These are various kinds of shoulder injuries:
- Dislocation: Pulling your shoulder back too hard or rotating it too far might pop the top of your arm out of its socket. You will feel pain and weakness in your shoulder. You may also have swelling, numbness and bruising.
- Separation: This injury affects the joint where your collarbone and shoulder blade come together. It’s called the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. A fall or hard blow tears the ligaments holding it together. When your collarbone is pushed out of place, a bump appears on top of your shoulder.
- Cartilage tear: You can injure the cartilage (the rubbery padding) that goes around the rim of your shoulder joint. It can happen after doing the same motion over and over. You can also hurt it in a fall or anytime your shoulder absorbs a lot of force. With this type of injury, you might feel pain when you reach over your head, and your shoulder could seem weak. It might also feel like it’s catching, locking, or grinding.
- Rotator cuff tear: Your rotator cuff is the group of muscles and tendons in your shoulder that hold your arm in place and let you lift your arm overhead. You can damage it through overuse or in a fall. It also begins to show wear and tear as you age. Your shoulder may hurt at night and when you try to lift things. You might hear a crackling sound when you move it.
- Frozen shoulder: This condition limits how much your joint will move. Abnormal bands of tissue (adhesions) build up in the joint and keep your shoulder from moving freely. Your shoulder might “freeze” because pain or surgery have made you use it less, allowing the adhesions to build up.
- Impingement: The bones of the shoulder pinch the tendons of the rotator cuff. It can cause swelling and pain. If you lift your arms over your head a lot, it can set this off.
- Bursitis: Repeating the same motions over and over again can cause the bursa (a fluid-filled sac that cushions your joint) to become swollen and irritated. But a fall or another injury can also cause it. If you have bursitis, you may notice the pain most when you move your shoulder.
Come speak with us to learn more on shoulder injuries!