Shoulder pain can stem from many different things. Frequently the pain is caused by athletic activities that involve excessive, repetitive, or overhead motion such as swimming, basketball, tennis, or pitching. You do not have to be an active athlete to experience shoulder pain. These injuries can also happen during everyday activities such as cleaning the house or gardening. Two of the more common shoulder problems are instability and impingement.
Instability occurs when the shoulder joint moves or is forced out of its normal position, and can result in a dislocation. Individuals suffering from an instability problem will experience pain when raising their arm. They also may feel as if their shoulder is slipping out of place. These injuries can cause damage to ligaments and tendons that sometimes are subtle and difficult to diagnose.
Impingement is caused by excessive rubbing of the shoulder tendons against the top part of the shoulder blade. Impingement problems can occur during activities that require excessive overhead arm motion. Medical care should be sought for persistent painful conditions of the shoulder because they can sometimes lead to a more serious problem.
Shoulder injuries can be quite painful and fortunately there is help available to get a patient fully functioning again.
