Shoulder pain often indicates serious problems in the body, regardless of whether it occurs in the right or left arm. The disease of the shoulder joint progresses slowly and almost imperceptibly. At first, minor pain may occur, mainly in the evening, then its intensity increases. In the absence of timely, competent therapy, gradual deformation of the joint occurs, as a result of which its functionality sharply decreases.
In order to select the most effective treatment regimen, doctors at the Yusupov Hospital Therapy Clinic prescribe patients a comprehensive examination, the results of which help to find out the root cause of pain in the shoulder joint.
Mechanism of occurrence
Mechanism of occurrence
If pain is detected in the shoulder joints of the arms, treatment must be prescribed taking into account the development mechanism.
Reasons to see a doctor
Pain in the shoulder joint is a good reason to see a doctor, because, as stated above, it accompanies many dangerous diseases. The following symptoms require special attention:
- Injuries. If pain in the shoulder joints occurs after an unsuccessful movement or heavy physical activity, then there is a high probability of receiving a serious injury, which can leave consequences. Particularly dangerous are fractures, sprains and ruptures of ligaments, dislocations, and loss of a joint from the joint capsule.
- Temperature. Inflammatory and infectious reactions can lead to an increase in temperature, both throughout the body and in the shoulder area. Redness, rash, irritation, and swelling are also possible.
- Ineffectiveness of painkillers. If classic painkillers do not help eliminate pain in the shoulder joint, it is possible that the disease concerns the internal organs and does not relate to the shoulder area.
- Prolonged pain. If sudden pain in the right or left shoulder does not go away for a long time, then you need to consult a specialist for diagnosis and treatment of the hands.
If you have pain in the right or left shoulder, it is recommended to contact an osteopathic specialist as soon as possible, who can diagnose the disorder, relieve pain and cure the root cause of the disease, rather than fight the symptoms.
Why pain occurs, main reasons
The appearance of pain in the shoulder area is not an independent disease, but a clinical manifestation of the influence of a significant number of different provoking factors, which include:
- Aseptic inflammation affecting various structures of the shoulder (nerve fibers, capsule, cartilage tissue of the joint, tendons, muscles).
- Joint infection (bacterial arthritis).
- An autoimmune process that is the result of a violation of the functional state of the immune system, in which antibodies are produced to the body’s own tissues, in particular to the connective tissue structures of the musculoskeletal system with the development of an inflammatory reaction in them.
- Degenerative-dystrophic processes with destruction of cartilaginous structures (arthrosis).
- Systematic significant exposure to physical activity.
- Previous injuries to the shoulder area affecting various structures (dislocation, subluxation, sprain of ligaments, capsules, fracture of the bone base, severe bruise).
Referred pain may also appear, which is the result of the development of a pathological process of another localization in the body (pain in the left shoulder with angina, referred pain with pathology of the cervical spine on the right or left).
Diagnostics
Diagnostics
For the differential diagnosis of reflected pain, electrocardiography (ECG) and methods for visualizing the structures of the cervical spine are used.
Pain in the shoulder joint - treatment
Treatment of a disease accompanied by pain of varying degrees of severity and nature in the shoulder area is necessarily comprehensive. It includes several main areas:
- Etiotropic therapy is a set of measures aimed at eliminating the influence of the main causative factor. It can be conservative or include various surgical techniques.
- Pathogenetic therapy - with the help of drugs, the main pathogenetic mechanisms of the formation of pain syndrome are influenced.
- Symptomatic therapy is treatment aimed at reducing the severity of clinical manifestations of the pathological process that worsen the patient’s quality of life.
General directions of therapeutic activities usually complement each other and can be intertwined. Often, one pharmacological group of drugs is used for symptomatic and pathogenetic therapy - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The choice of a set of therapeutic measures is made by the doctor based on clinical symptoms, as well as the results of additional diagnostic tests.
Pain in the shoulder joint of the right arm - treatment
Pain in the right shoulder is often of traumatic origin. After diagnosing the nature and localization of the violation of anatomical integrity, complex conservative and surgical treatment can be prescribed, aimed at restoring tissues and structures, as well as their functional state.
After preoperative preparation (including the prescription of various medications that improve the general condition of the patient’s body, as well as drugs to prevent postoperative complications, in particular bleeding and secondary bacterial infection), open access surgery or arthroscopic surgery is performed. It is less traumatic.
