Certain joints are more in the line of fire for injury than others, simply because of daily use. So, major joints like ankles, knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders, which most of us rely on to get through life, can succumb to wear-and-tear, and pain follows quickly behind.
If you're dealing with a painful shoulder and you want to get to the bottom of the issue and find relief, we can start a preliminary investigation here.
When identifying the cause of shoulder pain, the first questions that board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Schell asks usually involve the location and nature of the pain. Is the pain in the back or front of your shoulder? Does the pain come and go with certain movements or not?
If your shoulder pain is located toward the front of the joint, here are some of the more common culprits that could be causing your discomfort.
When we talk about shoulder pain, we use different locations that include:
For pain that’s in front of your shoulder, we’re referring to the area around your upper arm, shoulder, and chest.
This front-of-shoulder pain can be constant or come and go with certain arm movements. It can also flare if you use your shoulder, or it might keep you up at night, especially if it’s painful to sleep on the affected side.
Now let’s dive into some potential candidates for your front-sided shoulder pain, which include:
Your rotator cuff is a muscle-tendon group that’s responsible for keeping your upper arm in the socket, and this band of tissues also allows you to lift and rotate your arm. If your rotator cuff is inflamed — a condition called tendonitis — the front of your shoulder can become painful.
This inflammation can also lead to impingement where your rotator cuff meets the top of your shoulder (your acromion). Your rotator cuff gets pinched by the bones in your shoulder, which can lead to pain in the front and top of your shoulder, which is one of the most common physical complaints.
With more serious rotator cuff damage, such as a tear, pain in the front of the shoulder is a frequent complaint. Rotator cuff tears are common and send 2 million Americans to seek aid from orthopedic practices like ours each year.
Your shoulders contain small sacs called bursae that prevent friction between tissues. With bursitis, a sac can become inflamed and painful, leading to shoulder pain.
If you overuse your biceps muscles and they become damaged and inflamed, which is called biceps tendonitis, it can lead to pain in the front of your shoulder and in your upper arm.
We’re going to stop here so that we can get to the next steps to relieve your shoulder pain. Now that you have a better idea about what you might be up against, it’s time to see us so that we can definitively identify your shoulder issue and get you relief as quickly as possible.
For expert shoulder care, look no further than William Schell, MD. To schedule an appointment at our New York City office — located on Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side — please call 646-381-2646. You can also message us by clicking here.
