Pain is a symptom that commonly sends people with shoulder and arm problems to the doctor. This pain can be due to a form of arthritis, injuries or inflammation. It can also be the result of repeated movements and overuse of the muscles. There are several causes of arm and shoulder pain that may require medical care.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
In polymyalgia rheumatica, is characterized by pain in the hips, though there can be pain and stiffness in the shoulders as well. The shoulder pain and stiffness is severe enough to make it difficult to rise out of a chair, put on a coat or lift an arm to comb the hair. Weight loss and fever might also be experienced, according to David Hellmann, M.D., chairman of the Department of Medicine at John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
The term rotator cuff refers to four shoulder muscles that help to stabilize the shoulder when holding an arm over the head. Rotator cuff injuries include subacromial bursitis, tears in the tendons and tendinitis. Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa, a small sac that is filled with fluid. A bursa lets the tendons and muscles slide over a bone. The subacromial bursa is underneath the acromion, an area of the shoulder blade. Tendons connect a muscle to a bone, and tendinitis is the inflammation of a tendon. Paul Liebert, M.D. of Tomah Memorial Hospital explains in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals" that all rotator cuff injuries cause shoulder pain. In a partial tear, some weakness may be experienced. In the case of a complete tear, substantial weakness develops.
Adhesive Capsulitis
Ramesh Srinivasan, M.D., of the University of Michigan writes in "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery," that adhesive capsulitis is a common cause of shoulder pain in the elderly and middle-aged adults. Physicians do not yet understand how it develops. But people have developed adhesive capsulitis even though they have not suffered any trauma to the shoulder area. Physicians do see an association between this disorder and rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It involves the inflammation of a capsule (capsulitis) which then adheres to the acromion, the tendons in the rotator cuff, the humerus (bone of the upper arm) and the biceps muscle of the upper arm. The inflammation can even destroy the bursae. The symptoms begin gradually, and the disease develops in a manner which gives it the nickname "frozen shoulder" because the shoulder becomes hard to move.
Lateral Epicondylitis
This disorder, which causes pain in the elbow and forearm, also goes by the nickname of "tennis elbow." A tendon attaches to the lateral epicondyle, which is a place on the humerus bone right at the elbow. According to Liebert, people can injure the lateral epicondyle by repeatedly moving the forearm or overusing the muscles in the forearm. This can happen whenever they are playing tennis or turning a screwdriver.
References
- "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery"; Gerard Doherty, M.D.; 2010
- "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2009"; Stephen McPhee, M.D., Maxine Papadakis, M.D.; 2009
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Rotator Cuff Injury
