Shoulder Pain Specialist

What is shoulder pain?

The shoulder is a flexible ball-and-socket joint that connects your torso to your arms. Your shoulder plays a crucial role in helping you lift objects and move and rotate the upper arms. Any damage to the joint itself, or the tendons, ligaments, and muscles that support the shoulder, can cause persistent shoulder pain.

What causes shoulder pain?

Shoulder pain can develop suddenly or gradually, depending on the source of the condition or injury. Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:

Rotator cuff injury

Several muscles and tendons make up the rotator cuff that holds your shoulder together, keeping the ball of your upper arm bone securely in the socket. Repetitive motions and overuse of the rotator cuff can lead to tearing of these muscles and tendons.

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of “wear-and-tear” arthritis. It develops when the cartilage that cushions the bones in your shoulder joint starts to degrade, leading to inflammation and pain as the bones rub together.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons that connect your muscles and bones in your shoulder joint.

Bursitis

The bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that protect the components of your shoulder and help them glide without effort. Inflammation of the bursae in your shoulders can lead to painful bursitis.

What are the symptoms of shoulder pain?

Along with pain and general discomfort, shoulder pain can cause a number of issues in your shoulder, including:

• Numbness
• Tingling
• Weakness
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Limited range of motion

Without treatment, a move as small as stretching or turning the wrong way can significantly aggravate shoulder pain, so it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible.

How is shoulder pain treated?

Depending on the source of your shoulder pain, the experienced providers at Magnolia Medical Clinic offer a variety of nonsurgical treatments to help you regain mobility and strength in your shoulder, such as:

• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic care
• Lifestyle modifications
• Ice therapy
• Limiting heavy lifting and overhead activities

The practice also uses regenerative medicine to accelerate joint, muscle, and soft-tissue healing in the shoulder. Regenerative techniques, such as platelet-rich plasma therapy and mesenchymal stem cell therapy, use substances that your body already produces to promote healing.

Learn more about how to treat shoulder pain by calling Magnolia Medical Clinic, or book an appointment online today.