In the case of inflammatory origin of pain, conservative drug therapy is predominantly used, as well as physiotherapeutic procedures (magnetic therapy, ozokerite, mud baths, electrophoresis with anti-inflammatory medications). They help reduce pain in the right shoulder joint.
Treatment may vary in duration, depending on the severity of the traumatic or pathological injury, as well as the surgical technique performed.
Treatment of pain in the left shoulder joint
How to relieve pain yourself
It is important to remember that the average weight of the head is about 9 kg, so it is so important to give your neck timely rest. If you feel tired, simply lie back in your chair, relaxing your neck, or better yet, lie down on a comfortable pillow. This will avoid cramps from overexertion. Painkillers such as Solpadeine, Aspirin, Ibuprofen and others will also help get rid of neck pain after sleep. How to take them correctly is written in the instructions for the drug.
Set of exercises
Severe acute neck pain that occurs after sleep can be eliminated through physical exercises that are aimed at improving blood flow and strengthening the neck muscles. If your neck begins to hurt after sleep, sit on a chair, straighten up and, holding your head straight, tense your muscles, then tilt your head in different directions, forward and backward, overcoming the tension. The tension needs to be held for 5-7 seconds, after which you need to rest for 10 seconds and repeat everything again. Or, while inhaling, you can press your hand on your temple so that neck resistance is created. Hold the tension for 5-7 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat. You can also relax your body as much as possible, and then slowly begin to tilt your neck to one side, then to the other, so that the movements are similar to a pendulum. Repeat the exercise 10 times.
Treatment of pain in the left shoulder joint
Treatment of pain in the left shoulder joint
Discomfort in the left shoulder is also quite the result of a previous injury, and therefore sometimes requires surgical intervention. In modern medical clinics, it is performed using arthroscopy (a diagnostic and treatment technique in which a tube with a camera and lighting is inserted through small incisions; under visual control on a monitor, the doctor performs the necessary manipulations with microinstruments).
Conservative treatment of pain in the shoulder joint of the left hand is carried out with the help of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors, vitamins, and physiotherapeutic procedures in the case of diagnosed inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic processes.
Referred pain requires the implementation of therapeutic measures aimed at normalizing heart function in case of angina pectoris or restoring the relationship of the structures of the cervical spine in case of osteochondrosis.
Muscle pain in the shoulder joint - treatment
Muscle pain syndrome often occurs against the background of aseptic inflammation. In this case, anti-inflammatory drugs and physiotherapeutic procedures in the form of dry heat or infrared radiation are prescribed.
Worried shoulder joint, pain when raising the arm - treatment
If, when trying to move the shoulder with the arm raised upward, discomfort and crunching occur, then SLAP syndrome usually occurs, characterized by traumatic or pathological damage to the lips of the glenoid cavity, increasing its depth. Therapeutic measures in this case include surgery using arthroscopy.
If pain and crunching develop in the shoulder joint, treatment may include the prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors to reduce the severity of degenerative processes of cartilage tissue.
Severe pain in the shoulder joint - treatment
Treatment of acute shoulder pain usually involves the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Causes of development of arthrosis of the shoulder joint
- Excessive prolonged load on the shoulder, including of a professional nature (for example, builders, plasterers, loaders).
- An acquired or congenital defect of cartilage, ligaments and other structures, against which the joint quickly wears out even under normal load.
- Hand injuries - dislocations, fractures, bad falls.
- Deposition of salts in the joint cavity due to metabolic disorders.
- Constant microtrauma over a long period of time, for example due to regular sports activities.
- Chronic and acute inflammation of the joints.
Shoulder arthrosis is a hereditary disease: if your parents were ill, be vigilant
Severe pain in the shoulder joint
Severe pain in the shoulder joint
If it occurs against the background of an injury, then measures must be taken to reduce the mobility of the shoulder (immobilization with a splint or applying a tight bandage to the shoulder) and reduce the severity of tissue swelling, which increases pain. This is done by applying local cold in the form of an ice pack or wetting the injury area with cold water.
Significant intense pain that is not relieved by conventional means requires the use of narcotic painkillers.
Degrees of arthrosis
Clinical classification defines three degrees of arthrosis of the shoulder joint:
- 1st degree. The patient complains of a slight crunching sound that appears when moving. There is no pain syndrome. Discomfort is felt when moving the arm to the extreme position.
- 2nd degree. Pain occurs when raising the limb above shoulder level. The range of motion is reduced. After significant exertion, the patient feels pain even at rest.
- 3rd degree. Mobility in the joint is severely limited. The pain syndrome is almost constant.