The function of the shoulder is to place the arm in a position so a person can use her hand. Repetitive movements, such as throwing a ball or landing on the shoulder from a fall, can fracture the bones or tear the muscles of the shoulder, severely limiting a person's ability to move his arm.
Types
Bone fractures to the collarbone, or clavicle, involve a partial or complete break of the bone. The head of the arm bone, or humerus, and several parts of the shoulder blade, or scapula, are other types of shoulder fractures, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Shoulder muscles can partially or completely tear resulting in a muscle strain or complete rupture.
Features
A person with a fractured collarbone has pain and swelling along the collarbone, and will appear to have a slumped shoulder. There is noticeable bruising and tenderness along the bone, according to Intelihealth.com. If there is a fracture in the uppermost end or neck of the humerus, it will generate extreme pain and swelling. The shoulder looks deformed and there will be crackling sounds near the injury. A fractured shoulder blade induces severe pain when the arm is moved. The back of the shoulder swells and there will be scratches on the skin covering the shoulder blade. Complete shoulder muscle tears, including the rotator cuff muscles and the tendon of the long head of the biceps brachii, cause pain and tenderness directly over the site of the injury.
Effects
A fracture in the shoulder can impinge or injure the nerves and blood vessels running through the injured shoulder. This causes numbness or tingling through the forearm and hand as well as weakness and paralysis through a person's wrist and thumb, according to Sandra Shultz, Ph.D., and her colleagues, in their book "Examination of Musculoskeletal Injuries." A person suffering from a shoulder muscle tear is unable to move her arm through its full range of motion.
Treatments
Immediate treatments for a fractured bone or torn muscle in the shoulder include immobilization, pain medicine and the use of an ice pack over the injury. Surgery may be performed depending on the extent of the injury. Once pain and swelling have been controlled using medication, ice, electrical stimulation and heat, light stretches and exercises are introduced, progressing in difficulty, according to a person's response to treatment, according to Schultz.
Prevention
Shoulder fractures and muscle tears may be prevented by properly warming up and stretching the shoulders. A person must also include rotator cuff strengthening exercises in her weekly training program to strengthen the muscles. Refraining from excessive and repetitive shoulder movements reduces a person's risk of fracturing the bones and tearing the muscles in his shoulder.
References
- "Examination of Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Sandra Shultz, Ph.D., Peggy Houglum, Ph.D., and David Perrin, Ph.D.; 2005
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Shoulder Trauma
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Fracture of the Shoulder Blade
- Inteli Health: Collarbone Fracture
