Shoulder Pain 101: Causes, Prevention Tips, and Signs to Seek Physio
If you’ve ever been through a car accident, overdid it during training, or simply slept funny on your side, you know how difficult it can be to deal with shoulder pain. Even a minor shoulder injury can have serious effects on the rest of your life, causing chronic pain, limited mobility, and other potential issues that won’t necessarily go away on their own.
In this helpful shoulder pain 101 guide, we’re breaking down the causes of shoulder pain, looking at ways to prevent it from occurring in the first place, and covering the top signs that it’s time to get help from a qualified physiotherapist. Let’s take a look.
Understanding the Shoulders
When we talk about the shoulders, it’s important to have an understanding of the multiple parts that make up this joint. Your shoulder isn’t just one single thing—it’s a complex mechanism of bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, all working together to help you control your arms.
There are three bones that make up the shoulders: the humerus (upper arm bone), the clavicle (collarbone), and the scapula (shoulder blade). The upper end of your humerus has a somewhat ball-shaped head that fits into a socket in your shoulder blade. This ball-and-socket mechanism is what allows you to swing your arms in a circle, offering much greater mobility than, say, your knee. However, this wider range of motion also makes the shoulders more vulnerable to injury than other joints. To prevent injuries, a group of muscles and tendons surrounds, stabilizes, and supports the joint. This is known as your rotator cuff, a system that helps keep the shoulder bones in the normal position.
The movement of the scapula (shoulder blade) over the rib cage—known as the scapulothoracic joint—is also worth noting. This bone helps coordinate smooth and efficient upper limb movement. Addressing the scapulothoracic joint is often key when correcting faulty shoulder mechanics, as proper scapular positioning and motion provide the stable base needed for optimal shoulder joint function.
If any part of this complex shoulder joint becomes broken, inflamed, swollen, or otherwise injured, it can lead to ongoing pain, stiffness, or limited mobility in the shoulders.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain
Now that we understand a little about how the shoulder joint works, what causes pain in this area? In our work as physiotherapists, we regularly treat shoulder pain and stiffness. While there are many possible causes, a few are more common than others. These include:
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Injuries to the rotator cuff are the most common cause of shoulder pain. Since these tendons and muscles are relatively vulnerable due to how much range of motion they must work through, it’s quite easy to injure them. The need for the tendons to work at great length and to time their activation well with all the other muscles of the shoulder is what makes them have a higher risk of injury.
We often see rotator cuff injuries from the strain of repetitive motions (typically things you have to do at work), overloading the rotator cuff by lifting heavy objects, or from an acute injury, such as breaking a fall with your hands.
Symptoms of rotator cuff injuries can vary, but generally they present as a dull, aching pain deeper in the tissue of your shoulder. You might also find it difficult to reach behind your back or above your head, and it may be too painful to sleep on the injured side.
Osteoarthritis
Most kinds of arthritis can impact the shoulder joint, but osteoarthritis is the most common example. Osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage, which cushions joints and prevents bone-on-bone friction, begins to wear down, leading to pain when moving the shoulders and limiting your range of motion.
Bursitis
Another key part of the shoulder joint is the bursae, which are small sacs filled with fluid to further reduce friction in the joint. Bursitis is the name for inflammation of the bursae, which is a painful condition that can cause swelling in the area. The most common cause of bursitis is repetitive shoulder movements, but it can also occur due to prolonged pressure on the shoulder, such as in people who always sleep on the same side of their body.
Frozen Shoulder
Your entire shoulder joint is encased in a layer of connective tissue. Normally, daily movement of the shoulder joint keeps this tissue flexible and healthy. But if you have to leave your shoulder motionless for a long period of time, such as if you’re recovering from a surgery, a stroke, or a broken bone, it can sometimes lead to a frozen shoulder.
A frozen shoulder typically begins with minor pain and a little stiffness. Over time, the pain tends to decrease, but you’ll also experience even less range of motion in the joint. Eventually, with time and proper treatment, your mobility will start to return, but this can be a very long process.
Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder impingement is typically caused by issues with the rotator cuff. If your rotator cuff is inflamed or damaged, it can allow your scapula, or shoulder blade, to rub against your shoulder tendons and bursae, further irritating and inflaming the area. The most common sign of shoulder impingement is pain when raising your arm over your head, and general weakness in your shoulder.
How to Prevent Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain isn’t just an inconvenience. Depending on the person, it can dramatically affect your life, holding you back from playing sports, exercising, doing chores around the house, or even picking up your kids. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the odds of experiencing stiffness or pain in the shoulders:
Focus on Posture: Over time, poor posture allows your shoulder joint to move out of its optimal position, increasing joint friction and inflammation, and making a problem more likely. Try to elongate the spine to prevent the shoulders from slouching forwards.
Strengthening: Exercising your back and shoulders to build strength in the area makes an injury far less likely.
Rest: It’s vital that you give yourself time to rest and recover after a tough workout or a big game day. Overexerting your shoulders can cause injuries and ongoing pain, so make sure to take breaks.
Stretch: Incorporating a stretching routine into your daily life can do wonders for reducing shoulder pain, putting you at a lower risk of a shoulder injury or other conditions.
Addressing Shoulder Pain with Physiotherapy
If you’re dealing with ongoing pain, stiffness, and limited mobility in your shoulders, it’s probably time to get a little help from an expert. Not only can a physio help diagnose and treat any issues you’re currently having, but keeping up with a physio regimen dramatically reduces your odds of future shoulder problems, even if your work, sports, or daily life puts you at risk.
At Triumph Physio and Wellness, shoulder pain is something we help clients with daily. With a personalized treatment plan and a professional who’s dedicated to your well-being, you can strengthen your shoulders, reduce inflammation, and improve your range of motion, all while eliminating pain at the source.
Contact us today if you have any of the shoulder pain signs listed above. We’re here to help!
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