Shoulder Pain
Pain in the shoulder area is common and can arise from numerous causes. The type of pain experienced can often help in diagnosing the problem:
Types of pain:
- Burning pain: nerve pain
- Aching pain: bones or joints
- Aching after exercise: muscular
- Sharp, stabbing pains: structures rubbing against each other
Area of pain:
- Often pin-pointing the origin of pain is not straight forwards with the neck, spine and arm all seemingly having points of referred pain or areas of origin.
- Specific areas of pain can be identified as: acromioclavicular joint (ACJ); sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) and biceps
Common Conditions
- There are a number of conditions which can easily be identified.
Impingement Syndrome
- Sharp pain around the front of shoulder and down the side and back of the upper arm
Rotator Cuff Tear
- This is similar to impingement pain. Pain around the front, side or back of shoulder and down the upper arm
- Dull aching pain
ACJ damage
- Stabbing pain centred over the acromioclavicular joint, with no radiation down the arm
- Dull aching pain
Glenohumeral arthritis
- Dull aching pain affecting entire arm, from shoulder to hand. A grinding sensation may be felt.