Shoulder injuries go with the territory of athletic training and competition. Even soccer, well known for use of the legs and head, sees its share of shoulder trauma. Various athletic movements give rise to a range of overuse and accidental damage to the shoulder. Contact sports are notorious for dislocations, separations and broken bones. Repetitive motion sports foster a large number of tendon and muscle strains and tears and some types of arthritis.
Chronic and Acute Shoulder Tendinitis
Tendon and muscle strain to the rotator cuff may be most well-known among baseball pitchers, tennis players and swimmers. The overhead reaching motions associated with soccer, basketball and gymnastics cause athletes to develop tendinitis, too. Long-term muscle strain can lead to more serious tears in shoulder tissue. According to University Sports Medicine, the inflammation that results from acute or chronic overuse results in sudden or gradual arm and shoulder pain and a loss of strength and range of motion.
Shoulder Arthritis
Weightlifters and athletes in most other sports can develop some form of arthritis, which may affect both shoulders at the same time. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons notes that both shoulder joints--the acromioclavicular, or AC joint, as well as the glenohumeral, or scapulothoracic joint--can be involved, too. These chronic shoulder injuries include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which are caused by long-term overuse through repetitive motion. Post-traumatic arthritis affects some athletes following acute shoulder injuries or surgery.
Dislocated Shoulder
Football scrimmages, rugby scrums and hockey face-offs, among other sports maneuvers, may give rise to dislocated shoulder trauma. This occurs when the bone of the humerus is driven out of the shoulder joint socket. University Sports Medicine lists causes of this action as a fall onto one shoulder or outstretched hand, a blow to the shoulder at a certain angle or a severe arm twist. These very painful shoulder injuries may also incorporate ligament tears, tendon and muscle strains and nerve damage.
Separated Shoulder
Shoulder trauma involving the ligaments surrounding the AC joint is known as a separated shoulder. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine notes that extreme pain and decreased range of motion accompany several gradations of separation. Major AC ligaments that are merely stretched indicate Grade I sprains. Major ligaments with greater damage and partial bone separation represent Grade II. Both major and secondary ligaments that tear are labeled Grade III complete separations.
Shoulder Fracture
Fractures to the humerus, clavicle and, less often, scapula are most common in contact sports, but can also develop from long-term bone stress in weightlifting and other athletic pursuits. University Sports Medicine reports that shoulder trauma following acute, as opposed to stress, fractures may be characterized by a sharp cracking noise, pain, swelling and immobility. It might take an X-ray to diagnose a stress fracture.
