Shoulder Joint is not a single joint, in fact, it is comprised of many other joints combined with tendon muscles, because of which we are able to perform a variety of motions with arms.
The shoulder is attached to soft tissues and bony structures which can be damaged by any rough activity. The pain followed with it increases while doing physical activities which involve the usage of arms.
Most of the day to day tasks require the use of Shoulder joints whether to lift something up, to cook food, to wash clothes or to perform daily work.
Pain in this joint leads to an inability of doing work and a person starts feeling incapable and worthless.
Pain can vary in intensity from mild to severe as sometimes it can be temporary and at other times it can be so chronic that it might even need surgery to fix the problem.
Below are some detailed causes of shoulder pain and remedies to relieve pain.
Anatomy
The shoulder consists of three bones, Humerus which is the upper arm bone, Scapula is the collar blade, Clavicle is the collar bone.
The head of Humerus fits into a rounded socket in Scapula, this socket is called as Glenoid. The combination of muscles and tendons keeps arm bone centered in the shoulder socket. These tissues are called the rotator cuffs.
This covers the head of the humerus and attaches it to the shoulder blade.
Reasons and causes
Shoulder pain mostly occurs due to these common reasons
- Tear in tendons
- Inflammation in Tendons [bursitis or tendinitis]
- Instability
- Arthritis
- Bone fracture
- Impingement
Bursitis
The small fluid-filled sacs that act as cushions between bones and overlying soft tissues are called Bursae.
They are located in the shoulder as well as in joints throughout the body and help to reduce friction between the gliding muscles and the bone.
Sometimes, bursa experiences inflammation and swelling between the rotator cuff and part of Scapula known as the Acromion, which resultingly causes the condition known as Subacromial Bursitis.
This problem sparks difficulty in day to day tasks and an individual finds it very difficult to keep up with doing daily activities.
Tendinitis
The cord that connects muscle to a bone is called as Tendon and pain and inflammation in Tendon due to various reason lead to Tendinitis.
But mostly Tendinitis can be of two types
- Acute – Excessive physical activities done by the arm during work, sport or any tough work can lead to acute tendinitis.
- Chronic- Diseases like arthritis or repetitive wear and tear of soft tissues due to age or other factors can lead to chronic tendinitis.
The rotator cuff helps provide motion and stability to the shoulder joint.
Tear in Tendons
Tendon tears may occur due to different reasons like acute injuries or degenerative changes in tendons or wear and tear in tendons.
These tears cause pain and inflammation in the shoulder and restrict an individual from performing activities which involve the movement of arms.
Most common examples of these injuries include Rotator cuff and biceps tendon.
Instability
When the upper arm bone forces out of the shoulder socket due to an accident or overuse. Shoulder dislocation can be partial when the upper arm comes out of the shoulder socket, it is called a Subluxation. In a complete shoulder dislocation, upper arm fully comes out of the shoulder socket.
Instability of Shoulder joints causes pain and uncomfortably while performing actions with the use of the arms.
Arthritis
Arthritis could be one of the possible reasons behind shoulder pain. There are many types of Arthritis, but one which majorly affects shoulder is Osteoarthritis. Different reasons exist behind suffering from Osteoarthritides like age factor, heredity, injury, wear and tear and accident.
This problem causes stiffness, inflammation and pain and worsens the condition of shoulders.
Fractures
Fractures itself means broken bones which in context of Shoulder, commonly involves the clavicle, humerus and scapula. Shoulder fractures mainly involve falling from a height, major accident, vehicle injury.
Fractures cause serious inflammation, bruises and pain in shoulders.
Remedies
- Cold compress – Cold compress effectively helps in reducing pain and swelling in shoulders.
Apply an Ice pack up to 15 minutes thrice a day till you get relief in pain and inflammation.
Do not apply ice cube or cold pack directly to the skin, wrap ice cubes with a cloth and then apply it.
- Compression – Wrap the shoulder with Elastic crepe bandage or apply pain-relieving patch to get relief from pain. Don’t block blood flow by applying a tight bandage.
pain relieving spray
- Pain-relieving spray – Use a pain relieving spray for effective relief in pain and inflammation. Ortho herbal spray is one of the best spray in the pain-relieving segment.
- Heat Therapy – For relief in stiffness and pain heat therapy is the best remedy as it helps with muscle pain and soothes stiff shoulders.
Shoulder pain can occur due to various reasons and it common nowadays. These were some of the remedies to heal Joints pain.
