It often appears at night when we are trying to fall asleep on our sick side. It also happens that it appears suddenly, e.g. after making a sudden movement, and is so sharp and strong that we keep our hand in one position all the time to avoid suffering.The pain may be accompanied by a swelling in the shoulder area. If we ignore these two symptoms, a third joins – a significant limitation of the range of movements in the shoulder joint.
Painful shoulder syndrome – pain
Painful shoulder syndrome manifests itself as sharp, stabbing, pain of varying intensity. For some, acute pain occurs suddenly, for others, the pain gradually increases. However, pain is not everything. People suffering from painful shoulder syndrome are also associated with limited mobility in the joint, they have difficulties mainly with shoulder abduction – lifting the arm above the shoulder line and reaching behind the back. It may also be difficult to carry out everyday activities – getting dressed, cleaning.
Shoulder pain often prevents you from sleeping or wakes you up at night. Shoulder pain should not be taken lightly. You should see a doctor if you experience sudden, severe shoulder pain. Shoulder pain is a symptom of many serious conditions, including a heart attack. Shoulder pain is also one of the early symptoms of lung cancer.
Shoulder pain when raising your hand. Shoulder pain may reflect damage to various parts of the joint and periarticular structures, such as enthesitis, postacral bursitis or supraspinatitis, which may occur as a result of improper exercise, sudden movements or joint overload with uniform, repeated movements.Painful shoulder syndrome can accompany many diseases, most often rheumatic. It can also develop after a shoulder injury.
The most common causes of shoulder pain syndrome:
- muscle overload,
- posture disorders,
- tendon injuries,
- bursitis,
- rheumatic diseases (RA, osteoarthritis),
- neurological diseases (inflammation of the cervical and brachial plexus).
Shoulder muscle overload
It occurs during activities that require raising an arm above the shoulder line, which we do not do on a daily basis (e.g. washing windows) or carrying heavy objects. The cause of the problem may also be repetitive, steady movements, sleeping in an uncomfortable position, jerking your hand violently, too intense exercise. The result of overstraining the muscles during exercise may be their contracture – they are constantly tense, which causes pain.
Shoulder tendon injuries
The source of shoulder pain may be damage to the tendons of the rotator cuff, which consists of 4 small muscles (infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapular, polygon minor). These tendons surround the head of the humerus and are fused with the joint capsule.
The supraspinatus tendon is most often damaged, for example when throwing a ball with the hand raised above the shoulder line. But the pain can also be caused by an injury to another tendon in the shoulder area, the biceps tendon. They are easy to stretch even during such a trivial activity as reaching in the car for a handbag lying on the back seat.