Shoulder pain can occur from the muscles and tendons around the shoulder, the shoulder bumper (labrum) and cartilage injuries.
Muscles/Tendons around the Shoulder
The five muscles around the shoulder include the deltoid muscle, which surrounds the entire shoulder and the four muscles of the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff comprise of four muscles, the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus, the teres minor and the subscapularis muscles. Injuries to any of these muscles can cause pain. The commonest muscle to be affected is the supraspinatus. The biceps tendon is also inserted into the shoulder joint. Injury to the biceps tendon can be associated with injuries of the rotator cuff.
Shoulder Labrum (Bumper) Injury
The shoulder joint has a bumper to stabilise the bone of the arm into the shallow socket of the shoulder blade. Injuries to this bumper can cause pain and/or instability where recurrent shoulder dislcoations can occur.
Cartilage injury
The shoulder joint has cartilage to allow smooth motion of the bone of the arm with the shoulder blade. Injuries to the cartilage or degenerative changes to the cartilage can cause shoulder pain.
Types of Treatment
- Physiotherapy
- Anti-inflammatory Medications
- Injections
- Keyhole, minimally Invasive Surgery (Shoulder Arthroscopy)
