Contents
Lateral or external shoulder pain
Tendinitis
A tendon is a fiber strand that connects the muscle to the bone. Most tendonitis is a wear and tear of the tendon that develops gradually over time.
The process can be compared to a shoe sole that wears out over time, gets thinner and thinner and eventually breaks through.
Most often, the following become inflamed:
The rotator cuff consists of four muscles that surround the head of the humerus and hold it in the joint socket of the shoulder. The rotator cuff contributes to the stabilization of the shoulder joint.
There are usually two types of tendonitis:
Acute: Athletes who perform repeated, force-performed ball throws or other overhead activities may develop acute tendonitis; young people are particularly affected.
Bodybuilders must take care to perform the exercises in the weight room correctly and not overdo them, otherwise muscle and tendon injuries may occur.
Acute tendinitis is characterized by:
- severe pain,
- Restriction of movement.
Chronic: Swimming is a sport that puts a lot of strain on the shoulder, it is likely that swimmers will develop tendinitis of the long biceps tendon.
Repeated movements can lead to chronic tendinitis or tendinosis over time. In this case, adults are particularly affected.
Symptoms include pain in the anterior or outer shoulder region, which can spread to the middle of the arm, but rarely:
- restricts movement,
- the joint is swollen.
The most commonly prescribed treatment is rest and physiotherapy (laser and ultrasound therapy).
Kinesio taping for contracture of the humeral biceps and tendinitis of the long biceps tendon
Effect: tension-relieving, draining and anti-inflammatory. Shape: a “Y” stripe. Length: a few centimeters below the elbow to the acromion. The tape is applied without tension while the arm is stretched backwards.
Calcifying shoulder
In calcifying tendinitis, calcareous deposits are present in a tendon, most often the tendons of the rotator cuff are affected. Treatment of tendinitis calcarea depends on the severity of symptoms; as a rule, physiotherapy helps, shock waves are indicated in this health problem.
In some cases, surgical intervention is necessary to remove the calcium deposits.
Shoulder pain due to tendon rupture
A tendon rupture or tendon tear can be caused by:
- sudden violence,
- slowly progressive, degenerative changes of the tendons, due to age and excessive stress.
These tears can be incomplete or complete, the tendon can tear in two. In most cases, these are complete ruptures, the two parts of the tendon are pulled to the muscle and they move away from each other. Lesions of the supraspinatus tendon and biceps tendon are most common. Symptoms include:
- movement pain,
- nocturnal lying pain, as well as restriction of movement, especially during internal rotation.
Conservative treatment includes:
- Physiotherapy
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
- Cortisone injections.
If these treatment measures are not sufficient, surgery can be performed a few months after the onset of pain.
Impingement syndrome
Subacromial impingement occurs when the upper outer side of the shoulder blade (acromion) presses on the underlying soft tissues when lifting the arm. The doctor often uses the term periarthritis to describe this clinical picture. When raising the arm, the acromion chafes:
- on the tendons of the rotator cuff,
- on the subacromial bursa.
This can lead to bursitis and tendonitis and thus cause:
- pain in the outer side of the shoulder when lifting the arm laterally, especially if the arm forms a 90° angle with the chest;
- Movement restrictions of the shoulder.
Over time, severe trauma can even cause a tendon rupture of the rotator cuff. Swimmers often have to struggle with shoulder problems due to the high strain on the shoulder joint, especially with the subacromial syndrome.
Diffuse or general shoulder pain
Arthritis
Shoulder pain can also be caused by arthritis or the inflammation of the tissues that make up the joint:
- synovial membrane,
- Capsule
- Tapes
- Cartilage.
Symptoms include:
- Swelling
- Ache
- Stiffness.
As a rule, it occurs from the age of 50.
Arthritis can be associated with exercise, accidents, and chronic wear and tear.
Other types of arthritis are associated with:
- rupture of the rotator cuff,
- Diabetes
- autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis,
- Joint capsule diseases.
Those affected often try to avoid certain movements of the shoulder and thus try to reduce the pain; however, this leads to a stiffening of the soft tissues in the joint and causes a painful restriction of movement.
The doctor prescribes medications for the treatment of arthritis; if these are not sufficient, it is important to follow a natural diet, such as the vegan diet/raw food diet or the blood group diet.
Shoulder arthrosis
Many believe that osteoarthritis is the most common cause of shoulder pain in the elderly.
Arthrosis is the degeneration of the joint (joint wear), which becomes noticeable in advanced age and is characterized as follows:
- Reduction of cartilage
- Change of bone with formation of osteophytes or bone humps at the edge of the articular surfaces
- Formation of areas with larger or smaller calcium concentrations in the bone
In some cases, osteophytes may form under the acromion that interfere with the bursa and tendon of the upper bone muscle.
If the distance between acromion and humerus is small, this tissue formation can cause inflammation and pain.
The joint between the socket of the shoulder blade and the humerus is not affected by osteoarthritis for the following reasons:
- the shoulder does not have to carry body weight, such as the hip or knee;
- elderly people with shoulder pain often have an injury to the rotator cuff and the pain occurs only on one side.
Shoulder prostheses are used much less frequently than hip prostheses.
Shoulder fractures
Fractures are broken bones. Fractures of the shoulder affect:
- the collarbone,
- the humerus,
- in rare cases, the collarbone.
In the elderly, shoulder fractures usually occur as a result of a fall.
Younger patients are more likely to break their shoulder in a high-energy impact, such as:
- in the event of a traffic accident,
- in case of severe sports trauma.
Bone fractures cause:
- pain (aggravated by humid climate),
- Swelling
- a large bruise on the shoulder and chest.
A collarbone fracture usually occurs when falling on the stretched hand.
The shoulder blade is more likely to break in a direct impact.
Schutlerschmerz due to Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder, adhesive capsulitis or shoulder stiffness occurs between the ages of 40 and 65; Arthrosis in retrospect from the age of 60.
Shoulder stiffness is increasingly noticeable in people with diabetes and can also be caused by prolonged immobilization.
The pain occurs diffusely all over the shoulder, especially in the upper and back area.
The joint capsule of the shoulder:
- contracts or shortens,
- becomes thicker,
- adhesions form between the fibers.
The consequences are pain and restriction of movement.
The difference to the other shoulder diseases is that the blockage occurs abruptly, as if you were hitting a rigid obstacle.
Treatment includes:
- passive mobilization,
- Shock waves
- cortisone infiltrations;
- if these measures prove to be inadequate, the shoulder can be freed under anesthesia (anesthesia).
Another natural healing method is a change in diet.
A risk factor for this disorder is diabetes, which shows the importance of nutrition even in diseases of the shoulder.
A natural diet without grains (bread, pasta, pizza, rice, spelt, oats, etc.) can help heal.
The grain can be replaced by:
- Pulses
- Potatoes
- Pseudocereals such as quinoa and amaranth.
- Shoulder pain: persistent, nocturnal, when raising your arm
- Tests for shoulder and arm pain
- Pain in the shoulder right or left
