Causes of Shoulder Pain

• Muscle Overuse (strained muscles). Shoulder pains are often from hard muscle work or sports. Examples are too much throwing or swimming. This type of pain can last from hours up to 7 days.
• Trapped Nerves. The nerves in the neck or arm can become trapped or squeezed where they pass through narrow spaces in the arm. This causes pain, numbness or tingling. Nerves trapped in the neck can cause severe pain and loss of movement in the shoulder and arm.
• Viral Illness. Mild muscle aches and joint pain in the arms also occur with many viral illnesses.
• Shingles. The zoster virus can cause arm pain in which the skin may be very sensitive or painful before a rash (shingles rash) appears.
• Joint Inflammation. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout. Some, like gout, may affect just one joint. Others affect many joints at the same time. Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear on the joints. It can cause pain, stiffness and loss of movement. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the same joint(s) on both sides of the body. Early treatment may help prevent long-term damage to the joints involved.
• Septic Arthritis (serious). This is a bacterial infection of a joint space. Main symptoms are fever and severe pain when you move the joint. You may not be able to move the joint at all. Seek care right away.
• Frozen Shoulder symptoms are pain, stiffness and loss of motion in the shoulder from tissues around the shoulder joint getting thick and stuck together. Movement may be very limited. This comes on slowly and gets worse. It may take many months or even years to get better. It is more common in women than men and common for people between the ages of 40-60 years. It is also more common in people who have diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disease or Parkinson's disease.
• Tendinitis is inflammation of tendons where they attach to the bone. It's caused by overuse. This causes tenderness in the area and pain when the limb is moved or used. Often needs a long period of rest from the activity that caused it. A steroid shot may be needed to reduce the pain.
• Impingement Syndrome may happen when the tendons of the shoulder muscles get pinched in between the bones in the shoulder. This causes pain and swelling. It may limit movement when lifting the arms up above the head.
• Bursitis. Many joints, including the shoulder, are covered by fluid-filled sacs called bursae. They help the joint move smoothly. These bursae can get inflamed or infected, causing pain and swelling. The area may look red and feel warm to touch. See your doctor right away if you have these symptoms.
• Referred pain. Pain is sometimes felt in an area when there is not actually a problem. This is called referred pain. For example, gall bladder, heart and some abdominal problems may cause pain to be felt in the shoulder. An exam is needed right away for shoulder pain that starts suddenly without a clear reason.

Pain Scale

• Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from any normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
• Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
• Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.

When to Call for Shoulder Pain

Care Advice

What You Should Know about Mild Shoulder Pain:

• Strained muscles, tendons and ligaments are common after using them too much during sports and other activities.
• Examples are throwing a ball over and over again, lifting weights or pulling weeds from a garden.
• Weekend warriors who are out of shape get the most muscle pains.
• Here is some care advice that should help.

Pain Medicine:

• To help with the pain, take an acetaminophen product (such as Tylenol).
• Another choice is an ibuprofen product (such as Advil). Ibuprofen works well for this type of pain.
• Use as needed, but do not take more than the maximum recommended dosage as stated on the package.
• If you are not sure what to take, ask a pharmacist.

Cold Pack for Pain:

• For pain or swelling, use a cold pack. You can also use ice wrapped in a wet cloth.
• Put it on the sore area for 20 minutes.
• Repeat 4 times on the first day, then as needed.
• Caution: avoid frostbite by wrapping the ice pack. Do not put ice directly onto the skin.

Use Heat after 48 Hours:

• If pain lasts more than 2 days, put heat on the sore area.
• Use a heat pack, heating pad or warm wet washcloth.
• Do this for 10 minutes, then as needed.
• Reason: increases blood flow and improves healing.
• Caution: avoid burns by wrapping the heat pack. Do not put it directly onto the skin.

Rest the Shoulder:

• Rest the painful area as much as possible for 48 hours. Keep the fingers and other joints moving gently if you can.
• Keep the arm and hand raised on a pillow beside you or held across your chest to help limit swelling.

What to Expect:

• A strained muscle hurts for 2 or 3 days.
• The pain often peaks on day 2.
• After severe overuse, the pain may last a week or more.

Call Your Doctor If:

• Fever or swollen joint occurs
• Pain lasts more than 7 days
• Pain gets worse over several days
• You develop a blistered rash on the arm
• You think you need to be seen

Remember! Contact your doctor if you or your child develop any "Contact Your Doctor" symptoms.

Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it.




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