Don’t ‘shoulder’ your pain any longer Haddi Buddy

An injury in which your upper arm bone slips out of your shoulder socket.

Representational Image

Shoulder injuries

Dislocation: An injury in which your upper arm bone slips out of your shoulder socket. Symptoms are swelling, shoulder pain on hand movement, numbness

Fracture: A collarbone can break if you fall or get hit hard which causes the shoulder to drop. It can be caused by a direct impact to the area from a fall, collision or vehicle accident. Symptoms include pain, swelling and bruising, failure to move the shoulder, a grinding sensation when the shoulder is moved, visible deformity

Cartilage tear: The cartilage, the rubbery padding which is around the rim of the shoulder joint, can get injured when the same motion is repeated, due to falls and high-impact injury. Pain is felt while reaching over your head. Shoulder appears weak with grinding noises and locking

Rotator cuff tear: The group of muscles and tendons in the shoulder that hold the arm in place can be damaged because of overuse, injury. Pain while lifting things, reduced shoulder function, crackling sounds when moved, inflammation are observed

Frozen shoulder: The adhesions in the shoulder joint can restrict its motion causing stiffness and restricted range of motion. It can be related to trauma / diabetes and affects women particularly in the age group 40-50 years

Impingement: The tendons of the rotator cuff (surrounding the shoulder joint) get rubbed against nearby bones. This is triggered if you lift your arms over your head a lot. Swelling, weak shoulders and pain are the warning signs

Osteoarthritis: In this degenerative joint disease, the cartilage between bones of the shoulders breaks down and the bones rub against each other. Symptoms are increased shoulder pain, swelling, stiffness and friction. The condition worsens with time

Rheumatoid arthritis: This inflammatory reaction causes destruction of the articular surfaces. This can be due to trauma, problem in rotator cuff or conditions like osteoarthritis or osteonecrosis. Pain and restricted range of motion are the symptoms

Bursitis/tendinitis: The fluid-filled sac that cushions your shoulder joint can get swollen due to repeated movement or a fall. Sharp pain is mostly noticed when shoulder is moved. Swelling, redness, bruising in the affected area is found

Bone spurs (osteophyte): These tiny bone lumps grow on shoulder joints and restrict the shoulder movement. They can be triggered by osteoarthritis
How to diagnose?

• Physical exam
• X-ray
• Arthrogram
• MRI scan
• CT scan
• Electromyography (EMG)

Treatment and remedies

• In some cases, anti-inflammatory medicines, painkillers, icing/heat, rest, physiotherapy can help reduce pain
• For dislocations, separations and fractures, an orthopaedic surgeon can put the shoulder back in the right position.
• A corticosteroid (an anti-inflammatory medicine) is injected straight into the joint to relieve swelling/pain
• Extracorporeal ShockWave Therapy (ESWT) can be given for rotator cuff lesions
• Shoulder arthroscopy, is performed in certain cases
• Shoulder replacement surgery in case of severe arthritis or fracture
• (Dr. Dasaradha Rama Reddy Tetali, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda. Email: www.drtdrreddy.com)

Shoulder pain is a very common complaint and since the shoulder is made up of many different structures, it is susceptible to various problems. Depending on the intensity of the problem, either conservative treatments or surgical procedures are suggested. Let’s see how you can overcome these problems