SHOULDER PROBLEMS

This page covers the most common shoulder problems and shoulder conditions. Sometimes these are actual injuries, and other times they are problems that arise from other causes

Shoulder injury or shoulder pain?

Shoulder problems are basically caused by either shoulder injuries or shoulder pain. Of course, there is some overlap between the two. I’ve tried to divide this shoulder page based on whether you’ve sustained an injury—such as a tear—or if you have a shoulder condition that has arisen for another reason. The idea is that you can now choose whether to go to the page about injuries or the page about pain by clicking on one of the two links. I have chosen not to include information about bone fractures.

Basics of Shoulder Problems

If you’re experiencing a shoulder problem, it’s important to determine whether you’ve sustained an injury; if so, you should see a doctor and report it to your accident insurance provider. Some people who have been to the emergency room to have their shoulder examined—and perhaps had an X-ray taken that showed nothing was broken—continue to experience problems because they have a tendon injury. For one thing, tendon injuries aren’t visible on X-rays, and for another, it can be difficult to diagnose this type of injury in the hours immediately following the injury. To diagnose a tendon injury, you’ll typically need either an MRI or an ultrasound. It’s always a good idea to undergo physical therapy if you’ve either injured your shoulder or developed shoulder pain, as many people recover with that treatment alone. 

Here is a link to general shoulder exercises – shoulder exercises or The Arthritis Association

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder Compendium with Table of Contents 1

For the past 25 years, I have been treating a wide variety of shoulder problems, and you can click through the various pages available here.