This problem most often affects people over 40, but it also applies to young people who play sports. Most often, however, damage occurs gradually and is related to the natural process of weakening the fibers that make up the tendon. It can be estimated that over 30% of people over the age of 65 may have damaged tendons, and in most cases there are no symptoms that could indicate such damage.
Shoulder pain – damage to the tendon of the long head of the biceps. The tendon of the long head of the biceps runs vertically along the front of the shoulder. The muscle is damaged as a result of mechanical injuries and inflammatory diseases of the joints. The patient feels pain in the front of the arm when making movements with the elbow bent.
This tendon is most often damaged suddenly during physical activity. The biceps muscle is responsible for many activities, such as bending the shoulder joint, raising the arms forward, and bending the forearms. Therefore, damage to the tendon adversely affects the patient’s comfort and the performance of daily activities.
It should be noted that damage to the tendon of the long head of the biceps in middle-aged and elderly people is most often caused by developing degenerative changes. In addition, this ailment primarily affects men. If the damage occurs in young people, it is usually a rupture of the biceps brachial muscle.
Many people suffer injuries, but tendon damage occurs mainly when a warm-up is not performed before training, anabolic agents are used that cause a significant growth of muscle tissue and the shoulder is exposed to numerous micro-overloads.
A tendon rupture usually affects its musculo-tendon part. The most characteristic symptom of a tendon rupture is shoulder pain accompanied by a tearing sensation. Diagnosing a tendon injury is relatively easy as the muscle contracts and a palpable thickening is formed. Additionally, the strength of the forearm is significantly weakened.
A frozen shoulder (i.e., joint capsulitis) is caused by damage to the rotator cuff and may be a symptom of a heart attack. The patient experiences stiffness of the joints and pain which prevent abduction and rotation in the shoulder joint. In the case of a frozen shoulder, there is a significant limitation of mobility in the shoulder joint, which is also accompanied by increasing pain. A patient can be diagnosed with primary frozen shoulder syndrome when no causative factors, such as previous surgery or sudden trauma, are identified.
During imaging diagnostics, it can be noticed that the frozen shoulder is synovial inflammation and fibrosis of the joint capsule. Collagen tissue appears in the shoulder that looks like a scar. This new tissue is very vascularized and innervated, which explains the severe soreness and stiffness of the shoulder.