The Painful Shoulder
The Painful shoulder can have many causes.
Neck problems can manifest as shoulder pain.
The pain may be due to nerve, muscle, tendon, joint, capsule or postural problems.
Correct diagnosis is essential for correct treatment and the information contained in this website can never be a substitute for an examination by a fully qualified shoulder specialist.
Pain and stiffness
May be due to arthritis at the shoulder joint or tightening and inflammation of the lining of the joint (frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis)
Painful Arc
This refers to pain which at the shoulder when it is lifted out to the side. Typically, if you can manage to keep lifting the arm the pain goes above 120 degrees of abduction (lifting up to the side)
This is usually because of 'catching' of the tendon (often called impingement) and if not treated can go on to a tendon tear (rotator cuff tear)
Pain and weakness
This can have several causes but may be due to a tear in the rotator cuff tendon.
Treatment at this stage is usually surgical