allows free movement between the bones in a joint. Over time it wears away exposing the bones to each other and with the movement, they begin to rub each other causing inflammation nans swelling.
Arthritis is treated differently depending on the type. As part of arthritis treatments, the goal is to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. Mostly arthritis affects your hands or arms which can make your days more tasks more stressful. If you have weight-bearing joints, you may have trouble walking comfortably and sitting up straight. In most cases, joints may gradually lose their shape and alignment.
Injuries and Sprains
Very often the cause of the shoulder pain is simply an injury or incorrect heavy lifting you might have done unintentionally and hurt your shoulder muscles or tissues. The sprain in the joint causes inflammation and pain that affects day-to-day movements. Working out or heavy lifting without proper support or posture can also lead to muscle tears. This can be easily treated through therapy and proper rest to help the muscles and tissues recover.
Upper Back and Back
If your upper back has taken a toll or done some work without proper support, then it can also impact your shoulder joint. The reason is the backbone is connected to the entire body including the shoulder joint and if your upper back hurts then the shoulder will be affected as well.
Bursitis
Between your joints, there is a sac that is filled with fluid called Bursa. This fluid keeps the motion between the muscles, tissues and tendons smooth. The function is to facilitate the movement and if it gets damaged then one can go through inflammation and which can occur in any joint of the entire body. The pain escalates if not taken care of in time and causes stiffness, swelling and redness over the joint.
Bursitis is common in adults, especially after age 40. As your age, your shoulder can’t stress they as well are less elastic and easy to tear. If you have bursitis, you might be suffering from these symptoms that include stiffness, hurt more than usual when you move on it, or it looks swallowed.
Frozen Shoulder
A frozen shoulder is when the joint becomes stiff and does not move easily. There is a hindrance in the active and passive movement of the shoulder and it hurts to perform even the most basic tasks. Frozen shoulder is normally treated with the help of targeted treatment and physical therapy. There are multiple causes for a frozen shoulder all causing the shoulder to stop moving freely.
Shoulder Nerve Injury
The nervous system connects the entire body and is well spread throughout the body. If there is a nerve injury in the shoulder joint, then it can cause restriction in movement and make it even more painful as nerve pain is difficult to isolate and diagnose.
A nerve injury affects the movement of the shoulder and the speed with which it does so. Our Upper nerves can be damaged by forcing down our shoulders, and our Lower nerves are more likely to be damaged if we lift our arms above our head. Involving different sports including wrestling, football and or participating in high-speed vehicle accidents also increases the risk of your shoulder injury.
Broken Shoulder Bone
A fracture in one of the bones of the shoulder joint leads to severe pain and restriction in free movement of the shoulder. The bones may undergo dislocation as well which can be placed back without surgery, but a broken bone can sometimes be only fixed through surgery.
Pre and post-operation care help to provide fast relief. Most shoulder fractures are treated with non-surgical treatment when the bones remain are in the correct position and aren’t dislocated. Dislocated fractures require surgery to rearrange the bones, so they heal in the correct positions.
Most shoulder fractures are non-displaced, and the recovery of good motion is often achievable. If you have pain or swelling in your shoulder and having difficulty lifting your arm, then you need to consult a doctor.
Treating Shoulder Pain: How to Deal with It
Now that we realize how important the shoulder joint is and that it can be affected in more than one way then it is important to take care of it. There are multiple ways to prevent shoulder pain from occurring in the first place such as proper posture, using support where necessary and exercising for physical stability. It is important to exercise on regular basis to keep all aspects of the joint active and strengthen the muscles that carry weight and are flexible as well.
You can even use some basic equipment that is easy to use at home such as a shoulder rehab pulley that lets you exercise within the comfort of your home and keeps you in your best physical health. Sometimes simple icing helps with inflammation as well and heating pads bring you quick relief too. Based on the underlying cause of the pain, there are many easy to incorporate methods to help yourself with the shoulder pain.
Conclusion
The shoulder joint is a complex structure that comprises muscles, tissues and even fluid to allow the joint to move freely without any damage. However, being subjected to work and force each day, the body and its parts undergo injuries and sprains that take a time to provide relief. It is important to take care of our physical body as undergo tremendous work each day.
Invest in your physical health with some daily basic workout routine, proper posture, a visit to a chiropractor or buying basic exercise equipment like a shoulder rehab pulley that can be installed and used anywhere. If the pain is unbearable then your doctor can suggest other options that can help provide relief.
