Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain is frustrating! It can twinge during the simplest of tasks like scratching your back to more challenging demands like a pushup. In most cases, it may seem like it’s come on out of nowhere.

There are many structures that can cause shoulder pain and it is important to determine what activities have likely aggravated these structures. Let’s take a look at some basic anatomy of the shoulder:

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Common causes of shoulder pain are:

  • Rotator cuff & biceps tendons: Often from “over-use”, a sudden increase in load to the shoulder or from a fall. Pain can be caused from a tendinopathy or a tear to the tendon.

  • AC Joint: This is where the collarbone connects to the acromion of the shoulder blade. Often injured from a fall directly onto the shoulder (eg. fall off a bike).

  • Labrum: This is the lining of cartilage-like tissue that sits in the socket of the shoulder joint. Tears to the labrum can be degenerative or from trauma (ie. shoulder dislocation).

  • Fracture to the humerus, clavicle or scapula: A fracture should be considered where there has been a trauma to the shoulder joint (eg. from a fall or a motor vehicle accident).

  • Frozen shoulder: This is inflammation and thickening of the shoulder joint capsule causing acute pain with most movements and joint stiffness.

  • Referral pain from the neck.