What is the anatomy of the shoulder?
Your shoulder is a large ball-and-socket joint that connects your arm to your body. The main components of this joint include:
- Clavicle, or collarbone
- Humerus, or upper arm
- Scapula, or shoulder blade
- Rotator cuff
- Bursa sacs
By design, your shoulder joint is inherently unstable, which is what allows you such a wide range of motion, but this design also leaves the joint prone to injury.
What are the most common causes of shoulder pain?
Your shoulder is a complex joint, which means there’s a lot that can go wrong, causing you shoulder pain. The most common causes of shoulder pain include:
- Rotator cuff injury and rotator cuff arthropathy
- Impingement
- Shoulder dislocation
- Shoulder instability
- Tendinitis
- Bursitis
- Labral tears
- Frozen shoulder
- Arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-traumatic arthritis
- Avascular necrosis (bone loss due to a loss of blood supply)
The best way to get to the bottom of your shoulder pain is to see Dr. Badiyan at Spine & Joint Physicians of Frisco.
How is shoulder pain diagnosed?
Because of the sheer number of problems that can cause shoulder pain, your doctor first sits down with you to review your symptoms, which can reveal a lot about the underlying source of your shoulder pain. For example, if you have trouble lifting your arm over your head, that’s a good sign that you may have an impingement.
Once your physician has a clearer picture of the problem, he uses advanced diagnostic imaging to get a closer look at what’s going on inside the joint.
After your doctor identifies the source of your shoulder pain, he comes up with an appropriate treatment plan for your situation.
How is shoulder pain treated?
The physicians at Spine & Joint Physicians of Frisco use the latest treatment protocols to relieve your pain and address the underlying problem. Treatments for shoulder pain typically include:
- Coolief Therapy
- RICE — rest, ice, compression, and elevation
- Physical therapy
- Corticosteroid injections
- Regenerative medicine
- Anti-inflammatory medications
Typically, your doctor starts out conservatively, but if your shoulder pain persists, he may recommend surgery to correct the problem.
If you want to find relief from shoulder pain, call Spine & Joint Physicians of Frisco or use the online scheduling tool to request an appointment.
